Have you ever wanted to discover what was said during a meeting or an interview without having to sit and listen to the entire audio file or watching the whole video?
Gone are the days when pen and paper were the only tools to preserve essential conversations. Whether your project is personal, work-related, or industry-specific, we will convert the speech into a tangible, written format—as long as you have the audio and/or the video recordings of them on hand. This is where you will find out how a transcription services company can help you more than you ever thought.
In this article, we outline three simple ways to transcribe a conversation.
Three Ways to Transcribe a Conversation
In its most basic sense, transcription is the process of transforming spoken word into a written format.
There is no one size fits all approach to transcribing conversations. The method you choose will depend on several factors, such as the number of speakers on the recording, the audio quality, the subject matter, and your time and budget.
So how do you know which method best fits your needs? Let’s take a look at each.
Use Audio-To-Text Converters
Audio-to-text converters work by utilizing speech recognition technology. Also known as AI, this technology combines language, mathematics, and computing to understand human speech and convert it into text. Some packages offer real-time transcription (i.e., from mobile devices, a microphone attached to a computer, etc.), while others allow you to upload an audio recording for transcribing later.
If your recording is clear and only has one speaker doing most of the talking at a steady rate (i.e., a zoom meeting), then audio-to-text converters could be a good choice. They can save you time by automating what is otherwise a very tedious task.
Although a cheaper solution, the downside to using AI to transcribe a conversation is that it’s not always perfect. Its accuracy is even lower for recordings with multiple speakers. That means you’d still have to proofread the text, as computers only recognize a limited set of words and cannot catch nuances and context in speech.
Suppose you have no time to proofread, and your recordings have multiple speakers, contain below-average audio quality, and are technical. In that case, there are better options than audio-to-text converters.
If you need 99% or better accuracy, you are better off using a company like Ditto Transcripts, which uses US-based transcribers who are used to working with industry-specific jargon, filler words, and heavier accents.
Our transcriptionists have undergone rigorous training and specialize in specific industries, so they have a greater grasp of common terminologies and what’s being said.
Hire a Freelance Transcriptionist
Websites like Freelancer, Upwork, and Fiverr have vast pools of individual contractors who can provide your transcription needs.
The bonus in hiring freelancers is that they can do the work at a relatively reasonable rate and with almost the same completion time as a transcription company.
However, choosing this route requires trial and error. Fingers crossed, you’ll get a trustworthy transcriber on your first try, and we all know that hardly ever happens, and you always get what you pay for.
With Ditto, you won’t have to guess. Our transcriptionists are 100% CJIS and HIPAA compliant. Not only that, we can certify our transcripts, meaning we have the ability to testify in court about the authenticity and accuracy of the transcripts if needed.
You can also be sure that your information will be confidential, as all of Ditto’s transcriptionists sign NDAs and confidentiality agreements before we hire them.
Use a Reliable Audio Transcription Service
There are plenty of audio transcription services to choose from.
Since 2010, Ditto Transcripts has provided transcription solutions, including business transcription services, legal transcription services, and academic transcription services. We’ve transcribed audio for authors, writers, journalists, city councils, museums, oil and gas companies, and even families.
Ditto Transcripts offers general transcription services starting at $1.50 per audio minute. We can bill you after each file or once a month, depending on what works best for you. You can also pay upfront via our secure online payment platform with your credit card.
As for the turnaround time, Ditto is lightning fast. We can deliver your completed transcripts in as little as four hours. Please remember that this will still largely depend on the duration of your recording and how many files you have.
It’s no surprise that Ditto is one of the country’s leading transcription service providers—it ticks all the crucial boxes regarding accuracy, security, and affordability.
Advantages of Transcribing Conversations
There are many times when having a conversation transcript can be useful. If you lack the time and resources to transcribe it yourself it might be best to hire a transcriptionist.
Conversation transcription has several advantages:
- Keeping a record: You can go back and review the information later. This can be helpful when trying to remember something specific that was said during the conversation. It can also be helpful for legal reasons if something ever comes up with HR.
- Improves your ability to ask questions: Another benefit is that it can help you improve your interviewing skills. By reading and reviewing your conversation transcripts, you can identify areas where you could have asked better questions or clarified specific points.
- It helps you share it easier: The transcript can also be shared with others on your team so they can read and understand what was said.
- Keeping track becomes easy: You’ll be able to go back and review the conversation as often as you want. This is especially helpful if you’re conducting multiple interviews and need to review what everyone said at some point in the future.
- Efficiently captures information: Overall, conversation transcriptions can be a valuable tool for anyone who wants to review it in the future. And reading a 60-minute conversation will maybe take you 20 minutes, so it saves you a lot of time as well.
Why Use an Online Audio Transcription Service?
Creating a written version of audio takes some serious work, so why bother with it?
If you’re an entrepreneur, here are a few ways transcription can benefit your business.
Cost Savings
Hiring in-house transcriptionists is expensive because you must pay for their time even if you’re not using them. On the other hand, employing an external transcription vendor like Ditto is cheaper because you can pay as you go.
Better Transcript Quality
Audio transcription service providers like Ditto Transcripts are trained in specific industries, unlike in-house staff, who are primarily generalists. Having people experienced in a particular field transcribe a conversation enhances output quality, ensuring you get only top-notch transcripts.
Preserved Conversations
Not everyone has the time to rewatch entire meetings, speeches, and training sessions. Turning any of these into a written document is possible with transcription. This way, words that have been spoken can still be used and referenced long after they have been said.
Expedited Workflow
People tend to work faster with a written document. For example, an editor can easily add comments and changes to a transcript. In contrast with listening to an audio file or watching a video file on a mobile phone, this task would have been very time-consuming.
Boosted SEO Rankings
Although videos attract more attention than text on social media, the opposite is true when it comes to search engines, which respond to written content. If you have tons of videos, you can repurpose them into textual content that appeals to humans and Google.
Improved Accessibility
People with impaired hearing can benefit from transcribed audio and visual content. In fact, many countries are required by law to convert all public audio and visual material into written content.
Why Use Ditto Transcripts To Transcribe Your Conversations?
Not all conversations are equal. Some are insignificant, while others are worth revisiting time and again. Thankfully, doing the latter is now easier than ever with transcription.
Our transcription services use human transcribers who will listen to your conversations (in audio or video format) and convert them into a text format that you can use for future reference.
Use Ditto Transcripts when:
- You won’t have time to listen to the entire audio file because you mentioned something important in a meeting and want to know where it was.
- Your main points are clearly stated, which is helpful if you need more time to listen to all the audio files to concentrate on the most crucial information.
- You can’t keep up with site content and marketing materials by depending on the audio from podcasts or interviews since there need to be more hours in the day.
Ditto Transcripts provides the best conversation transcription services in the US. We have the broadest range of turnaround times, the highest-quality transcripts (99% accuracy guaranteed), and experience in the industry.
Our human transcriptionists are experts at handling poor-quality audio, heavy accents, and audio with multiple speakers. Not only that, we’re based in the United States. This means you’ll obtain audio transcription with 99%+excellent accuracy, guaranteed, or your money back.
Ditto Transcripts handles everything to provide accurate, timely, and cost-effective transcripts for any and all of your projects. Call us at (720) 287-3710 to get your transcriptions done correctly.
