Two of the more common types of transcription are general transcription and legal transcription, and many transcription service providers specialize in and offer both to their clients. So, what’s the difference?
It mainly boils down to who needs it.
In this article, you’ll learn how:
- Legal transcription serves attorneys, courts, and law firms by converting legal proceedings, interviews, and dictations into accurate, court-ready text—while general transcription supports a wider range of industries like business, media, and research.
- Accuracy requirements differ: general transcription tolerates minor mistakes, but legal transcription demands 99%+ precision to avoid serious legal consequences.
- Legal transcriptionists require specialized training in legal jargon, formatting, and procedures, while general transcriptionists need broad listening, typing, and subject matter familiarity skills.
Legal transcription involves transcribing legal documents, court proceedings, and dictations, whereas general transcription encompasses a broader range of topics, including interviews, podcasts, and business meetings.
That means the former is mainly needed by attorneys, law firms, and other members of the legal industry, and the latter is for everyone else who doesn’t fall into a specific category.
Of course, this marked difference affects how the transcription process is done, how transcribers are trained, and what type of documentation rules and format are required. So, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of it all and fully discuss the differences between legal transcription vs. general transcription.
Accuracy And Attention to Detail in General And Legal Transcription
So, how do the two differ? Let’s look at the table below:
| Aspect | General Transcription | Legal Transcription |
| Purpose | Informational, entertainment, SEO, captions, accessibility | Trials, hearings, appeals, legal research, and legal education |
| Impact of Errors | Minor irritation for viewers/readers; little long-term consequence | Serious consequences: may affect case outcomes, appeals, or legal arguments |
| Examples of Errors | Misspelled words, misheard phrases, and timing issues in captions | Misstated testimony, incorrect legal terminology, and omissions that change the meaning |
| Consequences | Audience confusion, reduced clarity, slight reputation impact | Disbarment, financial loss, reputation damage, legal action |
| Accuracy Requirement | High accuracy is desirable but not always critical | Over 99% accuracy is required due to legal implications |
No Compromises
A good transcription company understands that accuracy is an essential and non-negotiable aspect of the job. However, not all companies are on the same page – pardon the pun.
For example, let’s look at the case of Thomas Hospital.
In this event, the hospital was ordered to pay $140 million for a death that resulted from hiring a foreign transcription service based in India that transcribed discharge notes requesting 80 units of insulin instead of 8 units, and ultimately led to the patient’s death, which could have been prevented if medico-legal transcription services had been sought.
Yes, legal transcription requires more precision, as the law is a precise field of endeavor. That doesn’t mean that the same level of accuracy can’t be applied to general transcription, which can suffer similar consequences due to inaccuracy.
Here at Ditto Transcripts, we make no distinction regarding accuracy. That’s why we can guarantee more than 99% accuracy for all jobs, including general, legal, academic, and medical transcription.
Skill Requirements For Different Transcriptionists
Like with any job, transcription work requires a specific skill set. Here, we’ll discuss the difference between general and legal transcriptionists regarding competency.
| Aspect | General Transcription | Legal Transcription |
| Nature | More generalized transcription work | Specialized transcription of legal matters |
| Core Skills Needed | – Fast typing speed (40–60 WPM)- Strong listening skills- Full grasp of English (idioms, cultural expressions, popular terms)- Computer & audio equipment knowledge- Familiarity with audio/video file types- Knowledge of transcription platforms | All skills required for general transcription plus:- Familiarity with legal jargon- Understanding of court procedures- Knowledge of legal formatting requirements |
| Typing Speed | 40–60 words per minute | Around 80 words per minute |
| Additional Requirements | None beyond basic skills | Beneficial to have legal work experience or specialized certification/training |
Terminology In Transcription
The key difference between legal transcription and general transcription is the specialized knowledge and terminology required for legal transcription, whereas general transcription typically doesn’t require specific domain expertise.
The legal industry is notorious for its use of legalese, a specialized form of writing employed by lawyers and other legal professionals to convey and discuss different laws, legal definitions, applicable terms, and other legal subjects.
This writing style employs formal, archaic terms (including Latin, of all things), overly complicated sentences, unfamiliar abbreviations, redundant clauses, and other uncommon language structures. As a result, verbatim transcription would be challenging due to the profession’s specialized jargon and its complex context.
But that doesn’t mean general transcriptionists can rely solely on common knowledge.
For example, a transcriptionist working on a podcast about technology may require prior knowledge or familiarity with the subject. Otherwise, they’d have to repeatedly stop to search for the words used in the discussion or risk inaccuracy.
The same applies to market research recordings, focus groups, radio shows, and other similar activities. Speaking of which:
Types of Audio And Video Content For Different Transcription Work
General transcribers cover a wide range of transcription services that don’t specifically fall into more specialized categories. The typical audio or video files they work on include:
- TV shows
- Radio shows
- Web conferences
- Lectures
- Interviews
- Audio CDs
- Video content
- Podcasts
- Government meetings
- Conference calls
- Focus group
- And more.
General transcriptionists can also perform document-to-document typing work, such as transcribing handwritten memoirs, company newsletters, old newspaper articles, birth certificates, manuscripts, invoices, and more. Their clients can range from podcasters to insurance adjusters to research institutions.
Legal transcription is more akin to court reporting but without the real-time element. They work with distinct types of recording, all connected to legal proceedings. Here are some of those types:
- Interviews
- Deposition summaries
- Custody hearings
- Conference calls
- Client meetings
- Witness statements
- Settlement meetings
- Legal typing services
Other Potential Differences
General and legal transcription may have other differences that require consideration. However, these largely depend on the specific provider. Still, they are essential aspects to consider when choosing the right partner to meet your transcription needs.
Pricing
First, the subject of cost. Due to the additional expertise and attention to detail required for legal transcription, rates for legal transcription services are often higher than for general transcription services.
However, a reliable transcription company like Ditto Transcripts can offer a more affordable and customizable cost structure. Our prices for both general and legal transcription start at $1.50 per minute of audio. This can go higher depending on factors such as:
- Audio issues (background noise, poor recording quality, and conditions)
- Number of speakers in the recording
- Word density
- Language, accents, and dialects
Furthermore, companies seeking to balance costs with turnaround times have additional options to fit their budgets better. Our turnaround times range from one to two business days (rush), three to five business days (standard), and six to ten business days (extended).
Security
Like with accuracy, some people think that legal transcription requires more security because there’s more to lose. This is true to some extent, but it shouldn’t be an excuse to offer discretionary security measures for different types of transcription work.
Ditto Transcripts offer the highest levels of security across the board, and we don’t discriminate. Every byte of data that goes through our servers is protected with top-of-the-line encryption, secure file transfer protocols, strictly defined user access levels, dedicated data centers, and VPNs.
We’re CJIS- and HIPAA-compliant, too—something not every provider can claim.
Understanding The Basics of Transcription Jobs
Transcription is the process of accurately capturing the spoken words in audio and video files and converting them into digital text formats.
Clients send the recordings they want to be transcribed to a transcriptionist or a transcription service provider, such as Ditto Transcripts.
The transcriptionist works on the file, creating a text document to match every utterance in the recording (verbatim transcript) or performs some light editing to preserve the point of the discussion (cleaned-up transcript). Once the transcripts are checked for accuracy, they are returned to the client for review and use.
As a broad view of the industry, general transcription accounts for about 60% of the transcription market demand. Legal transcription has a smaller market share. However, approximately 8 out of every 10 law firms rely on professional legal transcription services, indicating that a larger portion of the legal industry utilizes the services of transcription companies.
Conclusion
Legal and general transcription have their share of differences, although they have more similarities, especially at the foundational level. Still, a business seeking safe, reliable, accurate, and affordable transcription services might be better served by looking for an appropriate specialized service provider or, better yet, by enlisting the services of a transcription company that is an expert in both, like Ditto Transcripts.
Whether it be general or legal transcription, we’ve got you covered. Not only can we do both, but our transcript accuracy is guaranteed to be over 99%, and we adhere to the highest standards for security. Don’t believe us? Here’s just one of our client testimonials:
Ditto Transcripts is a Denver, Colorado-based FINRA, HIPAA, and CJIS-compliant transcription services company that provides fast, accurate, and affordable transcripts for individuals and companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote.