Transcription and what it is

We do not live in an ideal world it seems, so it is natural that not all things come in perfect format. We often find ourselves with a piece a material that needs translation in a different media format. Not all of the materials are in .pdf, .rtf, .txt or .doc format. It is entirely possible to have the source material in audio or video format. This is where transcription services come into the picture.

It is common in the legal industry where witness statements are recorded using tape recorder and need transcription into text format before it can be submitted to the court as evidence. In addition, media campaigns such as advertisements in foreign markets will most definitely need transcription services to ensure consistency in their promotional messages.

Transcription and Translation Differences The key difference between transcription services to conventional translation is that translation is a shorter process where a source document is translated into another document written in the target language. Transcription however takes place when the source material is not already in a text format document but in various multimedia formats. So in this case, the source material has to be listened to or watched by the translator who then converts the speech into written format.

Transcription Process Once the client has agreed on the fee and sends the video or audio source file to the translation company, this is where the transcription services begin. The translation project manager will first look at the material to determine what category the translation falls in. For example, this could be a financial presentation, medical explanation, or even engineering conference speech. This preliminary process allows the manager to select the translator who is most familiar with the relevant area to do the translation work. Then, the translator will sit in with a headphone to listen or watch the source material and transform it into a written script. After that, the translator will use the written text to carry out the translation into the target language which the client needs.

Multiple Transcriptions This process also varies depending on how many target languages the customer wants. For example, if the customer wants the transcription into 10 different target languages, the translator will create a Standard English script of the source. Now, the English text can be allocated to 10 different translators for transcription. Once all the transcription services are done, the project manager will then call in other translators to proof read all the completed translations. The client will normally receive the transcription end product in a written format. If it is needed, translation companies are always able to provide the end product in an audio or video format, but usually at an extra cost.

About the Author
Steve Greenwood is head of marekting for Prime Languages, a Translation Specialist Agency based in London. If you are looking for Transcription Services from Audio or Visual media, contact us for professional advice.
Source: http://www.goarticles.com/

Can Voice Recognition Automate Transcription Service?

The companies that have built voice recognition software claim "Yes", but professional users are saying "No", they maintain that voice recognition is fine if it is limited to documenting a couple of minutes of audio. When large file size audio recordings have to be converted into text, the software falters and fails to deliver. The voice recognition has a long way to go, for it to be used to automate transcription service, according to professional users of the software.

Many television companies which started using voice recognition for transcribing digital voice recordings of the program are disappointed, because of the low accuracy levels and the time it takes to transcribe the audio. These companies use the transcripts for adding captions to television programs, and for the captions to sync with the audio, the accuracy of the transcripts required is 100%. This system disappointingly fails on this account.
The recorded data used by researchers from interviews and focus groups also have experimented with speech recognition and some of them appeared to be satisfied with the performance of the software. They maintain that the application has to be trained for speech recognition and it is very convenient for transcribing short notes. However for large size recordings they still depend on transcription companies to document recorded data. There are inherent deficiencies in the application which have to be figured out before large scale use of the application becomes possible.
An attorney working for a legal company tried the voice recognition for transcribing recordings of court-room proceedings, but the end results were disastrous according to him. The voice recognition failed to transcribe a couple of minutes of the proceedings, legal terms were mispronounced and finally he had to call his regular transcription company for documenting the proceedings. The attorney did not want to use the application at all, even for the transcription of short notes.
The commonality of views expressed by different professionals does indicate that commercial use of voice recognition software in not possible, there are limitations of what it can do and what it cannot. The transcription services for the moment shall remain in the human domain, and automation will have to wait until the technology is mastered for commercial use.

Get quality Transcription service at affordable cost, Call iSource Toll free 1-877-323-4707 and get free trial offers. Transcription Company USA

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/

Know the Basics of Medical Transcription Services

Medical transcription is fast being looked on as a lucrative career prospect and several medical institutions are also realizing the advantages of outsourcing medical transcription services.

What is Medical Transcription?

In a lot of medical houses, doctors record their data in the form of audio files. These files have to be converted to text format, which are then used in the permanent records in hospitals, clinics, doctor's offices and research facilities. Converting the audio presentations into text is called medical transcription. Medical transcription services call for a lot of attention to detail and accuracy, and a reasonable typing speed. People looking to get into this job are required to go through some training that will familiarize them with medical terms.

How does it Work?

Medical companies that can afford it prefer to employee full time medical transcriptionists who are on their payrolls. However it is more common for medical transcription services to be outsourced to professional agencies. The procedure is fairly simple - the doctor records all the data on an audio recording device, the professionals pick up this information, transcribe it, and return it in the form of typed documents.

As an alternative to recording the data on an electronic equipment, several companies now offer VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), where the sessions can be directly recorded by logging onto a secure website provided by the medical transcribers. This saves a lot of logistical hassles and work gets done faster.

Real Time Medical Transcription

Real time medical transcription is also a very good option. Using a live meeting conference facility, a transcription professional can do the transcribing while the medical professionals are discussing a topic. This way, with the medical transcription company happening side by side, the doctors don't have to wait for a few days to receive the records. The transcription of the entire session is usually made available within a few hours. To avoid any factual discrepancy, these live sessions are also recorded, so that they can be reviewed by the transcriptionist, if necessary.

About the Author
For More Information about medical transcription services and medical transcription, please visit our website at http://www.eyeredtranscription.com
Source: http://www.goarticles.com/

Why Transcription Service Is An Ideal Work From Home Option

Why my transcription service is an ideal work from home option

Transcription is the art of converting recorded audio or video files into a text format. It requires the ability of hearing the audio version quite perfectly and converting into written form in a consistent manner. There are various kinds of transcription services available like medical, legal, business, general, academic transcription. Some needs no specialized background, but some other transcription services like medical transcription, legal transcription need a good background in those respective fields.

Working from home is a very common phrase used in developed countries like United States. It is now slowly getting spread in other developing countries. Thanks to the increasing access of the internet all across the world, millions of people are looking for opportunities where they can make good amount of money sitting at home and transcription service is an ideal option for them.

While academic transcription and business transcription needs no specialized study, medical transcription requires knowledge of the medical terminologies used. If you have a strong understanding of medical terminology and procedures, you can turn that expertise into a successful career in medical transcription.

Business transcription is a specialized field, which requires specialists to do the transcription work.

It includes-

1. Focus groups- Focus group transcription is usually required by college and university students, market research team, legal and medical professionals. Basically focus groups are persons discussing over an issue or issues and giving their personal judgements.

2. Surveys, research reports

3. Books, manuscripts-Although book publishers often have personal letters and meetings they like transcribed, they also often have work to be edited. Good transcriptionists are also good at editing as it goes hand in hand with the job. Book publishers need people with a keen eye for detail to help edit transcripts.

4. TV/Radio shows

5. Interviews, lectures, speeches-

6. Financial meetings, general meetings

7. Seminars, conferences-Seminar and conference transcripts can be required by medical professionals, financial institutions, students, universities and corporate organizations. Conference transcription usually requires a transcript using intelligent verbatim

It is not at all difficult to start a work from home transcription business. Compared to many other home-based businesses, the start-up costs are relatively low in transcription services. One can do an online course, though no degree is required to start a business. All you need to start a transcription service business includes a computer, a printer, transcriber and some reference books. The skills you should require includes good grammar skills, listening skills, ability to type, basic knowledge on computer and the ability to meet the deadlines.

Transcription service as a career is ideal for a home-based entrepreneur. Investment is minimal as there is no need to open an office. No commuting cost, no strategic location is required. All you need is commitment, determination and willingness to work to make a successful career out of it.

Copyright (c) 2010 Ajay Prasad
Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com
About the Author:
Ajay Prasad is the President of GMR Transcription Inc., an Orange County, California based company and has been providing accurate and affordable transcription services of all types over the years. GMR also provides Business Transcription specializing in meeting transcription, conference transcription and interview transcription.

Podcast Seo And Transcription

Podcasts have become an extremely popular medium for communicating and reaching large audiences. Professionals, Businesses and individuals are now using Podcast over blogging as it provides a powerful reachable voice to the people. Every Podcaster wants that their work should be heard by as many people as possible and preferably rank higher in search engines for specific keyword searches.
So how can you make sure that your podcast is optimized for search engines? Here are 5 important tips that you must take care of

1.Naming your podcast correctly is very important. Always include specific keywords in the title.
For example- if your podcast is on Autism, then your title could be Autism Symptoms of Autism Statistics. A title with the keyword Autism is not recommended as there are many competing searches for that particular keyword. Be precise with the keywords helps as this helps in gaining visibility in search engines.

2.ID3 Tags Make sure your MP3 files have really good ID3 tags with rich and relevant keywords. ID3V2 even supports comment and URL fields. The major search engines may not pick up the ID3 tags now, but ultimately they will.

3.Podcast Directories Submit your files to popular podcast directories .Podcast directories receive thousands of visitors daily, so make sure that your podcast is submitted into the right section and subsection. This will make it easier for other people to locate your podcasts. Some of the top podcast directories are Podcast alley, Odeo, Podfeed.net, TECHpodcast.com, Podlounge etc.
A list of podcast directories can be found here - http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Directory.html

4.Lastly, Transcription Service Most podcasters Ignore this One. The most successful and profitable ones, dont. Transcription is nothing but converting the spoken audio into text. Having a Text version helps tremendously in improving search engine ranking. This is because the Search Engine Robot (Such as Google Spider Bot) can easily read and index text but not audio. The only information about an Audio file that they can index are ID3 tags, which I discussed earlier.

Besides indexing, having a transcripts section of your podcasts is really good for listeners. People may not have the time to listen to the whole audio. So they can read the transcripts as it is much quicker.

So if you want your podcast to become more visible to people and search engines, then you need to follow the above steps. If done correctly, then over a period of time you will begin to see the fruits of you hard work.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

About the Author:
Written By Joshua Schmidt, SEO and Podcast Transcription Service Provider

Transcription Website

Why Digital Recordings Are Most Preferred For Audio Transcriptions

In this new age technological era, more and more people prefer digital recordings because of its ease of recording, storage and data transfer. Digital voice recording equipment converts the physical properties of original sound to a sequence of numbers, which can be stored and later read back for reproduction. They record sounds as data-bits the same way as a computer stores information. The sounds recorded in a digital recorder have a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Noise in this case refers to all background noises that can cause distortions in the recording. Analog recorders such as a tape cassette recorder, record sounds as waveforms. This ultimately reduces the quality of the analog recording when compared to a digital recording.

Transcription companies that provide audio transcription services have different rates based on the quality of the audio. Transcription is not an easy process. A transcriptionist has to repeatedly listen to an audio to accurately transcribe the audio to text. If the audio quality is poor, the effort of the transcriptionist is more and this will ultimately reflect in the prices charged by the transcription provider.

Digital recordings are also easier to copy and manipulate as compared to analog recordings. Also in case of tape recordings, the sound quality deteriorates with each subsequent copy made. But the digital audio recording can be duplicated as many times as required without any change in quality.

Digital audio is also advisable if you need to transcribe only part of an audio. For instance if you need only 20 minutes of an hour long audio file to be transcribed, you can just remove the unnecessary parts of the audio from your digital recording and send only the required sound clip to your transcriber for transcription. When an audio is recorded using a Digital recorder, the audio file can be compressed to reduce the file size. It can also directly be uploaded on your computer and directly sent to your transcription provider. Digital recordings can be saved in a variety of formats like MP3, MP4, WAV, WMA, AVI etc.

MPEG-1 Audio Level 3 or MP3 as it is commonly known is the most popular digital recording format used for transcriptions. MP3 files compress and filter out the sounds that human ear cannot hear, eventually reducing the file size. MP3 is also well compatible with most of the portable digital audio players and many DVD players.

Normally transcription companies are able to transcribe audio faster when they are in the MP3 format. This is because they do not have to spend any time converting the audio file into MP3. This will lower the turnaround time and to a certain extent, the prices.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com