It is funny to think that in 2023, as I write this article, there is a higher demand than ever for professional transcribers (or transcriptionists as they are known in the US). As increasing numbers of interactions between humans move into an online world, there are increasing numbers of audio and video recordings that various organisations and individuals require converting into documents for ongoing use.
Transcription is a service that, if you were looking back 30 years, you may think would have disappeared by now because someone would have invented an automated system that remove the need for the profession to exist. Similarly, you could say the same about the other side of our services, translation.
Nothing could be further from the truth and transcription as a business is booming, and we are enjoying constant expansion over the years as we continue to trade.Which takes me back to the question – why use the services of a professional human transcriber, rather than an automated system?
Professional transcribers are not a cheap option for transcribing any audio or video recordings. They will invariably cost more money, because of course there is the time it takes a human to convert your data into text, whereas for an automated system this simply happens. However, despite all the press coverage of AI at the moment, the simple fact remains that AI is unable to effectively handle multi-speaker audio & video recordings and produce useful or accurate transcripts.
Accuracy
The biggest difference, and the reason that professional human transcribers exist and are so vital for lots of clients, is that the accuracy a professional human transcriber offers, together with the formatting, means that using professional transcription services reduces the time and effort spent by our clients in needing to manipulate the data into a format that it can be used in.
Automated systems and self-completed transcription both require huge amounts of effort after the work has been completed, to make the data usable and in a format you can manipulate.
The key difference therefore in using a professional human transcriber is accuracy. Our service is usually well over 99.5% accurate, and if there are any discrepancies or queries about a transcription then our human transcribers will have another look and correct as required. Furthermore, our transcription services are subject to quality control, which adds in an extra level of protection, because the transcriptions are double-checked.
The second reason for using a professional human transcriber is that we will format your text for you in any way required. Unlike using automated systems or doing it yourself, you can interact with us and tell us how you would like your data to be transcribed, and what format to put the text into.
Bespoke
Professional human transcribers provide a bespoke service – if you have any specific requirements in relation to your transcription, you simply tell us and we apply it. So, for example, we can adjust names, places, paragraph layouts, names of interviewers, anonymisation and pseudonymisation, and we can be fully compliant with all aspects of ethical requirements.
In short, using a professional human transcriber means you get a professional service. We provide quality, professionalism, and accuracy, which you will not get to the same level elsewhere. Not only that, we are real live human beings you can speak to!
