PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY TRANSCRIPTS
I suggest that you join a forum aimed at VAs and transcriptionists. For South Africans I would recommend TAVASA. Working from home can be a lonely experience and trying to sort out technical problems can be very daunting. By joining a forum you will be in contact with people who understand exactly what is required and can assist with questions.
Best of all, this is where the more established people post their requests for assistance with overflow work. Having secured a shot at subcontracting this overflow work bear the following in mind:
• Obtain a template from the contractor and STICK to it – every comma, every underlining, every space. Do not get creative and do not try to improve on the template.
• Often the contractor will send a sheet through with his or her typing preferences and requirements. Read it carefully before you start typing and again before you proof your work and ensure you abide by the instructions.
• Communicate – if you are having problems with the recording it may be a bad recording. On the other hand, if you are the only typist experiencing problems then it is probably an incorrect setting or your equipment may be faulty. The only way to find out is by asking the contractor about the recording quality. Do not go merrily ahead and turn in a transcript littered with [unclear], [inaudible], etcetera.
• Make notes as you go, especially for names and words that you are not sure of. Should these become clear as the transcript progresses, it makes it easy and quick to do a global replacement.
• Proof your work thoroughly. Put those earphones on and go through the whole transcript – this is time-consuming and quite often expensive – it takes a long time to type your very first transcription and it can be quite discouraging in terms of your hourly rate, but you would be amazed at what you pick up on the second run-through. Words previously indecipherable will be clear once you are familiar with the context of the transcript.
• Spell and grammar check – spell checking is an absolute requirement but adding the grammar check function is very useful in picking up mistakes other than typos. Bear in mind that transcription is usually rendered verbatim and the most common grammar mistakes are made in speech. Do not be tempted to tidy up the speaker’s grammar unless specifically requested to do so.
• Google is your friend. If, for instance, you pick up a name and a designation but not the company name, chances are you will find it on Google. Many terms are industry-related or, in the case of medical transcription, the names of patent drugs, etcetera, are unfamiliar to most people. It is not enough to spell a word phonetically, add a question mark and move on. In the long run your efforts will be rewarded.
• Ask questions. We were all new at this once and I believe we would rather answer a dozen seemingly insignificant questions rather than receive a badly-typed transcript.
The above steps are very, very important. It is as well to remember that not only do contractors offer the jobs that will get you started as a transcriptionist but that they often recommend – or not – typists to other contractors. Shoddy work will put a halt to your career before you start. Commit to producing high quality transcription from day one.
Michele Johanson is based in Cape Town and owns Good Hope Transcription and Typing Services http://goodhopetranscription.weebly.com which offers general and legal transcription, typing, article and content writing and editing/proofreading functions. Recently we have added recording of small meetings to our profile.
Showing posts with label transcriptionists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label transcriptionists. Show all posts
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Interview Archie de Lara (Transcription Services)
An Interview with Archie de Lara, Archie provides Transcription Services to clients, he is based in the Philippines.
Why did you choose this as a career, do you see this as a career choice?
I choose transcription because I like the nature of the work. I learn different things especially in doing medical transcription. In the Philippines, transcription is a very promising career for higher income opportunity. The fact that it can be done at home also is appealing to me.
Do you work from a home office?
I presently do home base transcription. I also plan to work office based while doing the home based transcription on my extra time.
What do you like about Transcription?
I like to hear voice recordings and be able to come up withe document over that.
What advice would you give to new prospective Transcriptionists out there?
Start transcription career right. Choose the best training and make the most over it. Let your eagerness to learn more about the career lead you to become successful in this field.
What type of transcription do you provide, General, Legal or Medical?
I provide general transcription this time.
What is the most important thing about being a Transcriptionist?
The most important thing about being a transcriptionist is the attitude towards work. Never return an audio file if it is not that discernible. Just notify your client and make the most out of it.
Do you have other plans or are you planning on staying in Transcription?
I plan to stay being a transcriptionist and i would like to become a provider for other transcriptionists.
What are the benefits of doing Transcription in the Philippines?
Transcription services in the Philippines is cheaper and is of high quality.
Do you work for companies overseas outside of the Philippines?
Yes, I work for transcription companies outside the Philippines.
Thank you, regards Ali
My pleasure.
Archie's Blog: http://archiedelara.com/category/about-transcription/
Why did you choose this as a career, do you see this as a career choice?
I choose transcription because I like the nature of the work. I learn different things especially in doing medical transcription. In the Philippines, transcription is a very promising career for higher income opportunity. The fact that it can be done at home also is appealing to me.
Do you work from a home office?
I presently do home base transcription. I also plan to work office based while doing the home based transcription on my extra time.
What do you like about Transcription?
I like to hear voice recordings and be able to come up withe document over that.
What advice would you give to new prospective Transcriptionists out there?
Start transcription career right. Choose the best training and make the most over it. Let your eagerness to learn more about the career lead you to become successful in this field.
What type of transcription do you provide, General, Legal or Medical?
I provide general transcription this time.
What is the most important thing about being a Transcriptionist?
The most important thing about being a transcriptionist is the attitude towards work. Never return an audio file if it is not that discernible. Just notify your client and make the most out of it.
Do you have other plans or are you planning on staying in Transcription?
I plan to stay being a transcriptionist and i would like to become a provider for other transcriptionists.
What are the benefits of doing Transcription in the Philippines?
Transcription services in the Philippines is cheaper and is of high quality.
Do you work for companies overseas outside of the Philippines?
Yes, I work for transcription companies outside the Philippines.
Thank you, regards Ali
My pleasure.
Archie's Blog: http://archiedelara.com/category/about-transcription/
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Typing versus Transcription
Business owners are turning to outsourcing of typing and dictation work and reaping the benefits of having virtual secretaries operating in all time zones. They benefit from not paying overheads, are not responsible for any leave pay, sick pay, medical and pension fund contributions. They do not have to provide equipment, electricity, tea or coffee or pay for private telephone calls and e-mails. Outsourcing makes a lot of financial and business sense.
What a lot of outsourcers fail to understand, however, that there is a vast difference between copy typing and transcription.
Copy typing is basically what it says – handwritten work is transformed into a neatly and accurately typed document within a specified time frame. Copy typing is not necessarily plain sailing – often the client’s handwriting is virtually undecipherable and, in the case of non-English-speaking clients, the grammar and syntax is often confusing and needs a little time and care to render into a well-written document. Once a sample of the work is obtained it is easy to quote on the job based on the complexity of the above factors.
Transcription is an entirely different kettle of fish and costs considerably more and this is where the interests of the client and transcriptionist collide. Clients often fail to understand the reasons for what appears to be an exorbitant rate but do not take into consideration the factors that underlie the need for a much higher quotation.
Even the most experienced transcriptionist works on the rule of thumb that one hour of dictation takes approximately four hours to transcribe, and quotes accordingly. This is true of best-case scenarios where, for instance, an interview or dialogue between two people is clear and audible and there is no background noise or distraction.
In reality, large and noisy meetings are conducted in what sometimes seems like a war zone with sirens wailing and traffic roaring in the background. Building work may be taking place in the adjacent office and the confused mass of voices is punctuated by regular blasts of drilling and hammering. Speakers are not introduced and the client may or may not provide a list of speakers. The microphone seems to be perched on the tea trolley, which is a fantastic idea when you really want your transcriptionist to work hard for his or her money. Throw in various accents and a few foreign speakers and now we’re all having fun. For a bit of added interest, use lots of technical and insider terms.
In this case the transcriptionist may very well have to stretch the golden rule of four to one to five or six hours as she frantically tries to Google phonetically-spelled words and technical terms or distinguish the Hungarian speaker from the Romanian speaker, the French speaker from the Moroccan-French speaker, or all four speaking simultaneously, not to mention the guy with the bad cold sitting really close to the microphone, coughing and blowing his nose, clearing his throat, etc.
So rest assured, transcriptionists are not ripping the client off; they are doing their best to produce a clear and readable transcript under very trying circumstances and should be rewarded accordingly.
Michele Johanson
michelejohanson@yahoo.com
http://goodhopetranscription.weebly.com
Fax: 086 6021 791
Ph: 084 6944 307
What a lot of outsourcers fail to understand, however, that there is a vast difference between copy typing and transcription.
Copy typing is basically what it says – handwritten work is transformed into a neatly and accurately typed document within a specified time frame. Copy typing is not necessarily plain sailing – often the client’s handwriting is virtually undecipherable and, in the case of non-English-speaking clients, the grammar and syntax is often confusing and needs a little time and care to render into a well-written document. Once a sample of the work is obtained it is easy to quote on the job based on the complexity of the above factors.
Transcription is an entirely different kettle of fish and costs considerably more and this is where the interests of the client and transcriptionist collide. Clients often fail to understand the reasons for what appears to be an exorbitant rate but do not take into consideration the factors that underlie the need for a much higher quotation.
Even the most experienced transcriptionist works on the rule of thumb that one hour of dictation takes approximately four hours to transcribe, and quotes accordingly. This is true of best-case scenarios where, for instance, an interview or dialogue between two people is clear and audible and there is no background noise or distraction.
In reality, large and noisy meetings are conducted in what sometimes seems like a war zone with sirens wailing and traffic roaring in the background. Building work may be taking place in the adjacent office and the confused mass of voices is punctuated by regular blasts of drilling and hammering. Speakers are not introduced and the client may or may not provide a list of speakers. The microphone seems to be perched on the tea trolley, which is a fantastic idea when you really want your transcriptionist to work hard for his or her money. Throw in various accents and a few foreign speakers and now we’re all having fun. For a bit of added interest, use lots of technical and insider terms.
In this case the transcriptionist may very well have to stretch the golden rule of four to one to five or six hours as she frantically tries to Google phonetically-spelled words and technical terms or distinguish the Hungarian speaker from the Romanian speaker, the French speaker from the Moroccan-French speaker, or all four speaking simultaneously, not to mention the guy with the bad cold sitting really close to the microphone, coughing and blowing his nose, clearing his throat, etc.
So rest assured, transcriptionists are not ripping the client off; they are doing their best to produce a clear and readable transcript under very trying circumstances and should be rewarded accordingly.
Michele Johanson
michelejohanson@yahoo.com
http://goodhopetranscription.weebly.com
Fax: 086 6021 791
Ph: 084 6944 307
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