PREPARING

FOR AUDIO
TRANSCRIPTION
ICT 2131
PREPARING FOR AUDIO
TRANSCRIPTION
In transcribing directly for a doctor or a group of physicians, there are
specific formats and report types used, dependent on that doctor's area
of practice, although history and physical exams or consults are mainly
utilized. In most of the off-hospital sites, independent medical practices
perform consultations as a second opinion, pre-surgical exams, and as
IMEs (Independent Medical Examinations) for
liability insurance or disability claims.

.
Working as a transcriptionist may classify as a menial job, but
general transcription actually takes as much hard work and
dedication as other jobs do.

Necessary skills of an effective transcriptionist:

✓ Attentive Listening
✓ Fast and accurate typing skills.
✓ Knowledge of Punctuation
✓ Patience
✓ Critical Thinking
✓ Comprehensive Understanding of
Grammar and Spelling Intricacies
✓ Editing, grammar check, and proofreading skills.
 ATTENTIVE
LISTENING

A pair of good ears is stringent to transcription work. Even in

transcribing general topics, you are required to have an accurate
understanding of dialogues despite some audio challenges like
background noise, crosstalk, and soft voices. In severe cases, an
audio transcriptionist should be able to make intelligent “sounds
like” guesses for barely decipherable parts of the audio

Poor speech habits and other problems such as heavy foreign

accents and mumbling complicate the process for both the MT
and the recognition software. An MT can "flag" such a report as
unintelligible, but the recognition software will transcribe the
unintelligible word(s) from the existing database of "learned"
language.
SHARP MEMORY
Together with attentive listening, having a sharp memory helps in
general transcriptions big time. Instead of frequently pausing the audio
to type, having a sharp memory helps a transcriptionist type longer
dialogues, catching every word without the need of frequent pauses and
replays.
TYPING SPEED
Fast typing speed and high accuracy
An average person types at 40-45 words per minute, but a good typing speed
of a transcriptionist is at 60-80 words per minute with very minimal errors. On
the other hand, a professional audio transcriber can type as fast as an
impressive 100 words per minute.

Grammar, punctuations, and spelling proficiency

Although some transcription requests are verbatim-specific, some clients still
prefer non-verbatim or clean, easy-to-read transcripts. A transcriptionist should
have high grammar, punctuations, and spelling proficiencies to provide tidied
transcripts without compromising the meaning and original thought of the
dialogues. Although there are digital tools that identify and correct mistakes
like these in a breeze, it is still important for them to have a good knowledge
foundation to prevent basic yet mortifying mistakes.
GOOD TRANSCRIPTION
SPEED
Increasing only your typing
speed won’t do it for you. In
today’s world of technology,
there are several other factors
that you must keep in mind in
order to increase transcription
speed. These methods include
improving artificial and digital
factors related to transcription.
With the help of technology, you
can massively increase your
typing as well as transcription
speed.
TYPE SMARTLY

Typing fast will make a difference,

but typing smartly will make a
major difference. As soon as you
start, set up shortcuts for words
that you commonly use. For
example, shortcut for because
can be “bec” or for with can be
“w” etc. you can make shortcuts
for any words that you come
across. Moreover, you can set
words that are hard for you to
spell and are common. An
autocorrect option exists for spell
check so it will be easier for you
to do this.
PRACTICE TYPING TO
PERFECTION
There is nothing in this world that is ever perfect, but you can
always get close to perfection. Practice makes a man perfect. If
you practice your typing, the speed will definitely increase. As a
result, your transcription speed will increase. It is one of the most
obvious yet most effective methods of getting faster transcriptions.
MAKING USE OF HIGH-QUALITY
AND NOISE CANCELLATION
HEADSET
What’s more important than your typing speed, then it
is definitely the quality of sound you hear. You cannot
transcribe accurately and in time if you are unable to
hear the audio properly. Transcribing, while having
high levels of white noise, will have a major impact on
your transcription speed. So, make sure you invest in a
good quality noise cancellation headphone that gives
out clear audio. Moreover, the headphones should
have options to adjust the sound and toggle with other
factors so that you can get the best possible sound
according to your needs.
A COMFORTABLE
AND QUIET
ENVIRONMENT
Listening something through your ears and typing it
down with your fingers requires a lot of focus and
concentration. Therefore, it is very important that you
can pay full attention to the audio. Moreover, being in a
comfortable environment is also essential. If you are
getting tired or uncomfortable, then it will automatically
impact on your focus. So, make sure you find a
peaceful place with no irrelevant noises around. Also,
get yourself a comfortable chair and desk so that you
can sit back and transcribe with ease.
TECHNOLOGY PROFICIENT
.
Technology proficient
A person does not need to have advanced
computer skills to become a transcriptionist. Basic
skills like knowing to how maximize the use of
Microsoft Word for proper transcription formats
and also Google search proficiency is enough, but
the openness and willingness to learn how to
utilize the required transcription software is a
must.
MAKE USE OF AN
AUTOCORRECT TOOL
Every second is important, and when you make a spelling
mistake, going back correct it will lose you those precious
seconds or even minutes. Hence, make sure you are using an
autocorrect tool. For instance, AutoCorrect when using Microsoft
Word or any autocorrect tool for that matter depending on the
software you are using. This will amplify your efficiency and save
a lot of time. As a result, you can transcribe more in lesser time.
However, make sure you go through the whole text at least once
to check if the autocorrect changed your word into something
completely different.
RESEARCH SKILLS
Research skills
An outstanding research skill is a must-have for
transcriptionists. Files on diverse topics are assigned to them
every day. Having a great research skill is a big help for
catching words or terminologies they’re unfamiliar with, as well
as for researching crucial information and proper nouns like
names, acronyms, companies, establishments, or brands in
general.
Focus and determination
To be a qualified transcriptionist, one must be focused and
determined to getting the job done competently. A 1-hour file
takes an average of 6 hours to transcribe. It’s not a child’s
play. A transcriptionist should be able to neglect unnecessary
distractions and concentrate in long periods of time whilst
transcribing to ensure complete accuracy and timeliness of
work.
KEEN ATTENTION TO
DETAILS
Keen attention to detail
A good transcriptionist is a keen listener and punctilious to small
details that smart and pure verbatim transcriptions require to be
transferred in print. For instance, the speaker said “like” five times,
the audio transcriber should type exactly that – “…like – like – like
– like – like…” – in the transcript. Utterances such as hmm, uhm,
and uh-huh also perceives different notations imperative to market
researchers. Laughter and pauses are also detailed in transcripts.
Small details like these contribute to the meaning conveyed by the
speakers in the audio, which is why transcriptionists should be
particular with these as requested by the client.
GET YOUR HANDS ON A GOOD
TRANSCRIBING SOFTWARE
This is the most important tip in preparing for Audio transcription
that will help you with increasing the speed. If you aren’t using
a transcribing software, then your first step should be to get your
hands on one. Working with good transcribing software will have a
massive impact on transcription speed. Think of all the times you
have to pause the audio or rewind to type a missed word or
phrase. It is really hard to do so with a mouse. There are many
free and paid transcription software out there that you can get
your hands on. They will solve all the problems you normally
have. It will minimize the frustration you have to go through with
the mouse on normal audio or video.