SIMPLY TYPE AND EARN BIG [THE TRANSCRIPTION WAY]

Working from home job options is becoming a popular trend, especially in this COVID 19 season where we are being encouraged to stay at home and maintain our social distance. Having plenty of time to spare, a smartphone or laptop with internet access is all you need to start making money in the comfort of your home.

Transcription is one of the online jobs with plenty of benefits and opportunities. It gives you the option to either start as a home-based transcriptionist, be an independent contractor, take it up as a side gig, or even launch your own transcription business.

So who is a transcriptionist and what is transcription all about?
Simply put, transcription is a typed representation of an audio file. A transcriptionist is a person who listens to the recorded file and then types out what they have heard.

Why is Transcription necessary?
The Internet is home to countless videos, audio recordings, and images. However, these are not as easily searchable or indexed unless the words which accompany them are transcribed into text. Search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo can only search text.

This is why transcribing visual and audio content is the key to expanding the potential helpfulness and “searchability” of this kind of content.
Another major use of transcription is for the hearing-impaired. The hearing-impaired people who cannot listen to audio/video recordings can easily read transcribed texts.

There are 3 main forms of transcription:
• General
• Medical
• Legal

Medical Transcription
Patient information needs to be documented in a patient’s file. All procedures, notes, and other related material of every kind have to be recorded and transcribed so that it can be included in the file. For you to take up this kind of job, it is important that medical transcriptionists be well-versed in the medical field since medical terminology is extremely specialized.

Legal Transcription
Court hearings, depositions, audio, or video footage presented as evidence, and witness statements are often transcribed to render them more accessible and easier to be reviewed by judges, lawyers, and juries. When a video or audio file is played in court, providing a transcript of it ensures that there is no room for misinterpretation.

General Transcription
These cover a large variety of topics for businesses, individuals, and organizations. You are required to transcribe dictations, interviews, meetings, telephone calls, podcasts, webinars, voicemails, lectures, conferences, seminars, focus groups, talk shows, television shows, presentations, etc.

Which Skills are needed to Transcribe?
For you to complete an online transcription job, you need to possess some skills. These include:
• Good command of English.
• Strong listening skills.
• Fast and accurate typing skills, anywhere from 60 to 75 words per minute.
• Familiarity with MS Word or similar applications.
• Editing, grammar check, and proofreading skills.
• Multitasking skills.
• Efficient task completion skills.
• Time management skills.

Which are the tools of the trade?

The basic transcription tools include transcription software, a headset, and a foot pedal. Though most companies have their own transcription software, it is necessary for you to have one to work on. One good example is Express Scribe which is downloadable, works with all the major word processors and speech recognition software, and is accredited.

You also need a headset. It makes it easier to hear and understand your audio files compared to the speakers on your computer. A foot pedal allows you to use your foot to press one of the three (or four) “buttons” to pause, playback, fast forward, and rewind audio files. This is much more efficient than using your keyboard and mouse to do these things. After all, you want to use your fingers for typing.

How do you Transcribe anyway?
Each company you work for has different style guidelines of how they would want the transcription to be done. Though some features are common, it is prudent to read each company’s guide to learn how they want you to transcribe their files. This also helps you pass the initial transcription test when you sign-up with a company.

Does transcription sound interesting to you?
Are you convinced that you can venture into this new career and boost your income? If your answer is yes, congratulations and welcome aboard.
I have available an online transcription course conducted via email. You will learn in detail all about transcription, sample audio and typed files, recommendations of best companies to work with, and many more.

Support and feedback to your questions are offered all throughout the course. Kindly register your interest in taking the online transcription course by leaving your email in the comment section.

In the coming days, I will be discussing another popular work from home option among the online jobs that you can work on along your transcription job and widen your income streams. Keep it locked.