Transcription Turnaround Time

Transcription turnaround time depends on several factors –

Duration of the audio or video recording

A clear 60-minute recording can take anywhere between 2-4 hours to transcribe and another 1-2 hours to proof. First the transcriptionist types out the entire recording without rewinding any part. Then she proofs the transcript by listening to the entire recording once again and simultaneously reading the text. While doing this she corrects errors and fills in the blanks left out in the first round. If there are too many blanks or mistakes in the text, a second round of proofreading may be needed, consequently increasing the transcription turnaround time.

Number of speakers

Speaker identification in recordings with multiple speakers can take time (depending on the rate of speech of the speakers and how disciplined the conversation is).

The transcriptionist has to carefully identify of each speaker’s voice and mark their name correctly each time they speak on a recording. For this the transcriptionist has to go slow and may have to re-listen to parts of the recording more than once.

Accents

Transcribing recordings in strong accents – such Irish or Australian – not only requires an understanding of the accents but also colloquialisms. A transcriptionist must have experience in working with difficult accents and has to carefully listen/re-listen to the recording to ensure accuracy.

Accents almost invariably add to the turnaround time for transcription.

Technical Content

Transcribing interviews, seminars, and other recordings on technical subjects requires research. A medical interview may involve medical terminology or a board meeting may involve financial terms that are not commonly known and must be researched.

Generally a transcriptionist would mark these terms as blanks while creating the first draft. Then he’ll go back and research each term to fill in the blanks at the time of proofreading. This obviously adds to the transcription turnaround time.

Audio Quality

This is a big one. A clear recording, free of background noise and recording issues is the easiest to transcribe. But many audio files (especially those created outdoors or created using inadequate equipment) are not well recorded. For example, an interview conducted over dinner without using lavaliere microphones may have the sound of cutlery, background music and side conversations recorded along with the actual voices of the participants. This makes transcription difficult and naturally slows down the process.

Transcription turnaround time is also impacted if the volume of the speakers is not high enough. It is always advisable to use microphones and (when possible) conduct the recording in a quiet room to minimize noise.

Transcription Style

There are 2 main styles of transcription used by most people. Verbatim Transcription and Clean Read Transcription. Verbatim transcription normally takes longer.

Editing

Editing a transcript for grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc. requires an editor to go through the entire text. This adds to the time taken to produce a finished product.

Formatting

Adding formatting such as headings, subheadings, italicizing or highlighting text, paragraphing, adding margins, etc. also adds to the transcription turnaround time.

In essence, transcription turnaround time depends on the recording quality, complexity of the subject, and what you need the final document to look like. The best way to find out how long your recording will take is to send a sample to your transcriptionist and ask them to give you an estimate.