Recording Tips for Transcription
Increase accuracy and lower the cost of transcription services
There are a number of things that most people don’t often consider when making recordings that will later be transcribed or translated. These oversights can lead to both more-expensive and less-accurate transcripts.
Better-quality recordings result in more-accurate transcripts and reduce turnaround time. If the speech is difficult to understand, the transcriptionist will have to spend more time listening to it to get the transcript right. Thus, it’s easy to understand that the total cost of transcription services will be higher with companies that charge per hour of labor. However, other companies that charge by the audio minute, word, line, or page will usually have different categories of audio based on the intelligibility of the speech. These categories are generally labeled Type 1, Type 2, and so on. The poorer the audio quality, the higher the cost.
The sound quality of a recording not only affects the accuracy and completeness of a transcript, but when being paid by the audio minute, word, line, or page, the transcriptionist will have less incentive to spend extra time deciphering the marginally intelligible speech. He will be more likely to enter “unintelligible” or something similar in the transcript.
For difficult audio, some transcription companies utilize forensic audio-enhancement equipment. Don’t let this lead you to believe that it doesn’t really matter how good or bad the quality of the audio that you submit for transcription is. While audio-enhancement techniques can sometimes lead to dramatic results, more often than not, it will only improve the “listenability” of the dialog. Distractions such as electronic buzzing, tape hiss, and the humming of AC units can be eliminated or reduced, but don’t assume audio-enhancement methods will turn unintelligible speech into intelligible speech. In addition, forensic audio-enhancement services can be expensive.
For information about our transcription services, please click here. You may also contact us at (509) 413-3448 or email us at info@Textphonic.com.
After audio-enhancement services, clients sometimes hope to have the transcription done in-house by a receptionist or a word processor. However, if the recording is of poor-enough quality that it requires audio enhancement, one should expect that a trained forensic audio examiner or forensic linguist would be needed for the transcription process even after the enhancement.
The following tips will help produce quality recordings that can be easily understood and transcribed, resulting in improved accuracy, reduced turnaround time, and reduced transcription cost:
- First, purchase a quality recorder. A cheaper one may seem more economical at first, but if it leads to poorer-quality recordings, transcription costs will increase. It won’t take too long for the extra transcription costs to turn that more expensive recorder into a great bargain.
- Use an external microphone. Built-in microphones are generally cheap and of poor quality. They are designed to be used by one person speaking directly into the mic. If used in situations where speakers are a few feet or more from the mic, this will result in a noticeable drop in quality. These microphones will also pick up the noise of the recorder itself, making it more difficult to hear the speaker.
- Use multiple microphones whenever possible and make sure the microphones are as close to the speakers as possible.
- If using analog equipment, use a standard cassette rather than a mini-cassette or microcassette. The sound quality from standard cassette recorders is much better.
- Also, with analog equipment, make sure to use the fastest recording speed. Slower speeds allow for longer recordings, but at the cost of sound quality.
- When using analog tapes, always send the transcriptionist the original recording. Copies are always of lesser quality.
- If using digital recording equipment, use the higher-quality recording option. The options may be listed as SP (short play) and LP (long play). LP is the poorer-quality option. It allows for longer recordings, but at the cost of sound quality.
- If you have the option of choosing the type of file you will record, you should know that uncompressed files such as .wav, .flac, and .aif provide the best quality. It is equal to an audio CD. With compressed files, lossless is higher in quality than lossy because it compresses without discarding any audio information. Lossless files include .ape, .wv, and sometimes .m4a. Lossy files actually discard audio data in order to compress them to even-smaller sizes. Examples include .mp3, .wma, and .dss.
- Conduct a sound check. Speak at the same distance from the microphone and at the same volume as will be done during the actual recording process. Make adjustments as needed.
- Record in a quiet place and minimize background noises. Background noises such as children, ringing phones, traffic, machinery, and motors all can all make a recording quite difficult to understand. Even if these things don’t seem to be an issue at the time of the recording, they can be a real problem for your recorder. Humans can selectively filter out unwanted sounds such as traffic or a radio. However, a microphone is incapable of doing this and will capture it all.
- Make sure the participants in the recording avoid talking at the same time. Overlapping speech takes extra time to accurately transcribe if even possible. They should also be advised to speak clearly and at a reasonable speed.
- If your recorder has a voice-activation feature, turn it off. Voice activation can be a problem with soft-spoken and more distant speakers. In addition, the beginnings of statements will be cut off due to the time it takes for the recorder to activate.
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There are a number of things that most people don’t often consider when making recordings that will later be transcribed or translated. These oversights can lead to both more-expensive and less-accurate transcripts.
Better-quality recordings result in more-accurate transcripts and reduce turnaround time. If the speech is difficult to understand, the transcriptionist will have to spend more time listening to it to get the transcript right. Thus, it’s easy to understand that the total cost of transcription services will be higher with companies that charge per hour of labor. However, other companies that charge by the audio minute, word, line, or page will usually have different categories of audio based on the intelligibility of the speech. These categories are generally labeled Type 1, Type 2, and so on. The poorer the audio quality, the higher the cost.
The sound quality of a recording not only affects the accuracy and completeness of a transcript, but when being paid by the audio minute, word, line, or page, the transcriptionist will have less incentive to spend extra time deciphering the marginally intelligible speech. He will be more likely to enter “unintelligible” or something similar in the transcript.
For difficult audio, some transcription companies utilize forensic audio-enhancement equipment. Don’t let this lead you to believe that it doesn’t really matter how good or bad the quality of the audio that you submit for transcription is. While audio-enhancement techniques can sometimes lead to dramatic results, more often than not, it will only improve the “listenability” of the dialog. Distractions such as electronic buzzing, tape hiss, and the humming of AC units can be eliminated or reduced, but don’t assume audio-enhancement methods will turn unintelligible speech into intelligible speech. In addition, forensic audio-enhancement services can be expensive.
For information about our transcription services, please click here. You may also contact us at (509) 413-3448 or email us at info@Textphonic.com.
After audio-enhancement services, clients sometimes hope to have the transcription done in-house by a receptionist or a word processor. However, if the recording is of poor-enough quality that it requires audio enhancement, one should expect that a trained forensic audio examiner or forensic linguist would be needed for the transcription process even after the enhancement.
The following tips will help produce quality recordings that can be easily understood and transcribed, resulting in improved accuracy, reduced turnaround time, and reduced transcription cost:
- First, purchase a quality recorder. A cheaper one may seem more economical at first, but if it leads to poorer-quality recordings, transcription costs will increase. It won’t take too long for the extra transcription costs to turn that more expensive recorder into a great bargain.
- Use an external microphone. Built-in microphones are generally cheap and of poor quality. They are designed to be used by one person speaking directly into the mic. If used in situations where speakers are a few feet or more from the mic, this will result in a noticeable drop in quality. These microphones will also pick up the noise of the recorder itself, making it more difficult to hear the speaker.
- Use multiple microphones whenever possible and make sure the microphones are as close to the speakers as possible.
- If using analog equipment, use a standard cassette rather than a mini-cassette or microcassette. The sound quality from standard cassette recorders is much better.
- Also, with analog equipment, make sure to use the fastest recording speed. Slower speeds allow for longer recordings, but at the cost of sound quality.
- When using analog tapes, always send the transcriptionist the original recording. Copies are always of lesser quality.
- If using digital recording equipment, use the higher-quality recording option. The options may be listed as SP (short play) and LP (long play). LP is the poorer-quality option. It allows for longer recordings, but at the cost of sound quality.
- If you have the option of choosing the type of file you will record, you should know that uncompressed files such as .wav, .flac, and .aif provide the best quality. It is equal to an audio CD. With compressed files, lossless is higher in quality than lossy because it compresses without discarding any audio information. Lossless files include .ape, .wv, and sometimes .m4a. Lossy files actually discard audio data in order to compress them to even-smaller sizes. Examples include .mp3, .wma, and .dss.
- Conduct a sound check. Speak at the same distance from the microphone and at the same volume as will be done during the actual recording process. Make adjustments as needed.
- Record in a quiet place and minimize background noises. Background noises such as children, ringing phones, traffic, machinery, and motors all can all make a recording quite difficult to understand. Even if these things don’t seem to be an issue at the time of the recording, they can be a real problem for your recorder. Humans can selectively filter out unwanted sounds such as traffic or a radio. However, a microphone is incapable of doing this and will capture it all.
- Make sure the participants in the recording avoid talking at the same time. Overlapping speech takes extra time to accurately transcribe if even possible. They should also be advised to speak clearly and at a reasonable speed.
- If your recorder has a voice-activation feature, turn it off. Voice activation can be a problem with soft-spoken and more distant speakers. In addition, the beginnings of statements will be cut off due to the time it takes for the recorder to activate.