Categories: Technology

Tools And Tips For Transcribing Videos Faster And Easier

Transcription is a fantastic way to ensure that your video and audio content is accessible to a wider audience. It’s a vital tool in search engine optimization (SEO) to drive visitors to your site, as transcripts allow Google and Bing to index the information. It also makes the content quicker and easier to access, particularly in noisy environments or for people with hearing difficulties.

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How To Be A Next-Level Video Transcriber In No Time

Transcribing a whole video can be a daunting task. So here are some tips and tools for transcribing videos to make the process as quick and easy as possible.

Practice The Right Way

Many people don’t realize that transcription is a skill in itself. And like other skills, practice can make you faster and more efficient at it. There are plenty of places online where you can practice your craft by listening to audio and typing into the box provided. They will give you a score for accuracy and speed.

When starting to practice transcribing, don’t focus on going quickly. If you go too fast, you’re more likely to make mistakes, which will slow you down in the long run. Instead, concentrate on being as accurate as possible; speed will come later.

Take A Break

When doing work that requires high levels of focus for an extended period, taking regular breaks is essential. Especially if you’re not used to it, video transcription can be a highly demanding activity. Most people can focus for an average of 20 to 30 minutes, so make sure to take a break from transcribing at least every half an hour. Not only will this keep your mind sharp, but it will also help you to avoid repetitive strain injury in your hands.

Consider Trying AI Transcription

For a first pass at transcribing your video file, AI transcription can give you a solid base to work from. Technology has advanced so that an automated transcript can be a reasonable representation of your audio. There are lots of options available on the market now, and many of them are quite affordable. Using AI can save you valuable time by doing a lot of the work for you.

While it can be a helpful tool in the transcriptionist’s arsenal, it can also trip you up in surprising ways. Sometimes, if an audio section is particularly unclear, the AI can generate something you know is incorrect but can be impossible to “un-hear”! Once you’ve read “blue badgers” while listening to something that sounds like “blue badgers,” it can be challenging to think of alternatives, no matter how ridiculous the AI’s suggestion is!

Get To Know Your Computer Shortcuts

Do you know how to start and stop videos quickly? Using shortcuts to control the playback speed makes transcription much quicker and easier. Shortcuts might differ according to your setup.

However, here’s a general idea: use the spacebar to start and stop, the arrow keys to rewind or fast forward, and the CTRL + arrow keys to skip backward and forward. Once you’ve mastered these, you can move on to more advanced shortcuts like speeding up or slowing down the video.

Invest In A Foot Pedal

To go even faster, try a foot pedal. This neat gadget sits under your desk while you’re transcribing and enables you to control video playback with your feet. It allows you to go even faster, as you don’t have to stop typing to play, pause, forward, or rewind the recording. It takes a little practice to get used to, but if you have a reasonably heavy workload, this handy tool is well worth the investment.

Use Specialist Transcription Software

There’s no longer any need to type into a basic text editing program while simultaneously trying to navigate a video. Specialist transcription software can handle both tasks at once and make your life much easier. Many of them have specialist audio playback controls to make transcribing faster. If you have a foot pedal, choose a compatible program for the most fluid experience.

Unfortunately, these specialized computer programs can be expensive. InqScribe costs $99 for a single license, and Dragon Professional Individual will set you back by a whopping $500. If you’ve already shelled out for a foot pedal, you’ll notice the costs starting to rack up.

Hire A Transcription Service

If you don’t have the time to practice transcribing yourself, you might prefer to employ a company to do the work for you. All-in-one transcription providers like GoTranscript can be an affordable option, particularly if you have a lot of videos to handle.

At https://gotranscript.com/audio-to-text, you’ll learn more about the service, prices, and more. Letting professional transcriptionists do what they’re trained to do is often much faster than doing it yourself. Using a service like this frees up your time to concentrate on your own work and can even turn out cheaper, too!