transcription software and hardware

[cherylb]

Take your time to learn transcription. Good listening skills take time to develop, but it's not impossible. I also have to agree with some of the others - you either love it and loathe it. There doesn't seem to be any middle ground when it comes to this niche.

[Office Support Online]

I use Express Scribe and I think the majority of VAs who transcribe use it also. I started off using the hot keys as I am a keyboard girl and it was great to be able to start straight away. I eventually bought a VEC pedal from the NCH website. It really did make transcription faster and less hassle and was easy to set up. Well worth the money.

If you want to practice transcription just Google for practice transcription and you will find some files to download. Another good idea is to use podcasts and that way you can pick a variety of topics and maybe even learn something ;-)

There was another thread on here recently that talked about transcription and as I advised there, it's not just a matter of if you can type you can transcribe. You have to be confident in your grammar, spelling, ability to hear clearly (recommend you get proper headphones that close in your ear as they make audio much clearer) and you need to be able to make the text flow the way the client wants it. If they are doing an interview, they may want verbatim if it is to be used as a legal document, or they may want you to take out all the ahs and ums and likes so that it sounds like a 'normal' conversation. Focus groups are a pain, but at least you can charge more for them if you are good at deciphering the different voices when they talk over each other!

Tip for transcription, when you have regulars or you find that you are using the same phrases or making the same typos over and over - set up your Autotext and save yourself a lot of stress! I do psychology assessment reports so there is a lot of terminology that is the same on most reports, so I can type say 'nim' and the text will appear as 'number of items within the minimum number of moves' -so you can see how it would save time hehehehe

Good luck with it. Like WordPro Wizard I've been at it for quite a while and do tend to drift off sometimes and think about what to cook for dinner, but it may take you a while to get to that stage ;-)

Cheers,
Marie

[pass audio]

I use Olympus software and foot pedal and have found them excellent ... it cost about £150 but has more than paid for itself.
For those who are thinking of adding transcription to their services but haven't got much experience of it I'd suggest getting as much practice as you can with different types of transcription - such as one to one interviews and group interviews as well as straight forward dictation ... I've been doing audio transcription for about 20 years and still get frustrated sometimes at the quality of files I get sent. Like Andrea I even get files where the client wants you to include every um and aah and some even want you to include the amount of seconds pause between speakers! The industry standard for audio transcription is one hour to type up 15 minutes of audio but depending on the quality it can take a lot longer.

[Novasolutions]

Hi Julia, I'm new to this forum. I note you've bought Start Stop, what do you think of it!!

I am just about to purchase it but just wanted some 'real' recommendations before I shell out £200+ on a new transcription system...thanks!

[ancfun]

Thanks for the tips. I've been looking at transcribing. Will definitely check out the Amazon caster & see how that goes.

[mak39]

I also downloaded express scribe and it said that you have to install it on your clients computer. Is this true ?
Also, it says that there's a 14 day free trial , isn't completely free.
Am I missing something ???

[bridiej]

Yes, I think you're looking at Express Dictate?
Express Scribe is free (unless you upgrade to the pro version) and you just install it on your PC.

@novasolutions yes, it's definitely worth it. There are some formats you can't use with ES.

[ATMVA]

I'm with you Word Pro Wizard. Transcription was the method of my day. Just getting back into again. Have installed ExpressScribe and pocket dictate for the iphone. Trying this out to see how user friendly it is before recommending it to prospective clients. So far so good.

Encourgaged that so many of you are happy with ExpressScribe. Will try the hot-keys method of transcription whilst looking for a foot pedal. Transcription just doesn't feel right without the foot pedal.

Does anyone know what foot pedals can be used with ExpressScribe? The NCH software website recommends 'Infinity' brand which I haven't found yet in the UK.

[mak39]

@Bridie , yes your right ,it's express dictate , back to the drawing boar , Thanks,.

I'm learning

[bridiej]

@Ann you should be able to use any USB foot pedal, I use the one that came with my Start Stop and it works fine (also works on another transcription program I use)

[mak39]

@bridie

I downloaded the CORRECT version of Express Scribe and I was playing with it the whole weekend and I just learned from this forum that I can download casting words from Amazon.

I've learned so much here in such little time !!! This is a handy library !

[Novasolutions]

Thanks bridie, I'm now a proud owner... ;o)

Had a few techie problems installing but must admit the online help was spot on. SS have recently updated their servers so had to send me an extra file to download before it uploaded on my system...Here goes!

[Transcribble]

I love Express Scribe. I've been using it for years. You can use any USB pedal with it (eg. Infinity) and I've also used a Transnet Dictaphone pedal with it that I had to have for one medical transcription company (it just has to be set up differently, as a gaming device).

A couple of years ago, I bought Martel video transcription software. I really didn't care for it, and then not long after that, Express Scribe started supporting video!

So I use Express Scribe for everything now. Once you play around with it and get used to all of the functions it offers, it's everything you need for audio/video transcribing and more.

Remember to check for software updates on occasion!

Lisa

[Paulette]

Hi, I'm still developing my website and transcription is definitely a service I will be offering since I have 11 years of experience using the Dictaphone.

I'm planning on downloading Express Scribe to test it out and buying a foot pedal. Do you ladies use a headset as well or do you just use the speakers on your computer?

[Transcribble]

I use a headset. It definitely gives you better sound quality. I can't imagine attempting a poor quality audio (with background noise) with the computer speakers, not that I receive poor quality audios very often anymore. If you're going to do transcription, you certainly want to invest in a good quality headset that will be comfortable. The headsets with USB plug tend to give better quality sound than analog plug.

Lisa