How to Transcribe Faster: 14 Professional Tips
Reclaim your time with these 14 professional tips for how to transcribe faster. Work smarter, not harder to master transcription with this guide.
You’re bogged down by lengthy recordings, complex jargon, and frequent rewinds to catch every word. There must be a better way to do this. Your workdays often turn into work nights and you’re starting to wonder if maybe transcribing was the wrong profession to get into.
You are not alone!
Transcription can be a long and tedious process—in fact, it takes the average person 4 hours to transcribe 1 hour of audio. So how can you streamline the transcription process to make yourself more efficient while maintaining accuracy?
This guide of 14 professional tips for how to transcribe faster will provide you with the best industry secrets on how to streamline your transcription process.
Take Your Time Back—Benefits of Transcribing Audio Faster
So what exactly do you need to shift in your workflow? And is trying to optimize your flow even worth it? We think so:
- Increased Productivity: Faster transcription means you can handle more projects in less time. You can take on more clients or tasks, increasing your earning potential.
- Improved Turnaround Times: Faster transcription means delivering projects to clients more quickly. This means higher client satisfaction (score!), repeat business, and a stronger professional reputation.
- Reduced Mental Fatigue: Transcribing quickly minimizes the time spent on each task, reducing mental fatigue and strain. Your brain will thank you.
- More Time for Quality Control: When you transcribe efficiently, you have more time to review and edit your work. Hello, accuracy and professionalism in your final transcripts!
- Flexibility and Work-Life Balance: Efficient transcription allows you to complete your work in less time, providing more flexibility and a better work-life balance.
- Skill Development: Speeding up your transcription process helps improve your typing speed and listening skills, making you a more proficient transcriptionist over time.
Back to the Basics—Analyze Your Transcription Workflow
You’ve been in the industry for a while, but it’s important to take a step back and evaluate if your workflow is meeting your needs. Let’s look at the basic transcription process to see where we can add improvements:
- Do you have a quiet workspace? Find a quiet spot where you can work without interruptions. Consider investing in quality headphones or speakers. Familiarize yourself with the industry and format the client has requested.
- Do you review the creative brief? Familiarize yourself with specific industry jargon and format per your client’s instructions.
- Do you use a shorthand system? Create your own shorthand for common phrases and terms. Be ready to type quickly, rewind, and repeat sections to help with accuracy.
- How much time do you spend editing and proofreading? While it can feel good to finally be finished listening and transcribing, your job isn’t done. Take the time to proofread and edit your work.
- What is your formatting and exporting process? Format the transcript to the client’s specifications and export the file in the required format.
14 Easy Steps to Transcribe Faster
Time is money and the goal of this guide is to give you practical tips that will help you increase your revenue, productivity, and give you your free time back.
Here are our 14 easy tips to help you transcribe faster—be sure to read them all!
Step 1: Eliminate distractions.
Find a quiet space where you can create a focused work environment. Turn off notifications on your devices, close unnecessary browser tabs, and pause the TV show. A distraction-free environment reduces the time spent on rewinding and correcting mistakes.
Step 2: Prepare a workstation.
An optimized desk setup will increase your efficiency in several ways. Clicking back and forth between tabs can interrupt flow—use a double monitor to eliminate needless clicks.
Keyboards can also impact the amount of time it takes to transcribe—make sure the keys are easy to tap and have a quick response time.
Quality headphones or speakers allow you to hear the audio clearly which eliminates the need to rewind or guess at what a speaker is saying.
Step 3: Request clear audio.
Teach your clients how to record clear, quality audio. A high-quality microphone and quiet recording environment should be standard practice for your clients. The better the audio the faster your turnaround time—everyone wins.
Step 4: Use a time stamping tool.
Time stamps help you mark specific points in the audio, making it easier to locate and review sections that need clarification or editing. Invest in time-stamping software that can be downloaded directly to your computer to help you save time while typing.
Step 5: Listen through once.
Taking the time to listen to the audio once before transcribing allows you to gain context for the conversation. This is also a good opportunity to mark any spots that might give you trouble later. One listen-through can save you a lot of time later since you can scope out the project.
Step 6: Prepare before typing.
Take time to research any unfamiliar terminology, industry-specific jargon, or names that might appear in the audio. This is also a good time to think through any formatting specifications the client has given you.
Step 7: Use transcription foot pedals.
Foot pedals allow you to control audio playback with your feet, freeing up your hands for uninterrupted typing. You can easily start, stop, rewind, and fast-forward the audio without having to switch between the keyboard and mouse.
Step 8: Develop a shorthand.
Use abbreviations for common words and phrases, and develop symbols or shortcuts for industry-specific terms—like “w/” for “with” or “b4” for “before.” Make sure your shorthand system is consistent and easy to remember, so you can quickly translate it back into full text during the editing phase.
Step 9: Learn Word or Google Docs advanced features.
Most document processors will have free advanced features that can significantly improve your type time. Check out these features:
- Autocorrect: Set up custom autocorrect entries for common typos or frequently used phrases to save typing time.
- Keyboard Shortcuts: Learn and use keyboard shortcuts to quickly perform actions like bolding text, inserting comments, or navigating through the document.
- Autocomplete: Enable and customize autocomplete to quickly insert common words or phrases.
- Built-in Dictionary: Utilize the built-in dictionary to quickly check spelling and definitions without leaving your document.
- Building Blocks: In Word, use building blocks to insert preformatted text, headers, footers, and other elements that you use regularly.
Step 10: Improve typing speed.
Practice really does make perfect. Websites like Typing.com offer free typing lessons and drills tailored to your skill level. You can give yourself challenges throughout the month to keep your skills fresh and to increase your words per minute.
Step 11: Use text expanders.
Similar to developing a shorthand, text expanders will recognize shorthand and expand the shorthand into a full word. For example, typing “addr” to “address,” or “thx” to “thank you.” Popular text expander software includes PhraseExpress, TextExpander, and AutoHotkey.
Step 12: Adjust audio file speed.
Remember that the audio needs to work for you. That could mean speeding up the audio to keep up with your shorthand or it could mean slowing the audio down to understand an accent or jargon-heavy section. Experiment with different speeds to see what is best for you!
Step 13: Set up templates.
Establishing templates for specific types of transcription will allow you to focus on the content rather than the formatting. Tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs allow you to create and save templates that you can easily reuse.
Step 14: Take plenty of breaks.
Schedule short breaks every hour to rest your eyes, stretch, and clear your mind. This can help reduce the risk of repetitive strain injuries and improve your overall focus and efficiency. Consider working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break.
Transcription Services
Using a transcription service can save you a significant amount of time. To determine if a transcription service is the right move, check out this time-savings calculator.
There are a few types of transcription services out there to be aware of, including AI transcription and human transcription services.
AI Transcription
AI transcription software uses advanced algorithms to convert audio into text automatically. The primary benefit of AI transcription is speed. It can quickly process large volumes of audio, making it ideal for projects with tight deadlines.
AI tools like Otter.ai, Sonix, and Rev.ai offer high-speed transcription services.
However, while AI is fast, it can struggle with accents, background noise, and industry-specific terminology, often requiring human review for accuracy. Most A.I. transcription services average a 5.1% word error rate or more, while human transcription averages as little as 1%.
While A.I. might seem like a time saver on the front end, editing and formatting will eat your time later in the project. Time spent correcting a machine’s mistakes isn’t really time gained, so it might be best to stick to transcribing on your own.
The bottom line is A.I. will cost you time, not save you time.
Human Transcription
Human transcription services, like those provided by SpeakWrite, offer a level of accuracy and reliability that AI currently cannot match. SpeakWrite for example has a 99% accuracy rate compared to 90% accuracy of most A.I. transcription services.
Human transcriptionists can understand context, recognize different accents, and follow specific formatting instructions. This makes them ideal for fields that demand high precision, such as legal, medical, and academic transcription.
Although it may take longer than AI on the front end, the quality and accuracy of human transcription are significantly higher, reducing the need for extensive proofreading and corrections.
With human transcription, you get a fully edited, formatted, ready-to-use document—which means no wasted time on edits and reformatting.
Ready to start your free trial and give human transcription a try?
Human Transcription vs A.I. Transcription
Deciding between A.I. and human transcription can feel daunting. On the surface, choosing A.I. might seem like the fastest and cheapest choice. But the reality is hours of back-end editing and reformatting don’t really save you time at all.
To help you decide between the two transcription options, we made a quick comparison to break down the features of human transcription vs A.I. transcription:
Feature | Human Transcription | AI Transcription |
Pricing | $1.25 to $3.00 per minute | Around $0.10 per minute |
Turnaround Times | Several hours to a day | Real-time to a few minutes |
Accuracy Rate | 99% | 90-95% |
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How to Transcribe Faster—Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to transcribe 1 hour?
On average, it takes about 4 hours to transcribe 1 hour of audio. This duration can vary based on the audio quality, the complexity of the content, and the transcriptionist’s experience.
How to quickly transcribe audio?
To transcribe audio quickly, use text expanders and adjust playback speed. Additionally, consider using AI tools for a rough draft followed by human editing for accuracy.
How to be good at transcription?
To excel in transcription, improve your typing speed through regular practice and learn industry-specific terminology. Use quality equipment and develop active listening skills to enhance accuracy.
What tools can help speed up transcription?
Text expanders, foot pedals, and high-quality headphones can significantly speed up transcription. Also, transcription software with features like automatic timestamps can help streamline the process.
How can I improve my typing speed for transcription?
Regular typing practice using tools like Typing.com or TypingClub can help improve speed. Additionally, focusing on accuracy and minimizing errors will naturally increase your overall typing efficiency.
Is AI transcription faster than human transcription?
Yes, AI transcription is typically faster, often providing results in real time or within minutes. However, the initial speed advantage may be offset by the time needed for extensive editing and proofreading.
What are the common challenges in transcription?
Common challenges include poor audio quality, heavy accents, background noise, and understanding industry-specific jargon. Overcoming these requires good equipment, patience, and experience.
How does using professional transcription services like SpeakWrite help speed up transcription?
Professional transcription services offer high accuracy, quick turnaround times, and specialized formatting. They handle complex content and multiple speakers efficiently, saving you time and ensuring reliable results.
If you’re ready to take back your time, SpeakWrite is the tool for you. Our professional transcription service will save you time by delivering accurate, reliable, and professionally formatted transcripts in under 3 hours.
SpeakWrite is 100% human-powered and offers a 99% accuracy rate. By using SpeakWrite, you can eliminate the hassle of manual transcription. With SpeakWrite in your pocket, you can go from days of transcribing to hours of extra time in your day.
Book a free trial with SpeakWrite and watch your time turn into more profit!
