Transcribe

When you're ready for a transcript of your media presentation, it's time to look for a transcriber. If this is new to you, there will be questions. Where do I find a transcriber? How do I know if they're good? What does it cost to hire a transcriber?

First, ask your business network or colleagues if they use a general business transcriber. If they do, ask if they're happy with their work and what they charge per audio hour. A verbal recommendation is the best, so if it sounds good, get their number and give them a try.

Tell the transcriber about your project. They'll ask about the quantity and format of your media, how soon you need it back and in what format. They'll also ask if you have a cheat sheet with any special or industry specific information that would be helpful to the transcriber.

Most transcribers will "clean up" your document by taking out the "ums," "ahs," false starts and run on sentences while still keeping the flavor of the speaker. This is called "Intelligent Verbatim." Additional editing is offered by many who are skilled in this and offer it as part of their service, but you can expect to pay more. Once that is all figured out, he or she will quote you a price.

A normal rate for English to English transcription can range from $30 - $100 per audio hour depending on the skill and experience of the transcriber. The lower end is usually charged by newbies in the field, meaning those with less than three years of experience. If they charge anything less than $30/audio hour, you'll get what you pay for.

The higher end transcribers have been doing this work for more than three years and usually have a steady flow of clients. They're experienced in many venues and can offer helpful advice. They are familiar with industry names and/or terms and their end product will justify their pricing. When starting out, look for a number somewhere in the middle if you seek quality and reliability. This is not to take away from newer people; you may find a transcriber with a year or two of experience, you think they're fantastic and they just happen to charge only $20/audio hour. If this is true, you've just struck gold so make sure you pay that person on time!

A normal rate is charged for clean audio with a three to five business day turnaround time. If your audio is scratchy, has static, dead spots, line noise, airplanes, sirens, background noises, mumbles, fast talkers or the like, you can expect to pay an increase of 20%-50% above the normal rate because it takes longer to transcribe and proof. Ultimately, bad audio can result in lots of inaudible timestamps; you'll be left to listen and add in from memory what the transcriber couldn't hear.If you seek a same day rush, you can expect to pay the transcriber's highest rate which can be whatever they want for dropping everything to work on your project. 

Additionally, if you start with X number of audio hours and the project grows to several more; get a dollar figure from the transcriber before each addition so that there are no surprises in the end. You may not consider the amount of extra work you're throwing into the mix and that final invoice can be a jaw-dropping, eye-opener.An experienced transcriber will seek full payment for what you have already submitted before accepting additional audio, even before the original batch is done. They know how easy it is for well-intentioned people to run up a bill that takes much longer to pay simply because they weren't thinking about cost as they added to the project.  

Customary payment in this field is generally within 24 hours of the work being returned to you and Transcribers prefer an instant payment gateway such as Paypal. Who wants to wait for a check to arrive in the mail and to clear? That's so last century. Once your end product is ready for upload, you'll have the ability to use that transcript in many different and profitable ways. This is a great reason to add a general business transcriber to your team.

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