Frequently, businesses require someone to type their documents, notes, correspondence, and other materials. Who is suited for such a job? What is the difference between the people who type documents for a living — a typist, stenographer, transcriptionist, or someone offering legal transcription services? Although all of these professions have similar-sounding job titles, their skills, experience, and methods vary significantly.
In This Article, You’ll Know How:
- Transcription billing models differ widely—by line, page, audio minute, or flat fee—and knowing the difference helps you avoid hidden charges.
- Audio quality, number of speakers, subject complexity, and turnaround time all affect the final transcription cost.
- Choosing a reliable U.S.-based provider like Ditto Transcripts ensures transparent pricing, legal compliance, and 99.9% accuracy.
Before your business decides to hire, it’s important to distinguish the differences between these roles so you hire the right person for the job.
| Role | Description | Key Skills / Specialties | Employment Type |
| Typist | A typist handles general typing tasks for letters, reports, and other business documents. They may also assist with filing, phone calls, and basic office duties. Typists focus on speed and accuracy but are not usually specialized in any field. | Fast and accurate typing, attention to detail, and general office skills. | Usually in-house employees. |
| Transcriptionist | A transcriptionist specializes in converting audio or handwritten materials into accurate written documents. They typically work from recordings and may focus on a specific industry. | – Medical transcriptionist: Knowledge of medical terminology and reports, including medico-legal transcription that blends medical and legal content – Legal transcriptionist: Skilled in legal terminology, court formatting, and legal transcription services – Academic transcriptionist: Experienced in transcribing research interviews – Law enforcement transcriptionist: Handles police reports, statements, and recorded calls, often providing government transcription services – Financial transcriptionist: Familiar with financial reports and terminology. | In-house or independent contractors. |
| Stenographer | A stenographer provides real-time transcription during court sessions, meetings, or live events. Using shorthand or specialized machines, they create instant transcripts and may also work remotely as CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) specialists. | Real-time shorthand typing, accuracy under pressure, and strong listening skills. | Employees or independent contractors, sometimes remote. |
Do you need a typist, a stenographer, or a transcriptionist?
What you need depends on your company’s specific needs. If you’re looking for a full-time employee who can type documents fast and do other tasks, you need a typist.
If you need in-person transcription (either in person or via video/audio call) for a court hearing, conference, or important meeting, a stenographer will handle the task.
A company that wants to convert audio to text needs a transcriptionist.
Now that you know the difference between a typist, a stenographer, and a transcriptionist, you may have determined you need a transcriptionist.
Why Hire a Transcriptionist?
Many staff members in workplaces like hospitals and law firms become exhausted from spending hours transcribing, in addition to their regular duties. Outsourcing to a transcription company like us will have many benefits.
1. Better Accuracy
Many companies attempt to handle transcription work in-house, but this can be challenging for staff with limited experience and is also time-consuming.
Professional transcription providers offer a range of specialists, each highly skilled in their respective fields. By using verbatim transcription services, you ensure every word, pause, and nuance is captured precisely as spoken. This level of detail yields transcripts that are exceptionally accurate and completed within an impressive timeframe.
2. Your Company Can Save Money
Hiring a transcription company can save you money. If you’re paying staff at your company extra hours to transcribe content, you may end up spending a lot on wages and even overtime. The worst part is that regular work may get pushed aside if transcription needs to be done quickly. For a set price, a reliable transcription service offers a fast turnaround and delivers your files within hours, if requested. Check out our legal transcription prices to know more.
3. Greater Security of Confidential Files
A transcription company takes client confidentiality extremely seriously. At Ditto Transcripts, we prioritize confidentiality and handle sensitive information appropriately. We protect your data from premature or unauthorized disclosure and ensure compliance with HIPAA, CJIS, and other relevant regulations.
How to Choose a Transcriptionist
There are generally two ways to outsource transcription:
- Hire a freelancer
- Use AI
- Hire a transcription company
Hiring a freelance transcriptionist may be the cheapest option. However, there’s no guarantee the freelancer will give you your money’s worth.
Meanwhile, GPT-3 AI transcription is prone to inaccuracies and may cause more problems in the long run. On the other hand, a US-based transcription service like Ditto Transcripts can offer extreme accuracy, a fast turnaround time, confidentiality, and personalized customer service.
Like Stenographer services, Ditto Transcripts offers on-site transcription services for your most important meetings, calls, or interviews. Don’t believe us? Here’s what client testimonials say:
What’s Next?
Whether or not a company chooses to outsource its transcription work to a typist, transcriptionist, or stenographer almost always depends on its budget, volume of work, and other factors. Knowing what each one is capable of is the first place to start.
If you need a transcriptionist, Ditto Transcripts offers great prices and excellent accuracy for all your transcription needs. Please send us your project details, and we’ll be in touch shortly.
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.