Academic transcription is a tool to help students and professors with their courses. It helps students focus more on the topic, and they can easily review the lecture. Professors can also go back to their classes to check if they have missed any important points. It is beneficial for both teachers and students, especially in higher education.

Why is Academic Transcription Important?

Lectures or discussions of postgraduate or Ph.D. students include essential data that helps one's academic career. Often students or teachers record their classes so they can refer to them later. However, when it comes to going back to the recording to clarify or find specific information, it can be a daunting task to hear the entire recording all over again. This is where academic transcription can help save you time.

There are many professional transcription service companies in the market. They can help convert the recordings into transcripts to help you easily access the data or information you want to look for. However, these professional transcription service providers can be very expensive, especially for students. Transcribing the recordings on your own can be very time-consuming.

So, how do we save time and money on academic transcriptions? Here's a quick guide to help you solve this problem better:

Save Time by Working with a Transcriptionist

Transcribing audio yourself is not as easy as it sounds. You may think you must listen to the audio and type it down. However, this easy-sounding task may take hours of listening, paying attention to audio, and typing the content, as we don't order at the same speed as we talk. Even if you have good typing skills, you may need to go back and forth an audio clip to ensure you didn't miss out on anything or correct the typing errors.

You don't have to do all this yourself as experts can transcribe for you. People who professionally transcribe have the skill and equipment that makes it easier for them to do the job. Not only that, their accuracy rate is also higher than someone who's not an expert in this field. It's best to save yourself some time and get the job done by an expert transcriptionist.

Recording Quality Matters

A good quality recording helps save time and money, even if a professional transcriber. If your recording is of bad quality, transcription services may charge you extra. Make sure you have a sound quality recording by:

* Sitting in a quiet environment.
* Doing a couple of test recordings before the actual one.
* Using good quality and keeping the microphone closer.
* Using a good quality platform to record, like Zoom or Skype.
* Using a suitable or high-quality recording app or digital recorder.

Decide between Freelancer or Professional

You can always choose between a freelancer and a professional company to transcribe your recordings. A freelancer can complete the job, but professional transcription companies ensure that a transcriptionist and a proofreader work together to deliver higher accuracy on every recording. Make your call wisely!

Communicate Clearly

As a client, it's always better to communicate your requirements. Communicate what's required out of the recording, which format you want the recording in, i.e., word or PDF, and the deadline for the transcription and any other requirements. Providing these instructions beforehand will save a lot of time and money. If you have a deadline to stick to, you must confirm a deadline with the transcription service company you have opted to work with. Remember, a vague timeline may not get you satisfactory results.

Convert Video to Audio

It's always best to convert videos to audio for transcription as they can be uploaded quickly. No matter how good your internet is, uploading a video will take longer than uploading audio. Save time by converting the video to audio beforehand. You can use various free online apps to convert a video to audio.

Tips for Effective Research You Should Know

Researching the right keywords helps you transcribe within the appropriate context.
For example, a single word, like slit lamp may seem like gibberish. However, when you hear the speaker say slit lamp and eye within a recording, you can search those keywords to clarify your understanding of the bigger picture. Then, you will find that a slit lamp is an instrument used for eye exams. Voila!

Check out these four tips to zero in on the right keywords for research.

Know the industry type. You don't always know the content of a recording. If you encounter words you are unfamiliar with or that are unclear in the speech, try and pinpoint the particular industry. You may have to listen further to do this. Once you've identified the industry, you might get a better understanding of industry jargon.

Consider the research topic.

This is similar to knowing the industry type. If you hone in on the topic, the chances are you'll figure out the term in question.

Consider the geographic area.

A particular word may be difficult to transcribe because of a speaker's accent. Knowing the geographic area can help identify words that are heavily accented. You may also be able to locate any slang words that are used.

Check the organization's homepage

Acronyms, organizations, names, and their spelling can be problematic. If you can determine the organization involved, check out their website. Most universities will have web pages for faculty and staff. They may also mention the term you're struggling with.

To find the correct word in the recording, type its phonetic spelling (or spell out how it sounds) and other keywords you see in the search bar. Further, refine keywords based on the search results to zero in on the meaning.

Professional academic transcription service requires outstanding language and listening abilities, proper layout, and a very good paper technical information base. The advanced online academic transcription provides a range of services for the chosen web transcription. To exchange text documents with each other, colleges, departments, organizations, and other facilities require accuracy and clarification. If inconsistencies in the text are noticed, it appears to detract from a professional picture, which is why the transcription service provider should provide the most accurate transcripts when it comes to academic transcription projects.