Transcription rates are based on Audio Minutes.
1 Audio Minute = 60 seconds of audio/video recording
This means that no matter how long it takes to transcribe a recording, you would still pay by length of the recording and not the actual hours worked.
Here are a few factors that affect transcription rates:
Audio Quality
Professionally recorded high quality audio is the easiest to transcribe and therefore costs the least.
Audio with background noise or recording issues is difficult to understand and may require several rounds of proofreading to ensure accuracy; such audio therefore costs more.
Quick Tip: For those who record regularly, it may be a good idea to invest in a DVR or some other form of recording equipment. This will help generate high quality audio that will bring down transcription costs.
Accents
Recordings involving heavy accents generally require a native speaker of the accent (or a very experienced transcriptionist) to transcribe them accurately. For this reason, accented audio can costs considerably more depending on the accents involved. The Australian, Irish and Scottish accents are considered to be some of the most difficult ones to transcribe and cost the most. More neutralized accents such as the US accent are easier to understand and cost lesser.
Quick Tip: When recording with speakers who have heavy accents, it helps to lay down some ground rules to ensure that the recording is clearly understandable both for listeners as well as transcribers.
Subject of the Recording
A recording on a technical subject like finance, real estate or healthcare would likely have terms and phrases that are not commonly known. These terms need to be researched to ensure correct spelling and context. For this reason, recordings on technical subjects take longer to transcribe and cost more.
Quick Tip: To improve the accuracy of transcripts on technical subjects, it is advisable to provide a list of commonly used terms to the transcription company. This will reduce transcription time and improve accuracy.
Number of Speakers
A single speaker talking at a steady rate of speech is easy to understand and transcribe. However, if a recording involves multiple speakers talking simultaneously (at a dinner meeting for example), it becomes difficult to catch all that is being said. Identifying each speaker by name also becomes a challenge in such cases. Multi-speaker audio therefore costs more to get transcribed and yet does not always meet accuracy requirements.
Quick Tip: When planning to record a multi-speaker audio, spend some time choosing a good microphone and DVR. Also instruct the participants to speak one at a time and mention their names before speaking.
