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Audio transcription is a necessary tool for many tech fields. From podcasters trying to make their content searchable to companies looking for tweetable quotes in a webinar, transcripts are essential for any tech business. There is a wide range of ways to perform audio transcription, ranging from time consuming to expensive. As a tech marketer, you will need to produce transcripts online in a way that works with your schedule and budget. Choosing the wrong way could cost you and your company a lot of money. Read below for the various ways you can perform audio transcription online.
Transcribe The Audio Yourself
The most straightforward way to produce an audio transcript online is to write it yourself. Several online companies provide apps that let you write a transcription. You plug your audio into the app and type the transcript of the audio as you listen to it. The app also provides tools to control the speed and location of the audio, and, if it provides a good app design, it will make all the features easy to use. This transcription style is time consuming for you. The app does what it can to speed up the process, but it will still take you on average 4-6 hours to transcribe 1 hour of audio. This process does ensure accuracy though, since you can take the time and energy to transcribe it carefully. If you can take the time, transcribing the audio yourself can ensure a perfect transcript.
Transcription Service
If you need a transcription produced quickly, a transcription service can produce one automatically. You prepare the audio file and upload it to a transcription company. They analyze the audio and, in a few minutes, email you a full transcript. This process can save time over traditional transcription methods. It is more expensive then other methods. Additionally, since the transcription is done by a machine, it may contain errors. Any transcription produced this way should be edited for incorrect words and punctuation. These services can save you a lot of time though, if you can afford it.
Automated Dictation Programs
If you need to produce a transcript in real time online, an automated dictation program can help you as you record. Many cloud-based word processing services and other cloud computing technology offer microphone dictation. This is designed to speed up word processing by letting you dictate a document. It will dictate speaker output too, so you can conduct an interview and the program will transcribe it in real time. These programs do have some accuracy problems. Thus, you will probably have to edit the transcript afterwards. You will also need a quiet place to record. These programs are thrown off by multiple people speaking at once. Nonetheless, this can be a great way to transcribe audio as you record it.
Social Media Captioning
If you don’t have the money for more refined methods, there is an easy way to get a free transcript from social media captioning. Social video platforms like YouTube offer instant subtitles for any video uploaded to them. You can upload your audio to such a site. Then, within about thirty minutes, the site will produce a transcript of everything that you said. This transcript will need to be heavily edited. These site’s captioning tools aim for speed, not accuracy. However, this process can save you time on writing a transcript from scratch.
Hire A Freelancer
You can also use online services to find a freelancer to transcribe the audio for you. There are several job boards online that can connect you to tech workers that are happy to do the hard work for you. Hiring a freelancer provides better accuracy than automated services. An experienced freelancer can also possibly transcribe faster than you. This will prove to be the most expensive option outlined. Freelancers charge $15 to $30 for an hour’s work. If you can afford it though, a freelancer can produce a better product while you are free to work on more important things.
When it comes to audio transcription online, you have a range of options to choose from. Using a transcription app yourself will be accurate but time consuming. A transcription service produces a transcript fast, but it will be expensive and not as accurate. To transcribe audio in real time, you can use an automated dictation program. You can even use electronic media or a social media platform’s caption system to produce a rough transcript cheaply. Finally, you can hire a freelancer to produce an accurate, but expensive transcript. Whichever way you pick, you should have no trouble producing an accurate audio transcription online.
