Transcribing Audio to Text - Let’s Help You

In today’s world, audio dialogues are everywhere. From podcasts, webinars, client meetings, interviews and many more.

Verbal content has become powerful. And recapping what has been said in an audio dialogue seems more beneficial. 

Converting these spoken words has proved essential. When one transcribes audio into text, spoken content can be easily shared and retrieved in the future for other uses. 

And that’s where transcribing audio to text comes in. Audio transcription is driven in large part by the desire to capture what the dialogue entailed. 

In particular allowing one to capture important conversational elements such as tone as well as the speaker's emotional state.

That’s why transcribing audio to text makes the dialogue more valuable in the long run. 

In this article, we help you to figure out how you can carry out audio transcriptions and which is the best transcription style or method to undertake regarding your audio file.

Audio transcriptions come with a wide variety of essential details that you need to consider when undertaking the process.

Let’s help you get to know what you need to do, observe, and comprehend to accurately figure out what you should do when transcribing audio to text. Here we go! 

1) How Well Do You Understand Audio Transcription?

Audio transcriptions stand out for converting spoken words into text. It's more of a mechanical practice due to the repetitive tasks involved and the established process rules.

Typically, the process involves listening to an audio, pausing, and rewinding the audio sections to accurately type the spoken words. Hence, appearing more mechanical due to this repetitive nature.

But at the same time, you need to understand that audio transcription is more of an interpretive and selective process determined by the project goals.

What you want to gain in the process determines how you should transcribe your audio.

The best argument could be: do you want all the spoken details captured, or do you only need the essential words concerning the dialogue? Or what kind of project are you working on?

You should first understand your project and its goals, even before you hit the play button. To allow you to undertake an effective audio transcription process.

2) How Accurate Is Your Audio?

Not every time are the dialogues smooth. But to ensure 100% accuracy of any written texts from your audios, transcript accuracy depends on the audio quality.

How clear are the spoken voices or sounds? How well are the listeners able to capture the spoken details? All this is determined by the quality of your audio.

But what do you need to do to ensure you achieve accurate written content that corresponds to the spoken words? Do the following:

i) Use High-Quality Recording Equipment

Using high-quality recording equipment has a direct impact on the success of audio transcriptions. When audios are more clear and precise, the transcription process becomes faster, more accurate, and less stressful.

Clear audio reduces the chances of mishearing words, especially when the audio involves multiple speakers.

Clear audios help distinguish between different tones, accents, and an individual's manner of speaking, allowing you to note down the speakers accurately.

ii) Record Your Audio in Quiet Environment

The environment plays a considerable role when recording your audio. A quiet place eliminates background noise, hence not interfering with the speaker’s voice.

With minimal background noise, you can distinguish the uttered words correctly. And you don't need to replay the audio segments repeatedly.

Recording your audio in a quiet environment guarantees that your final transcripts are correct and reliable.   

iii) Place Microphones Close to the Speakers

Placing a microphone close to a speaker is one of the simplest but most effective ways to ensure accurate audio. A close microphone picks up the speaker’s voice directly.

It makes the audio clearer from start to finish. In turn, this allows you to precisely capture every tone or word from the speaker without hitch - ups.

3) What Transcription Style Do You Want?

After considering audio quality and recording your audio as clear as possible. Next is to select the required level of transcript needed after audio transcriptions.

What do we mean by this? There are varied transcripts output across an entire audio transcription process. And each one of them suits a different project.

You should carefully consider which transcription style will give you the best transcript. And is effective to clearly define it before you start audio transcriptions.

Take a look at the given transcription style that follows and choose which is the best style for you.

i) Verbatim Transcription

Suppose you want to capture every spoken word, including the filler words. This is the right transcription style for you.

Verbatim transcription captures filler words, stutters, speakers’ laughter, and so many non-verbal cues. 

The style suits detailed projects, such as those found in legal settings, to facilitate qualitative analysis of spoken words.  

ii) Intelligent Transcription

If you want more formal and professional texts, this is the right style for you. Intelligent transcription deals with removing filler words and stutters to deliver a straightforward and easy-to-understand transcript.

Intelligent transcriptions are primarily applicable in fields such as business and research.

iii) Edited Transcription

Suppose you are looking forward to a more polished transcript. Edited transcription is the right way to go. Edited transcription goes a step further to correct grammar, word structure, and readability. 

An edited transcription focuses more on creating a clean and polished document. It rephrases sentences to allow more clarity and readability.

For example, a speaker might utter words like, ‘’So, I was kinda of thinking, maybe we start tomorrow’’ The edited transcript will read, ‘’I was thinking we start tomorrow.’’

iv) Phonetic Transcription

Suppose you desire your transcript to include highly detailed words. Phonetic transcription is the right style.

When you hear the word 'phonetic,' this definitely concerns the linguistic applications in a document.  Academics and linguists who want to focus more on spoken words will find edited transcription to be the best fit.

But this is not all. Apart from the transcription styles, there are also the transcription methods that take place in the actual transcribing of audio to text processes.

Transcription styles are mainly applicable to the written documents. But the transcription method is how you want your audio to be listened to and converted into text.

During the audio transcription process, you have to select the transcription method again, even though you have chosen the right transcription style for your transcript.

4) What Transcription Method Do You Desire?

The transcription method is the selected approach used to convert the audio dialogues into texts. Most transcription methods focus on the tools, technology, or techniques applied. 

Here are several examples you need to select for the audio transcription to take place.

i) Manual Transcription

Suppose you desire your audio to be purely human-transcribed. Manual transcription is the best method for you.

This process involves skilled transcriptionists who listen to the audio file and simultaneously type what they hear. 

It’s a method that ensures your audio content is purely transcribed by human efforts.

No matter the different stages the process takes. Your audio dialogues are 100% transcribed by honest and professional humans with significant expertise in the transcription industry.

ii) Automated Transcription

Automated transcription is the use of technology tools. In this digital world, we learn about AI and speech recognition software.

These tools make automated transcription happen. Unlike using human efforts, you can again use technology to transcribe audio into text.

However, the tools sometimes have their challenges, such as accent misinterpretations and terminology detection. Hence, making the manual transcription method more reliable.

iii) Hybrid Transcription

All is not lost if you desire to integrate both human efforts and technology in your audio transcription.

You can take advantage of the AI tools to convert your audio into text. Later, use human knowledge in editing the generated transcripts. 

That's when the hybrid transcription method gets in. You get to utilize technology capabilities at the same time use the human efforts to polish up the written document.

Conclusion

Audio transcriptions are rapidly expanding. And that’s why grasping such information is helpful when you want to start an audio transcription process on your own.

However, undertaking the audio transcription process might not be hard. But what is of most essence is the nature of the produced transcript.

How correct is your document? Or how reliable is the transcribed content? That’s why Verbalscripts transcription services come to help.

Verbalscripts maintains pure human transcriptions at all times. Test them out, and you will be greatly amazed by their work and transcript quality.