Helping to Get Good Audio Transcriptions

HELPING TO GET GOOD AUDIO TRANSCRIPTIONS

All things being equal, personally dictated work should be the easiest to transcribe. However, this is not always the case.

When dictating, people tend to either speak too closely to the microphone (sounds like they are eating it) or have it too far away (sounds like they are in another room). Try doing a short test file first, so that you can find the optimum distance to position the microphone. Try not to mumble or otherwise muffle your speech.

People dictate in canteens or with windows open allowing traffic and outside noises in or in noisy areas in general. A quiet room or area makes life easier for both you and the person transcribing your work. Also, try to avoid working on the computer or eating and drinking when dictating - this can be very offputting and annoying.

People also have a habit of 'tailing off', so that the ends of sentences just get lost. Try to keep the strength of the voice constant throughout a sentence.

Always spell proper names which are unusual, foreign or ones which have various spellings. This is a common complaint by transcriptionists and it is very easy to rectify.

If your work is in a specialized field, such as medical, then it will probably be worthwhile finding a transcription company that has people who are expert in this type of transcription to avoid any problems with spelling and terminology.

If capitals are required, then tell the transcriptionist. Don't assume that they will know what you want. It may be worthwhile thinking about how you dictate acronyms, especially if they are not widely known.

If you have any specific formatting requirements, such as font size and style, tell the transcriptionist before they start!

If you require a list, then tell the transcriptionist how you would like it. There is no point in wanting bullet points and getting numbering because you forgot to mention it. Just tell the transcriptionist exactly how you want the list done and all should be well, but try to avoid using the word "item" when making the list, as this may well be transcribed.

Having a decent external microphone is well worth the investment as well. Cheap microphones will tend to distort voices. The internal microphones of dictation machines also tend not to produce high quality dictation.

If possible make sure you use digital transcription software. This, combined with a decent microphone, can make all the difference between a poor sound file and a good one and, hopefully, a decent transcription.

As a general rule a good transcriptionist will punctuate well, but the use of some punctuation, such as commas, can be somewhat subjective and it is doubtful that any two typists will punctuate the same. The use of some punctuation - for example, semicolons and colons - is not always wanted, so it is worthwhile telling the transcription service if there is certain punctuation that you would sooner not have. You can, of course, add your own punctuation whilst dictating, but this is not necessarily easy to maintain to a high standard, especially in lengthy sentences. However, a good transcriptionist should be able to correct any errors in punctuation accordingly.

And one final point to consider; try to remember about accents. For example, a very strong Scottish accent may be almost impossible to understand by someone who is not Scottish. Likewise, foreigners speaking English with strong accents are equally daunting. Consequently, these sound files can be very time consuming and will almost certainly cost more to transcribe.

As with all dictation, preparation is the key.
About the Author
If you would like to learn more about our Digital Audio Transcription Service, please visit our website SJH Transcriptions and we will willingly discuss your needs with you. We aim to be competitive and always work with our customers to ensure the best possible transcription.
Source: http://www.goarticles.com/