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Transcription

keyboard-solarized_thumbIf you are looking for someone to transcribe your meeting or interviews, I’m your gal.

I have equipment to play analog audio tapes, CDs, .wav, .mp3, and .wma file formats. I cannot transcribe microcassettes, DATs, or DVDs. I prefer to have digital files that can be FTP’d from your site to mine, or vice versa (it saves on the postal costs of sending tapes back and forth).

Tips for Recording a Meeting for Transcription

  • Make sure you’ve got good microphones.
  • Make sure everybody in the meeting has a microphone.1
  • If you can’t give everyone a microphone, make sure everyone knows the meeting will be transcribed, and encourage all the participants to speak up. If everyone in the meeting does have a microphone, see if you can get someone to run a sound board to turn the mics up and down as different people speak.2
  • If you are recording a phone conversation, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A RELIABLE RECORDING DEVICE. Microcassettes are outdated and have a tendency to speed up or slow down when the batteries are low, and the automatic voice activation “feature” ends up cutting sentences off when they’re pausing to breathe or think.3
  • Be sure to get the correct spelling of all the names of the participants, and provide that list to your transcriptionist.
  • Try to get an agenda and/or slides from the meeting. They are very helpful for us transcriptionists to figure out what everyone is talking about.

Generally, the better a recording you can make, the better and faster a transcription you will get. Of course, not everyone has the finest microphones or the most sophisticated recording device. If you are planning to record a lot of meetings or interviews, I suggest that you make the investment in some good equipment.

I do not endorse one device or another, but here are some helpful links to get you started:

1. I understand that there is a cost issue around this one, since microphones are not cheap, and sound boards are also expensive. As a result, many people use one or two microphones taped to the middle of the table. This is the worst way to tape a roundtable discussion, because what ends up happening is that the person who is farthest away from the microphone inevitably has the most to say and will end up being inaudible most of the time.

2. If you can’t get someone to work the sound board, try to make sure people turn their own mics on and off as needed. Most people, however, forget to turn their own mic on or off, so what we transcriptionists hear on our end is a completely random side conversation, silverware clinking, or water being poured into a glass while the current speaker is inaudible.

3. Along the same vein, don’t think that if you put your recording device on the table and the other guy on speakerphone you’ll get a good recording. Think about it: hearing someone on speakerphone is not the best quality to your ears, and you’re in the room. How do you expect your recording device to pick up and record every nuance your ear can’t?

Prices & Turnaround

(ALL PRICES OPEN FOR NEGOTIATION)

General Rate: $20/hr.
Rush Rate: $30/hr.

If you want the transcription to be verbatim, that is with all the umms and ahs, it usually takes me about 4-5 times the time of the recording to transcribe (e.g., a 30-minute recording might take 2 to 2 1/2 hrs. to transcribe). If you just want the text without the stutters, etc., that will take about 3-4 times the time of recording.
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Copyright 2006 Maren Montalbano