Daily transcription is—and I say this from experience—not an easy job. Under the best of circumstances, it takes three to four times as long to transcribe an audio file. While different industries have long known the multiple benefits of having a reputable legal transcription service on their team, some might question if it’s worth the cost. This is particularly true when clients need their transcripts as fast as possible, even within the day, in cases like legal transcription.
So, can accurate transcription work be upheld in the face of a ticking clock? Can professional transcribers produce several high-quality transcripts within tight deadlines?
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Professional transcription companies need to be able to produce fast and accurate transcripts, especially if they work in high-intensity, time-bound industries like the medical or legal field.
- Despite looking like the best solution, there are better choices than AI transcription for companies looking for accurate transcripts.
- Experts like Ditto Transcripts are the best providers for legal entities looking to have their daily transcription needs met. We offer fast, accurate transcription at reasonable prices.
The Daily Transcription Process
Many people mistake transcription work for simply “typing down what you hear.” It’s like saying a quick phone call and a day-long meeting are the same. Technically true, though grossly out of proportion.
Transcription is the difficult process of transcribing every sound and dialogue from an audio or video recording to create a faithful representation of said recording in digital or hard-copy format. It requires patience, skill, and expertise, which comes with years of working in the field.
Here’s a short description of the process- at least how Ditto does it.
- Obtain Recordings: Clients record legal proceedings (e.g., hearings, depositions) using any device, ideally high-quality. Files are sent to an in-house transcriptionist, automatic program, or manual service provider like Ditto Transcripts, which is preferred for accuracy.
- Transcribe Recordings: The recording is assigned to one or more legal transcriptionists, who turn it into a digital or written document per client requirements. Legal offices often request verbatim transcription, which includes filler words, false starts, and grammatical errors.
- Quality Checks: The transcript undergoes several rounds of proofreading and editing, ensuring that all words, including legal terminology, are correct.
- Return Transcripts: Proofread and polished transcripts are sent to clients and certified as legal documents for court use.
Daily Transcription Requirements In The Legal Industry
One critical component of the job is how fast the transcripts can be delivered—and this is ever so true in the legal industry. Here are some examples of circumstances that require fast transcripts.
Instances | Description |
Emergency Court Orders | In situations requiring immediate legal action, such as emergency custody or restraining orders, transcripts of previous hearings or depositions may be needed quickly. |
High-Profile Cases | During high-profile cases, media outlets and legal teams may demand rapid access to transcripts to prepare statements, analyze testimonies, or provide updates. |
Appeals and Motions | When a case is on appeal or if there’s an urgent motion, legal teams might need transcripts of the original proceedings to prepare their arguments effectively. |
Last-Minute Evidence Submission | Sometimes, new evidence surfaces shortly before a court date, and lawyers might require quick transcription of interviews or depositions to include in their evidence submission. |
Pre-Trial Preparations | In the days before a trial, attorneys may need expedited transcripts of depositions or previous hearings to refine their strategy, cross-examination questions, or closing arguments. |
Witness Unavailability | If a key witness becomes unavailable, having a transcript of their prior deposition or testimony on hand can be crucial for the ongoing trial. |
Judge’s Request | A judge may request immediate transcripts of a day’s proceedings to review testimonies or evidence before ruling or issuing instructions to the jury. |
Government Investigations | Rapid transcription of interviews, testimonies, or hearings might be needed during governmental or regulatory investigations to proceed with the investigation or enforcement actions. |
Why Outsource Transcription For Faster Turnaround Times?
One of the core benefits of outsourcing any business task or process is speed and efficiency. When experts like Ditto Transcripts focus solely on your transcription needs, you tend to get faster results.
However, the emergence of AI-powered transcription has some people wondering if that’s the way to go. After all, automated transcription is often cheap and lightning-fast.
Unfortunately, AI transcription is also inaccurate. By the best estimations, it can only reach 86% accuracy, whereas a human transcriber can reach more than 99% accuracy with the same audio file.
This is a crucial consideration, given that you, the client, must fix inaccurate transcripts before you can get them ready for use. Honestly, editing AI transcripts, with their free-flow, punctuation-free format and many untagged errors, is not something I’d wish on anyone. The combined tedium and frustration will likely result in more time spent on transcription instead of less.
So, outsourcing to experts like Ditto Transcripts is the best way to meet your daily transcription requirements. Work with us, and your transcripts can be delivered in 24 hours or less with more than 99% accuracy.
Other Benefits Of Outsourcing Transcription
The benefits of outsourced transcription are not limited to speedy deliveries. Here are some of the advantages of getting expert, reliable legal transcription:
Accuracy
Accurate, reliable transcription services provide high-quality transcripts that capture every conversation detail, benefiting the law firm by seamlessly integrating them into their procedures.
There’s no need to comb through transcripts looking for errors to correct; download the file from the provider’s servers and use it for anything you need. However, the importance of accuracy is not limited to convenience.
The consequences of legal transcription inaccuracies go beyond embarrassed laughter and the promise of correction as soon as possible. Legal transcripts are frequently used in court hearings and other legal proceedings. That means errors can have a commensurately heavier impact than normal transcription errors in any other circumstances.
At Ditto, we offer 99% accuracy for all legal transcription projects, whether it be for complicated settings like prosecution and criminal defense cases. So, you don’t need to worry about inaccuracies in your official transcripts.
Expertise And Focus
We know our way around a legal conversation, and our transcribers have extensive knowledge of legal procedures. We also take the burden of transcription off the firm’s workload, allowing them to focus on core business tasks.
Cost Savings
Aside from assigning important but non-core business tasks to proven experts, outsourcing legal transcription can save legal institutions money.
For example, paralegals earn an average of $58,386 a year, and court reporters are even more expensive, earning $63,560 a year.
Similarly, hiring a skilled legal transcriptionist in-house might not be the best option. Unlike court reporters and paralegals, legal transcriptionists earn an average of $45,501 annually but have significantly lower requirements, making it easier to become one. The more skilled they are, the more they make.
Outsourcing to professional legal transcription companies will get you the same transcription results with arguably better quality, faster turnaround times, and higher accuracy—all at a fraction of the cost.
Improved Documentation
Legal experts have a lot of paperwork to complete, making it difficult to keep everything organized. Transcription can fix this.
Instead of organizing thousands of dictations and recorded audio from potentially different recording devices, transcripts can easily be downloaded from our servers and saved in their folders.
Digitizing most of the paperwork also means there’s less need for filing cabinets and document space; simply print out the transcript when required and submit it as is. Aside from that, you can rest assured that your documents are less likely to suffer damages while in storage.
Affordability
Ditto Transcripts offers the highest-quality, accurate transcripts in the industry today. However, our fees are very reasonable for our services.
Our rush pricing costs $2.25 per audio minute, with turnaround times within one to two business days. We also offer standard rates and more economical rates for longer delivery times.
Highest Levels Of Security
I can’t speak for other providers, but here at Ditto, security is one of our most important considerations. That’s why we’ve taken steps to achieve CJIS-compliant security—something that not all transcription services can claim.
Additionally, all files are protected by the following protocols:
- Detailed Reporting and Tracking Features
- Individually Defined User Access Levels
- Individual User Names, Passwords, and PINs (immediate deactivation upon request)
- Scaled Network Redundancy
- Virtual Private Network (VPN) Integration
- Dedicated Data Centers
- Encrypting All Data With SSL 256-bit Encryption
- Employee Background Checks*
- Willing To Sign Non-Disclosure Agreements
Choose Ditto For Your Daily Transcription Needs
Get the best outsourced legal transcription service daily, courtesy of the best in the business. Call Ditto now and experience the difference.
Ditto Transcripts is a CJIS-compliant, Denver, Colorado-based transcription company that provides fast, accurate, and reliable legal transcription services for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote, and ask about our free five-day trial.