Transcription is a high-skill process that involves listening to a recording, researching the subject, understanding context, and typing it accurately into text. When done right, the process can take a lot of time.
One hour of audio or video can take 4-9 hours to transcribe, depending on the subject, number of speakers, and audio quality.
The total time it takes to transcribe a recording depends on several factors and differs for different types of recordings.
Why do you need to know this?
If you are planning to transcribe some recordings or outsource transcription work, this information will help you understand turnaround time and costs involved.
If you are a transcriptionist, this will help you decide rates to charge based on the time investment required.
Read more: Best Audio-to-Text-Converters in 2023 – Free and Paid
Let’s take a look at the key factors that affect transcription time.
Any recording that requires researching spellings/terms takes longer to transcribe. That’s why the turnaround time for transcription of technical recordings is usually longer.
An hour-long interview on the subject of university education would probably take an experienced transcriber 4 hours to transcribe.
On the other hand, a one-hour interview on clinical trials for prostate cancer would probably take 5-6 hours to transcribe because the transcriptionist would need to research the medical terms to get the spellings right.
Note: Non-technical recordings with lots of names of places, personalities, books etc. also take longer to transcribe.
Many transcription services charge extra for transcribing recordings with multiple speakers. This is fair because accurately transcribing multiple speakers is hard work.
It is however important to remember that it’s hard only if there is over-talking involved, for e.g. a focus group with 5-10 people talking rapidly and often over each other. A seminar with 15 speakers can be fairly easy to transcribe if they present one at a time.
Outdoor recordings or recordings made without using external microphones usually have issues like background noise, ‘echo’, and low volume.
These recordings can take significantly longer to transcribe when compared to ‘clear’ recordings because it takes several rounds of listening to understand everything being said.
Read: What’s a good recording?
The transcription style dictates how detailed the transcript is going to be. There are three transcription styles that are generally used in transcription – verbatim, intelligent verbatim, and true verbatim.
Verbatim transcription is the most popular style which includes every word said on the recording, minus distractions like fillers, false starts, etc.
Intelligent verbatim transcription includes detailed edited and paraphrasing to create business transcripts that are error-free.
True verbatim is a highly detailed style of transcription that includes every little detail on the recording including laughter, ambient sounds, etc.
This style takes much more time than say intelligent verbatim where all these details are left out while transcribing.
All things considered, here’s the average turnaround time for a 1-hour recording:
Simple recording (clearly recorded, non-technical content, and no overtalking): 4 hours.
Complex recording (background noise, overtalking, or technical content): 5-9 hours.
Knowing this is helpful in calculating costs if your transcription agency charges by hours worked.
Some transcription companies charge by audio-minute (1 audio minute = 1 minute of recording). This type of billing is preferable if you need to know the exact cost of transcription beforehand.
Read: Are you recording right?
There are several things you can do to speed up your transcription.
If your recording has just one speaker on it, you can use an audio-to-text converter to create a draft transcript which you can then proofread. This will save you at least a couple of hours!
You can also save a lot of time by learning to type faster. Try boosting your typing speed from say 40 wpm to 60 wpm and type without having to look at the keyboard.
This awesome typing tutor is great for improving your typing speed in a fun way.
And finally, using the right tools, like an audio player specifically meant for transcription, a foot pedal, and a good pair of headphones would save you tons of time and frustration.
How long does it take YOU to transcribe? What challenges do you face and how do you overcome them? Share your experience with other readers in comments below!
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View Comments
Hello,
After a hurtful day at work behind my transcribing skills, I am grateful to have found this forum and the introductory information right from the start. I have 8 - 12 members, all of whom talk over while room noise is out of control. Currently my time frame is for a one hour recording, my time is 4 hours before editing.
What is an average or is there a formula for expected time frame in/for transcribing?
I am so very discouraged. Seems 16 years of transcription does not add up to anything at my new job, what can you share with me o like to hear your thoughts.
Thank you
Hi Cynthia - 8-12 speakers talking over each other can be very difficult to transcribe, so don't beat yourself up for it! We just finished a 70-minute focus-group with 3 speakers with strong accents, and that took 5 hours to transcribe + 3 to proof & edit - that's for a clear recording. So a file with more speakers and background noise can easily take 12-15 hours - even for the most experienced transcriptionist. We follow a policy of setting clear expectations with the client for such files before starting work and would recommend the same for you. Good luck!
I'm doing transcribing right now, and it takes 2 minutes recording per I hour, even though it is 2 speaker, and clear sound. Maybe because I am not native English speaker.
Being a native speaker of the primary language and accent in the recording can definitely help transcribe faster. But even if you're not a native speaker, you can get better with time and practice - particularly if the speaker remains the same (because the more you listen to them, the better you understand their accent and speech habits).
Hi, I am about to accept a transcriber job and don´t know updated rates. How much such I ask, only one speaker ?
Rates are driven by multiple factors like accuracy, turnaround time, and audio complexity - ranging between $25-$120 per audio hour and sometime higher. Decide the hourly rate you’d like to charge, estimate how long it will take you to transcribe one hour of audio, multiply the two and that should give you a fair idea of the per audio hour rate you should be charging.