AUDIO AND VIDEO TYPIST - ARE YOU THE RIGHT FIT?

Are you the right type?

A career as an audio video typist is anything but just typing or boring for that matter and is it certainly not easy.  Whenever I tell anyone what I do, inevitably one of the first things they say is, oh, that sounds easy but in fact nothing could be further from the truth.  Transcription is one of the most demanding and labor-intensive among all translation services.  It requires high-skills from listening to an audio or video file, sometimes researching the subject matter, understanding the context and then typing the audio into text.  How well you do depends heavily on your ability to type but this is certainly not the most important skill, I just feel the slower you are the harder transcription might feel.   You must have a very good ear and be an excellent listener and this is harder than most people realize.  At first you may have to listen to every sentence twice, three times, maybe more but as a contractor you are paid according to production so at least there is a tangible and immediate value to improving.  You must have an above-average grasp of English, grammar and punctuation and you must be able to produce the highest quality of work.  There is also the added layer of potentially having a file with rough audio, heavy accents and or multiple speakers talking over one another.  If it's your lucky day, it might be all the above.  Oh, and the client needs that by 5:00 p.m. Lol  Background noise can include anything from wind to people screaming or talking, sirens even traffic sounds all of which can compete with the voices of the speakers making your task that much harder.  The struggle is real and getting the perfect audio file is more of an exception to the rule.  Every transcriptionist knows the anticipation of opening up that next assignment, it really is like a box of chocolates Lol  There are also many rules and conventions to be followed but thankfully at Videoplus Transcription there is a great support system and community of people that will help soften the learning curve.  There are also many things that can help make your job a little easier such as a foot pedal and professional transcription software but nothing can replace just good old hands on experience to help hone your skills over time.  And due to the nature of some of the things we transcribe, confidentiality is of the utmost importance so if discretion is not your strong suit, transcription is definitely not for you.  In short, transcription can be very challenging but it is also very rewarding and I hope this has changed your perception somewhat.  And if you ever find yourself in conversation where someone mentions they transcribe, please, for the love of God, do not say, that sounds easy? And then wonder why they never call you again Lol

 

Blog credit to Stephanie Canales.  To learn more about Stephanie Canales visit her home page found at https://www.courtorderforms.ca/contractors/stephanie-canales/.