As the use of platforms like Zoom, Google Meets & Teams has skyrocketed, so too has the demand for reliable transcription to ensure that discussions are accurately captured and accessible post-meeting. Here, we explore practical tips to improve Zoom transcription quality, including using human transcription services for 100% accuracy and examine the current state of the Zoom AI transcription services.

Enhancing Zoom Transcription Quality: Tips and Techniques

1. Optimise Audio Quality

Good transcription starts with clear audio. To enhance the quality of Zoom transcriptions:

• Use High-Quality Microphones: Encourage participants to use external microphones, which typically offer better sound quality than built-in computer mics.
• Minimize Background Noise: Conduct meetings in quiet environments, and use software tools that suppress background noise.
• Ensure Strong Internet Connection: Easier said than done (!), but a stable connection reduces audio dropouts, which can lead to gaps in transcription. Encourage participants to use Wifi wherever possible and not connect via 4G or 5G on their mobiles.

2. Utilise Zoom’s AI Features

Zoom offers built-in AI transcription services that can be very useful for immediate text production if there is just one speaker. For everything else, its pretty rubbish! To expand on this, if you send us the audio of your Zoom meeting for transcription and provide the AI transcription version, our transcribers can complete an accurate transcription faster by working from scratch (ie directly from the recording) to prepare a human transcription version than by using the AI transcription.

3. Edit and Review

AI transcriptions are not foolproof and accuracy levels remain low unfortunately, hence the need for human assistance for any meetings involving more than one speaker. Once you have got your AI transcription you will need to:

• Press Delete: If you are looking for accuracy, have a hard to hear recording, more than one speaker or speakers with any accent then don’t bother with the AI version – send your recording to human transcribers!
• Edit for Clarity: Post-meeting, review the transcription for any inaccuracies or unclear points and edit them for better readability and accuracy.
• Use Timestamps: Enabling timestamps can help reviewers locate and correct errors more efficiently.

Human Transcription Services: A More Accurate Alternative

While AI provides a quick and cost-effective solution for transcription, it always lacks the accuracy achieved by human transcriptionists. This is where services like those offered by TP Transcription Limited come into play. Offering professional transcription services, TP Transcription Limited employs experienced transcribers who can handle diverse accents, industry-specific terminology, and overlapping speech — areas where AI still lags dramatically.

Advantages of Human Transcription

• Higher Accuracy: Human transcribers can reach up to 100% accuracy, significantly higher than the average AI (recent studies have indicated 60% for multi-speaker recordings).
• Context Understanding: Humans understand context and nuances, improving the quality of the transcription.
• Customisation: Services can be tailored to specific formatting and detail requirements.

The State of AI Transcription Technology: A Statistical Overview

Current AI transcription technologies have made significant strides in recent years. On average, AI transcription services achieve an accuracy rate of around 80%, depending on the quality of the audio and the clarity of speech. However, these services struggle with:

• Accents and Dialects: Variations in pronunciation can significantly decrease AI accuracy.
• Technical Jargon: Specialised terms are often misspelled or misunderstood by AI systems.
• Overlapping Speech: AI has difficulty parsing multiple speakers talking simultaneously.

Conclusion

While AI transcription services offer a quick and automated solution, their accuracy and reliability renders them redundant for academic transcription in particular with more than one speaker and where accuracy is essential. For critical meetings, professional services like TP Transcription Limited provide a valuable service, ensuring that every word is captured. By following the tips above and opting for human transcription when necessary, the quality of Zoom transcriptions can be greatly improved, making virtual meetings more productive and their contents more useful.