Tag: accuracy

Improved Automated Transcripts

Rajiv PoddarLeave a comment

Our latest speech and language models have been released. There are several new features in this release. The following is a list:

Acoustic Model: This is our fourth acoustic model trained on our data. The dataset contained mostly accented speakers (eg. Indian, African, Irish etc.). It also contained some noisy files. The accuracy of the automated transcript on accented files should be better now.

Language Model: We have added more data to our language model and doubled its size. The model now model has now been trained on around 46 million lines and has improved the WER by around 2%.

Punctuations: The biggest feature of this release is expanded punctuations. We now support all types of punctuations including quotes and hyphens. To our knowledge, nobody else including Google Web Speech, AWS Transcribe and Speechmatics supports quotes.

Speaker Turns: We also have updated our speaker turns model. The accuracy of the model is around 80% on long paragraphs. The automated transcripts will be better segmented now. We are currently working on adding speaker diarization to the automated transcript and it should be out soon. We do speaker turns a bit differently and do not require the number of speakers as an input. That is also one of our unique features. Google Web Speech does not support multi-speaker files and AWS Transcribe and Speechmatics require the number of speakers as an input for diarization.

This release also fixes the issue of missing predictions where some words, especially near speaker turns were not being transcribed. The automated transcripts should now capture all utterances, except filler words. We also benchmarked our model with LibriSpeech Clean and our internal dataset. The following are our numbers.

Dataset Type WER CER
LibriSpeech Clean Read speech 14.53% 5.85%
Scribie Internal Conversational 16.33% 8.82%

For comparison, PaddlePaddle numbers are the following:

Dataset Type WER CER
LibriSpeech Clean Read speech 5.4% 1.9%
Scribie Internal Conversational 28.34% 17.71%

As you can see, for conversational audio, our models outperform PaddlePaddle by a wide margin. We are working on improving our models for non-conversational audio as well. Our ASR is a DeepSpeech-based system and therefore a comparison with PaddlePaddle is a good benchmark for us. The Continual Learning blog post has some more details on how we trained our DeepSpeech models.

The automated transcripts are free currently, so try it out today!

Why Scribie Is The Top Transcription Service

Becca Thomas2 Comments
Scribie Top Transcription Service

What A Top Transcription Service Offers

If you’ve ever found yourself in need of a transcription service, you know that by doing a Google search, you will see a lot of results. Just because there are many transcription services out there, doesn’t mean that they all match up to each other. Continue reading “Why Scribie Is The Top Transcription Service” →

Why Scribie Charges Extra For Non-North American Accents

Yukti Yatish2 Comments

We have often been asked “Why does Scribie charge extra for non-North American accents?” so we decided to clarify and expand on the reasons behind our decision. Here’s what you need to know:

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Most files that are uploaded on Scribie for transcription are from the US, or at least the speakers are mostly North Americans–so for that reason, we specialize in transcribing North American accents. Naturally, it makes sense that most of our transcribers are based in the US. And this ensures they are familiar with the accents, which in turn ensures flawless transcription in much less time. The result? Faster turnaround, better accuracy, and happier customers.

Generally, we have a flat rate for all high-quality audio files with North American speakers. However, we do charge a bit extra ($.50 per minute) for high difficulty files due to the time these files are. Similarly, we charge a little more for files with a non-North American accent. The main reason is, these accents require specialized transcribers that are familiar with wider accent patterns and can transcribe files with non-US speakers at the same accuracy level. The problem is that these transcribers are rare, which means, if we get too many files in this category, the files tend to get stuck in the pipeline. And nobody likes that.

Basically, we charge more for these files because it costs more to transcribe these file types. It also keeps the transcribers motivated and encourages them to continue to work on such files.

So in closing, the pay rate occasionally changes, but what doesn’t change is Scribie’s commitment to one of the highest levels of accuracy in the industry  Upload your files now and find it out for yourself.

BITC (Burnt In Time Code) In Video Transcription

Yukti YatishLeave a comment

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If you are in the editing industry, you probably already know about Burn-in Time Code or BITC. For the uninitiated, this is the time code that you can actually see on a video. The next time you watch the extra features in, say, a recorded TV show, take a closer look. You will see a group of rolling numbers right at the bottom. That’s BITC for you.

So, what exactly is BITC?

Like we said, it is a time-code that’s superimposed on a video. This means, it is not a part of the original video, but is burn onto the picture frame. You can even remove it later on. You don’t usually use BITC on the master tape. It is rather used on copies of the original material on a non-broadcast format.

How is BITC different from regular timecodes on a transcript?

That’s a good thing to ask because this is the part that confuses many people. To begin with, BITC is strictly video. A regular timecode, on the other hand, is the timestamp that you find on your transcribed file. This refers to the running time of an audio before every paragraph. For instance, if you see something like [00:10:12] on your transcribed file, this means the time stamp was made exactly 10 minutes 12 seconds into the audio fie. Scribie offers this as a default service and guarantees an accuracy of +/- 1 second.

But, why do we need BITC?

Ask anyone working on the post-production phase of a video project, and he will tell you the many advantages of BITC. Think of a situation when many people are working on the same project. How do you communicate about a particular point of the video? Maybe do a lot of back and forth until you arrive at the desired moment you wanted to work on? Introduce BITC and your problem is solved. Simply refer to the time stamp on your video for easy reference and for saving time.

If you need BITC in your video transcription project, we can help you. Scribie now offers the service at an additional charge of $0.50 per minute. Contact us today!

How to Review or Check the Quality of Transcripts

Becca ThomasLeave a comment

As a business professional, student, teacher, or whatever reason you may have for using a transcription service, you want to know that the service you used has done their job and done it well. You want your work or project to be up to the highest standards.

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With that in mind, did you know that Scribie offers you a simple approach to check and review the quality of your transcripts? It’s a few steps that can be done with the use of a tool that only Scribie offers, their free Integrated Editor.

The Integrated Editor provides a variety of tools at your disposal including a full feature text editor, unified interface, auto-capitalization, auto-correct, text analysis, and variable speed playback, just to name a few. With the editor, you’ll want to analyze your transcript, check for underlines and blanks, and do random spot checks. Let’s get started.

You can analyze your document by simply click ‘Analysis’ at the top of the Integrated Editor. It will underline words that either are not recognized by the editor or words and phrases that are not common. Scan the underlines and play those portions to ensure that things are correct. If you want to analyze any word or phrase further, you can right click on the word for a list of options.

If you see blanks in your transcript it’s due to transcribers not being fully sure what was said in your audio. Easily find those blank spots using the editor by holding down CTRL+B. It’ll play the audio just prior to the blank and you can fill it in with the appropriate word or phrase.

Scribie recommends that you randomly check portions of your transcript instead of going through the entire document. If you find key mistakes in your spot checks, then check the entire paragraph for any further issues. To check a paragraph, click in any part of the paragraph and hold down CTRL+ALT+N.

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By doing these few things, you can ensure that the transcription is all that you need it to be. Scribie strives to provide you with no less than 98% accuracy and by providing this service, we want to show you we take that guarantee seriously.

So start uploading you files on Scribie now!!

Affordable Transcription Service

Yukti YatishLeave a comment
Typing Keyboard Scribie

How to find affordable transcription services

High quality and low cost don’t always go hand in hand. The rule is hardly different when you are looking for a transcription company. However, if you are working within a limited budget, you cannot overlook the cost factor. Since transcription is a high accuracy requirement, quality is of utmost importance too. Thankfully, not all affordable services raise a red flag. Companies like Scribie have consistently delivered superior quality transcription service at an affordable cost. Since students make up a huge part of Scribie’s transcription customer base, marrying quality with cost has become the norm with us. When you are looking for a cost-effective transcription service, look for the following few things:

Know the specific transcription service provided by a company

The first step is understanding the kind of files that you would want to get transcribed, and then choosing the transcription service accordingly. If you are looking for medical transcription, you should look for a company that specializes in it.  Scribie, for instance, offers excellent service when it comes to transcribing research, interviews, and conversations that involve more than one speaker and a variety of accents.

Look for rating and reviews

A quick online research will reveal the company’s reputation. Often the company website will give you a good deal of customer feedback. Including case studies in the website is also very common. Scribie’s website lists a number of satisfied customers who have used the company’s service.

Accuracy

Affordable cost does not mean cheap quality. Check for companies that have a record of delivering high-quality content. At Scribie we have a strict policy to maintain 98% accuracy. No file is delivered until this level is achieved. We also follow a 4-step process that ensures maximum transcription accuracy.

Flexibility

A good transcription service provider will let you review the files and will accommodate your inputs. Even if you are opting for an affordable service, this is a crucial aspect to consider so that you are not stuck with a file that’s of no use. With Scribie, you can check the work-in-progress any time. You can even request re-reviews if you are not satisfied with the quality.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is also crucial when choosing a transcription service company because an audio often includes sensitive data. We at Scribie understand this too well. All our transcribers abide by a strict NDA policy. Unlike many other affordable service providers we also have an efficient customer care service that can provide support 24/7. For greater convenience, you can use Scribie for teleconferencing recording service along with audio transcription.

Start uploading your files and enjoy superior service with just a click!

Three Things To Look For In a Transcription Service Provider For Research

Yukti Yatish1 Comment

Market research has rightly evolved as an integral part of business strategy. Its scientific approach in understanding the volatile nature of the market is an attempt by companies to get some direction. Apart from gathering and analyzing information, market research also attempts to shed some light on the customer personality, spending habit, and location.

market researchNeedless to say that accuracy is key for market research to have any value. And that is also one of the first things that you should look for in a transcription company that you hire for transcribing your research material. What should be the other pointers? Read on to find out.

Timeliness: Respecting deadlines is important, no matter what you do. It might become crucial for things that are deadline-driven. Apparently, the process of market research is a long one and it might seem that fast turnaround of transcription is not super-important. But you may be mistaken. Depending upon the stage of the research a fast transcription might be indispensable. For instance, if a particular product is near completion, the business might want to get the market research result in real time rather than wait for weeks for the final report. In such challenging situation, time is of utmost importance.

Quality: This goes hand in hand with accuracy. Look for a transcription service that offers quality check at every step. At Scribie, we do. It is also important that the transcribers have a keen ear that is able to distinguish the voices of various speakers, especially in group interviews, and understand the different accents. Sometimes, quality of the conference calls becomes a challenging issue. Poor quality calls can have serious impact on the final transcription. At Scribie, we provide teleconferencing and phone call recording facility along with transcription service. All you need to do is book a call. No more uploading files and sending it for transcription. All these will be done automatically.

Confidentiality: Market research often involves sensitive data, information that you cannot afford to lose or share. Your transcription service provider must respect that. At Scribie, we have a strict confidentiality policy for all our services, so that our customers can count on us every time.

If you are looking for transcription for your market research, let us know. We have a user-friendly interface that makes it very easy to upload files and a responsive customer care service that is ready to help you 24×7.

Upload your files now!

Interview Transcription for Documentary

Yukti YatishLeave a comment

Here is another interview with Jenny Brown for the documentary about the brutality that animals face worldwide. Scribie is proud to associate itself with this noble cause.

Please send a mail to support@scribie.com or you can chat with us directly for any further queries.

Start uploading you files here for quick and affordable transcription service.

Scribie Announces Partnership With Amolto Call Recorder

Yukti YatishLeave a comment

Scribie is proud to announce their partnership with Amolto Call Recorder for Skype. This partnership allows you to order transcriptions of the Skype calls directly from within the Amolto Call Recorder. Amolto Call Recorder provides you with software that makes it easy to record your Skype calls. When you start your Skype call, Amolto starts to record automatically. A simple and easy to use interface pops up on the screen. (It’s important to note that this is only available for Windows).

To utilise this new feature, register for a new Scribie account from the special partner page. You will get an API key which you need to copy in the Amolto Call Recorder options page.

 

 

Once you’ve done that, you can request new transcription directly from Amolto Call Recorder by opening the “Recording history” window.

 

Select the recording and click on the ‘Transcription menu’ to upload to Scribie.

 

You’ll be able to see the progress of your transcription in ‘Recording History’. Once the transcription is complete, you can choose any of the supported formats e.g.Microsoft Word (.doc), OpenDocument Text (.odt) and Adobe PDF (.pdf) and plain text (.txt), to download your file.

With this partnership both Amolto and Scribie intends to give their customers a seamless experience. There’s no need to download recordings or upload files in multiple places. The combined services of Scribie and Amolto brings you, the customer, the same service and accuracy you have been accustomed to with Scribie, plus the added benefit of convenience to get your Skype calls transcribed in one easy place. Consider your time yours once again.
If you’re ready to create your account, head on over to Scribie and if you already have an account, go download your copy of the Amolto Call Recorder now.

Interview Transcription

Yukti YatishLeave a comment

Interview TranscriptionPeople use transcription services for various reasons in their personal and business lives. For some of those people, they use them for their interviews. Whether you are a writer who is doing research for a book, a reporter or journalist working on a hot story, or a researcher gathering information for your study, the information gathered in your interviews are vital. That information is later used to write up your stories or reports and you want to ensure that you have all the necessary information.

One benefit of transcribing your interviews is sometimes it could be hard to hear what’s being said in the audio file, whether it’s you or someone else listening to the file. A transcription copy easily provides the necessary information needed. Another benefit is easy access to the information. With a digital copy of your interview, it’s easy to search for specific phrases or words discussed in your interview. A third benefit is saving time. Be honest, sometimes the simplest conversation transcript can take a long time to complete due to the accuracy being required.

Lastly, you may not have the tools at your disposal to accurately transcribe your interview. Depending on your location at the time, there could be background noise that needs to be filtered out in order to hear everything. Imagine your local Starbucks and all the coffeehouse noises that go on throughout the store. Another aspect is there could be more than one or two people speaking in the interview and you need to be able to accurately distinguish between the voices. Think of a focus group being interviewed and sometimes there may be people talking over each other trying to be heard. That’s where a professional transcription service can come in.

A good quality transcription of your interview can be hard to come by. You could do it yourself or have someone on your team do it, but having professionals take care of it for you not only saves you time, but provides you with satisfaction and peace of mind. You have the assurance that it’s been done right and that nothing has been missed.

Many companies out there offer you accuracy and are willing to transcribe audio with background noise and multiple speakers. The downside is that many of them charge extra for background noise and will charge you per speaker. With Scribie, you pay a flat rate for audio with background noise and multiple speakers. That’s right, Scribie won’t charge you more for an audio file that may be tougher than normal audio. Consider Scribie for all your interview transcription needs and have the peace of mind that you deserve. Start uploading your files now!