Generally speaking, transcription is the process of converting audio or video into text. Though it sounds simple, it can be a tedious and time-consuming process, especially when it comes to transcribing hours-long files. Low-quality audio and video can also be challenging to convert to text, particularly if you’re not used to the process.

And yet transcribed texts are valuable to organizations – they serve as a form of documentation, and they ensure accuracy and efficiency. To make sure that all files are transcribed properly, consider outsourcing transcription services to a reliable provider.

To start off, here are three kinds of transcription services to outsource:

• Verbatim transcription

When it comes to verbatim transcription, every word, noise, and laughter captured in the audio or video must be transcribed and time-coded. It needs to be highly accurate and thorough, even if there are garbled sentences in the file. This is why it’s the most difficult and time-consuming.

This is also the most expensive kind of transcription service, since it requires a lot of skill, along with advanced software to help with the process. This is often used for movies, commercials, and legal proceedings, among others.

• Edited transcription

Transcribers have more leeway with edited transcriptions since they can omit certain parts as long as it doesn’t take away from the overall meaning and nuance of the audio or video file. This type of transcription requires transcribers to know what the file is about and to remove clutter in the form of background noise and garbled sentences while at the same time preserving the integrity of the recording.

Edited transcriptions are often used for conferences, seminars, classes, speeches, and other similar activities.

• Intelligent transcription

This kind of transcription requires a great deal of analytical skill. The transcribers must have a good understanding of the meaning and purpose of the recording. It’s less about transcribing the material down to the very last word, and more about getting the gist of it and communicating it through text. The output doesn’t need to capture every word, sentence, or noise on record, but it has to read intelligently.

It takes a highly trained and experienced transcriber to do this kind of work. It requires more editing and less of the transcription itself.

Transcription services are needed in numerous fields. Legal transcription services, for instance, tend to be widely outsourced. The same goes for medical transcription services. Both services necessitate specialized knowledge in these respective fields, and transcribers must be familiar with legal or medical jargon. On top of that, they should be able to transcribe files accurately within a set period of time.

The Philippines has a vast pool of transcribers, as well as law and nursing graduates who are capable of doing transcription work. Though some of them do work on a freelance basis, many are employed under BPOs that can churn out transcribed work for your organization as you need it.

Outsourcing transcription services to a skilled and experienced service provider not only gets the job done as quickly as possible, but it also saves you the headache of going through audio and video files over and over. It also lets you make better use of your time and energy.

Contact us today for more information.