How To Select An Interview Transcription Service
Interview Transcription Buyer's Guide
Check to see if the company doing the transcriptions uses artificial intelligence or voice recognition to create the transcript. These tools can be very helpful in creating a very rough transcript of a conversation, but this technology can fall short when you need a complete and accurate transcript. To get the most accurate result, it is best to find a resource that uses human typists to create a transcript. Conversational speech is often fast, colloquial, contains starts stops and partial words, and only a human can accurately decipher this type of speech reliably.
Be sure to clarify if the speakers will be separated or identified. When you get your transcript back, you don’t just want to see what words were said, you need to be able to see who said what. Make sure your resources breaks out the final transcript by speaker so that you get a meaningful final product. This is especially helpful if you or the other party will be referencing the transcript days or weeks after the conversation and parties may have forgotten exactly how the conversation unfolded.
Speed! Be sure to find out how long it will take to get your final product back. Usually, having a live or real-time transcript isn’t necessary, but you also don’t want to wait weeks to get your transcript back. Make sure you know upfront when you will get your final product.
Ask if the final transcript will be typed verbatim. A verbatim transcript will represent the conversation exactly as it took place. It will include all ums, ahs, corrections, partial words, and sentences and even misspoken words. This ensures that your transcript captures exactly what was said.
How to make the most with SpeakWrite's interview transcription
Thankfully, SpeakWrite‘s experienced typists are able to transcribe all sorts of interviews to provide you with an accurate record of what was said between parties. See how well our accuracy performed in our Rev vs. Transcribe Me vs. SpeakWrite performance comparison guide. Here are some best practices to help you get the best possible result from SpeakWrite:
Introduce yourself and your interview subject at the beginning so that the transcript is broken out by the speaker’s names. If not, it will appear as Speaker 1, Speaker 2, and so on. Additionally, state the date time and location of the interview so that you have a record of it later.
All SpeakWrite interviews are considered "verbatim transcripts," which means that the final transcript reflects the exact conversation that was had.
While you are conducting your interview, it might be helpful to jot down keywords that are stated so that you can find that section easily when you’re going back through your transcript. If there is a portion of your interview that you know you’ll want to feature later that includes the word “pandemic," for example, note that word so you can search for the term when you receive your completed transcript.
Once your interview ready to be submitted to SpeakWrite, you have several options. In this time of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, if your interview was conducted over Microsoft Teams or Zoom Video-conferencing, you can record the call and upload that file directly to SpeakWrite. We will soon offer the ability to link Zoom accounts directly to SpeakWrite accounts, which will enable you to submit interviews and recordings with just one click!
If you’re using another type of recording device, be sure that there isn’t too much background noise, and make sure the microphone is close enough that both parties can be heard clearly.
You also have the option to use SpeakWrite's "record call" feature to do a telephone interview. Simply use the "record call" feature in the app or dial (800) 773-2597 from any phone. Enter your SpeakWrite account and PIN, then dial the number you’re trying to reach. When you hang up, your job will automatically be submitted for transcription.
Human-Powered Transcription
SpeakWrite typists understand the value of interview transcripts rather than AI transcriptions and work hard to ensure their accuracy. With a few simple steps, you can receive a cleanly typed transcript that will be invaluable for your unique needs.
What are you waiting for? Try SpeakWrite today for free! Click the button below to sign up for your free account and receive a $10 credit towards your first recorded interview transcription.
