The Ultimate Guide to General Transcription: Uses, Benefits, and How it Works

When you hear about general transcription, you might confuse it with medical and legal transcription. 

Although they all involve transcribing audio or video content into a written format, you don’t need any form of expertise to become a general transcriptionist, unlike in legal and medical transcription, where expertise is needed. 

This post will help you get a better understanding of what general transcription is all about.

What is General Transcription?

General transcription involves converting audio or video file content into text format in any industry. It involves transcribing a wide array of topics, including podcasts, interviews, lectures, business meetings, and more. 

However, a general transcriptionist cannot transcribe for medical and legal fields because they use complex terminologies that require expertise in that area. 

A general transcriptionist can still offer legal transcription only for areas that use less legal terminologies. 

At Verbal Scripts, we offer accurate general transcription services to clients in different fields at a pocket-friendly price. 

Our team of experienced general transcriptionists will seamlessly help transcribe your audio or video content of interviews, business meetings, podcasts, lectures, and more. 

Where general Transcription is Used

General transcription services can be used in almost all industries and organizations, from businesses, media, Education, and market research to religion.

However, general transcription services are restricted to legal and medical fields.

Let's take a look at where general transcription is most required.

1. Businesses

Businesses can use general transcription services to transcribe board meetings, webinars, interviews, and conference calls to provide a written document for future reference. 

2. Podcasts and Youtube Channels

Content creators with podcasts and YouTube channels can transcribe their audio and video episodes to create blog posts or articles, which is essential for search visibility on search engines like Google.

3. Education Content

Reputable online learning platforms can also use general transcription services. They can be transcripts of the teacher is teaching and are generally downloadable for students to use later. 

Additionally, Education transcripts can contain content in other languages, which is beneficial for students learning in other languages. 

4. Media Industry

The media industry does not need specialized transcription services; hence, it can work with general transcription services. TV shows and films can use transcripts for subtitles or post-production. 

5. Legal Proceedings

Most parts of legal transcription require specialized training.

However, there are a few areas in the legal industry that can use general transcription. This includes transcribing police interviews, court hearings, and client testimonials. 

6. Religion

Religious organizations that want to reach more people can benefit from general transcription services.

Transcripts of sermons can be used to reach a wider audience, especially those with hearing impairments. 

7. Market Research

Market researchers often conduct surveys and interviews to gather consumer information.

So, general transcription services can help convert recorded interviews and surveys into accurate written text for easy analysis and data accessibility.

What are the Benefits of General Transcription

General transcription offers numerous benefits across different industries and even to general transcriptionists. 

No Need for Specialized Training

Unlike legal and medical transcription, which require specialized training and certification, general transcription does not require any specialized training thus, it is the best for beginners who want to offer transcription services.

More Job Opportunities

There are more job opportunities for general transcriptionists than legal and medical transcriptionists. General transcriptionists can transcribe for businesses, podcasts, media, and some areas of legal proceedings. 

Work Flexibility

Many general transcriptionists work remotely from home, allowing them to balance work and other things. They are also able to choose projects that best fit their schedules. 

Offers Additional Income

By transcribing audio or video content of podcasts and YouTube channels, content creators can repurpose their content to blog posts or e-books, which offer additional income opportunities. 

Boosts Content Reach

With general transcription services, content creators can reach a wider audience through transcripts by making their content more accessible in different formats. 

General Transcription Vs. Specialized Transcription

Transcription can be categorized as general and specialized transcription. Each category serves different industries and requires different sets of skills.

General Transcription

As mentioned earlier, general transcription involves converting audio recordings into text format across different fields, such as podcasts, educational content, business meetings, and more. 

A general transcriptionist does not need specific expertise or certification; thus, it's the best place for beginners. 

Specialized Transcription

On the other hand, specialized transcription requires transcriptionists to have certification and deep knowledge of the industry terminology.

Specialized transcription is categorized as legal and medical transcription. 

To become a legal transcriptionist, you must be familiar with legal terminologies and be able to adhere to confidentiality rules. 

Additionally, to become a medical transcriptionist, you must take courses that teach medical terminology, pharmacology, and anatomy.

Taking certifications such as Certified Healthcare Documentation Specialist (CHDS) will also place you on a competitive edge. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between general transcription and medical transcription?

General transcription does not require any specialized knowledge or skills.

It covers a variety of industries such as media, Education, business and more, while medical transcription requires specialized knowledge of medical terminology and pharmacology and only covers the healthcare industry.

What is the role of general transcription?

A general transcriptionist converts audio and video recordings into accurate text.

Unlike legal and medical transcriptionists, who are limited to one industry, a general transcriptionist can transcribe for various industries. 

What is the difference between a transcript and a transcription?

Transcription converts audio and video content into a written document, while the transcript is the final document produced through transcription. 

Are transcriptionists in demand?

Transcriptionists are still in demand especially in legal and medical transcription where accuracy is paramount and human expertise is needed to handle sensitive content.

Wrapping Up

At Verbal Scripts, we have highly qualified and experienced general transcriptionists who provide transcription services tailored to your needs.