Choosing a Transcription Service

Choosing a transcription service can be a daunting task indeed. So many to choose from and it seems they all do the same things? Or do they? Let’s first look at what style of transcription service best suits your needs.

Style of Transcription Service

• Strict Verbatim is a style of transcription that would be used if you need audios transcribed that you want to capture everything that is being said. Such as telephone conversations, courtroom testimony, depositions, or anything that would require having to capture everything that is being uttered. This would include all the uhms, ah’s, false starts and stutters, repetitions, distracting speech patterns, (you know, like, right, yeah, etc.). This would also include typing the pauses in the audios to allow for laughter, crying, interruptions, personal comments, background noises. In other words, everything heard is typed.
• Smooth Verbatim is probably the most common style used. Certain utterances are removed, per the client’s specifications and/or requests. Most of the time clients request to remove the uhm, ah’s, stutters but still keep the slang to express the character of the speakers intact. Grammatical errors are usually not corrected but punctuation is used. Some refer to this style as “cleaned up verbatim.” You would want this style for interviews, focus groups, business meeting notes, presentations/group discussions, Q&A, conferences, teleconferences, webinars, etc. In addition, this style can be used effectively for doing files notes, business letters, reports, etc. Legal work and some medical transcription can also be done with this style as well.
• Content takes the smooth verbatim to a much deeper level. Grammar is corrected, interrupting comments are eliminated, and slang is corrected. This style is best used for things that are going to be published in articles, or advertising etc. This would be considered a “Copy ready” style. Usually it requires more time to transcribe this type of work and a higher level of transcription service that can cost a bit more.
• Rough Draft is a quick run through the audio just listening once through and not concerned with getting everything transcribed. This style will require you to relisten to the audio and make corrections yourself. It is not the most accurate of transcripts.

Deciding which style best suits your needs is a first step in helping you choose the right transcription service for you. There is nothing worse than getting back a transcript with words left out that you wanted included or vice versa.

With TranslationServices.sg you will find that we provide any of the above styles or any custom requests needed on an audio to audio basis. There is an instructions box included when uploading any file to your account which you can include any specific instructions that you need for any particular audio transcription service.