What is Transcriptionist? What Does a Transcriptionist Do?
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With the increasing demand for transcription, becoming a transcriptionist is emerging as a promising career path. Read on to gain a deeper understanding of this profession!
What is Transcriptionist?
The transcription market offers a wealth of opportunities for both individuals and businesses. Let’s delve into this role and the essential elements of becoming a professional transcriptionist.
1. The job of a transcriptionist
A transcriptionist is a professional linguist who converts audio or video recordings into written text. They may also be required to transcribe live conversations.
The content they work with can vary widely, spanning different subjects, disciplines, and industries. Some particular fields typically require the help of transcriptionists, including:
To get the work done effectively, a transcriptionist needs to meet certain requirements.
● Specialized knowledge: Technical terms are ever-present in professional communication. Depending on the field of work, transcriptionists must possess relevant knowledge and vocabulary.
● Information processing speed: When transcribing on-site, a transcriptionist’s listening and information processing speed needs to keep pace with the speaker.
● Language proficiency: Since the work directly involves language, relevant knowledge is crucial. Different dialects and slang can pose great challenges, so the transcriptionist’s mission is to ensure accessibility for the audience.
● High concentration: To avoid missing details in audio files, the transcriptionist must maintain a high level of focus.
● Good time management: Transcriptionists need to ensure projects are completed within the required timeframe while upholding quality.
● Computer skills: Supporting programs and software can make transcription more convenient and enhance quality. Two crucial stages in transcription are: audio processing and proofreading the transcript.
Therefore, transcription work is not inherently difficult if you have keen linguistic skills and a passion for language. You can pursue this career if you have a degree in languages or a recognized language proficiency certificate.
A sneak peek into transcriptionist job
To get a clearer picture of this job, let’s take a look at the transcripts provided by adept linguists at Thao & Co.
A verbatim transcript sample
Transcriptionist job description
To produce a high-quality transcript, a Transcriptionist needs to ensure the information is converted accurately and comprehensively. That said, this job goes beyond listening and typing.
Specifically, a transcriptionist follows a multi-step workflow:
● Preparation: This step involves processing the audio, researching relevant information about the content and the source language.
● Listening and transcribing: Once they have a clear understanding of the content, the transcriptionist begins listening and transcribing the audio into text.
● Editing and proofreading: After completion, the transcriptionist reviews the transcript for errors and makes necessary corrections. Additionally, they double-check the information for accuracy and completeness.
● Fulfillment of other requirements: Some projects may require translation, non-verbatim transcription, or timestamping. In this step, formatting and design adjustments are made according to your preferences.
Freelance transcriptionist salary
A transcriptionist’s salary is determined by various factors:
● Work experience: Linguists with a strong background in transcription have higher pay rates than beginners.
● Competence: Transcriptionists proficient in verbatim transcription or handling complex audio files can demand higher fees.
● Expertise: Transcriptionists specializing in challenging fields with intricate terminology tend to earn better salaries.
● Workload: Projects that have heavy workloads and consume more time will increase earnings for transcriptionists.
● Language: If the transcript needs to be in a less common language or requires translation, the pay will be higher.
On average, the rates for professional transcriptionists are:
● English transcription: from about $1.00 to $2.90 per minute.
What is the difference between a Transcriptionist and a Captioner?
Besides Transcriptionists, working as Captioners is also garnering significant interest recently. Despite sharing some similarities, the primary responsibilities of these two fields differ:
● Transcriptionist: Their main job is to convert audio content into written text. The final product is a text document with appropriate edits as requested.
● Captioner: This role involves creating subtitles for videos to enhance accessibility for diverse audiences. Captioners listen to the video content and synchronize subtitles with the audio.
Where to seek seasoned transcriptionists?
Today, finding and collaborating with freelance transcriptionists is relatively easy. However, to ensure quality, partnering with reputable service providers is a safer bet.
Thao & Co. is a leading provider of diverse transcription services. We have the go-to solutions you’re looking for. With ample experience, our transcriptionists deliver top-grade work to exceed your expectations.
Choosing us provides you with peace of mind regarding the process and outcomes:
● Seasoned linguists: Our native linguists can draw on their extensive experience to deliver splendid transcripts.
As you tap new markets, we can translate sales materials, emails, job applications, CVs, legal documents, and entire banking/trading platforms and apps.
Empower global education with our translation and localization services. Available for academic transcripts, diplomas, degrees, certificates, websites, apps, and more.
