Earlier, transcribing Audio was a collaborative process between the speaker and individual who recorded their words. But this is not the best way to transcribe an audio file as it can involve listening to the audio many times, lead to errors and sometimes result in unfinished work due to time constraints. But today, with advanced equipment and software, audio and video content can be transcribed accurately and quickly. Many organizations now rely on audio transcription services for quality outcomes.

Importance of Audio Transcription

Audio Transcription generates a written record of important events and also provides machine readable information for dissemination on the internet. With audio transcription, any audio material can be transcribed into a document and made available to users. Audio transcription is greatly helps individuals with hearing impairments. Today, businesses rely on audio transcription services to document, backup and archive recordings of important events and activities. Transcription services are widely used by industries like media, law, IT, healthcare, construction, academics, entertainment etc.

There are four ways of transcribing audio:

• Verbatim Transcription: Verbatim transcription, also known as true verbatim transcription, includes all filler words, pauses and non-verbal communication. It involves transcribing each and every word uttered by the speaker, which makes it long and very detailed. If there is more than one speaker, then the transcriptionist may mark interruptions, conversational affirmations like “right”, “uh”, “hm” and other overlapping conversations. Verbatim transcripts also include laughter and background noises, but do not include noises that are irrelevant to the transcript like thunder, police sirens and other external noises.
• Intelligent Transcription: Intelligent verbatim transcription converts audio into concise, readable text. In this method, the transcriptionist has the freedom to edit and discard parts of speech. Instead of transcribing the speech exactly as in the audio, intelligent transcription focuses on communicating the meaning of the audio content in the most natural way by removing unnecessary elements like repeated words or phrases and ensuring grammatical restructuring, etc. This results a clear, neat transcript that communicates the content properly. Intelligent transcription does not include all filler words, repetitions, off-topic content, etc.
• Phonetic Transcription: This is a form of transcription that is different from any other type of audio transcription. It captures the way the speaker utters a sound and focuses mainly on the pronunciation of words. This also extends to annotation of the way that the speaker’s tone rises and falls and how different sounds overlap within the audio. It does not include noises that interrupt with the transcript. This type of transcription requires a specialized notation system and needs to be done properly.
• Edited Transcription: This is also known as clean verbatim transcription. It aims at preserving the meaning of the text as it is. It will not paraphrase the text or change its meaning in any way and does not capture the way that the speaker communicates. It excludes stammering, filler words and other non-verbal communication. It provides an edited version of the content that ensures completeness and readability.

There is always a need for standard written content for any audio or video content. A written material of audio file ensures better accessibility to a wider audience, including the hearing impaired and non-native speakers. Transcripts of the audio file can be stored and accessed when required.

Reliable audio transcription services will capture audio content efficiently and provide accurate documents. Leading digital transcription agencies have experienced professionals on the job who can convert audio into text in a coherent and logical manner.

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