The benefits of using transcription software (not AI)

We love transcription software, which probably sounds a bit sad!  Please don’t mistake this for artificial intelligence (AI) software that transcribes the spoken word into text.  Transcription software is used by our team of highly skilled transcriptionists as a way of starting/stopping/rewinding audio and video recordings so we can manually transcribe the text. 

There are so many benefits to using custom software such as HTH Engineering’s StartStop Universal Transcription System for the purposes of transcription.  Some people try to transcribe using Windows Media Player but quickly discover that it is not fit for purpose. 

Firstly, you have to start and stop the recording using the mouse.  This immediately slows down the transcription process because you have to disengage from the keyboard to manoeuvre the mouse and back again.  Transcription software is managed using a foot pedal, therefore leaving your hands on the keyboard at all times, increasing speed and efficiency.

Secondly, when you stop the recording, it will restart exactly where it was paused, generally clipping off words and sounds that are then not transcribed, or are transcribed incorrectly.  Specific transcription software will rewind by a adjustable number of seconds so that it leads you back in to where you stopped, ensuring that every nuance of the conversation is captured.

And for those speakers that talk at the rate of a freight train, you can slow down the playback speed to a level that suits you and allows you to transcribe “as live”, matching your typing speed.

Finally, custom transcription software can include some extra features which make the job of a transcriptionist much easier.  It’s amazing how happy something as simple as a facility to include time stamps can make you.  Being able to programme the left foot pedal to insert a time stamp whenever required saves time, and all these marginal gains really help in the delivery of fast and accurate transcriptions.

If we can safe you time and frustration by employing our skills and equipment to undertake your transcription requirements, please contact us here.

Photo by jevgeni mironov on Unsplash