Transcribing audio, whether from a video or in the middle of a meeting, is a very important skill. AI isn’t currently all the way there, and it will likely always need refining. If you’re looking to be more accurate in your transcriptions, here are some practical tips you can use.
Preparation is Key
Prep is often the most important step in anything you do. Before the first word is even spoken, you need to make sure that you have a quiet environment with minimal background noise that can help reduce the strain on your ears while you work. Invest in a pair of good headphones that offer great sound quality and maximum noise-cancellation.
If you’re transcribing audio for a client and it’s a new topic, have a list of common vocab words for that topic handy. Some terminology can be extremely unique and hard to catch if you’ve never heard it before. Try to watch a video beforehand summarizing the topic so you’re familiar with different terms and can understand the process as a whole. If you’re transcribing content related to knitting but know nothing about it besides that it uses yarn, you might want to brush up a little.
If you’re recording audio and transcribing it later, make sure your equipment is set and ready to go. Investing in a high-quality audio recorder can go a long way. If it runs off of batteries, have them charged with backups ready to go. Likewise, special transcription software can make it a breeze as they often have features that help you manage playback speed, timestamps, and text expansion.
Using Audio to Text Transcribers
You can use programs that will transcribe audio to text free online. Some programs can offer near perfect accuracy while others may make more serious mistakes. Always reread a transcript when using these kinds of services. While they can easily help you complete a transcription in minutes, you still need to check their work.
If you’re software-savvy, you can even create your own transcription with the help of some of the guides here on Harmonicode.com. It sounds complicated, but with lots of powerful libraries out there, you can easily create custom audio to text transcription software tailored for you.
One easy strategy is to transcribe the audio and either watch or listen to the original with the text the transcriber produced. While listening to the clip or watching the video, pause and make corrections as needed. It can help to listen at 2x speed. It will also save you from going crazy, having to listen to the same things over and over the entire day, as you can now finish in half the time.
Being a Better Note Taker
If you’re sitting in a meeting recording the audio for later transcription, you might want to take notes—and darn good ones at that. Note how the conversation flows and mark down moments where emotions might be showing through. If someone makes a noise that is not actual speech, note what it is possibly in reference to. A cough is obvious, but a gasp or a murmur of surprise may not be and can be helpful to include.
Similarly, there may be a presentation that you can use as a reference. While you can usually ask the person for a copy of it to refer back to when making your transcription, people sometimes forget, and deadlines can approach quickly. If terminology you do not understand is expressed in the presentation, make a note of how it was presented and any other information that may help you later in your transcription.
For speakers who like to mutter under their breath or talk quietly take even more notes. Your audio equipment may not pick up everything they say, and you can’t exactly ask them to repeat themselves four days later in the middle of your transcription. If there’s any doubt about what they might have just said, make a note of the time and quickly jot down what you believe to have heard. When you listen to the audio, you can reference your notes for help and try to put the puzzle together.
Use Clear Labels and Accurate Writing
A transcription is meaningless if we don’t know who is saying what. Be consistent in how you label the speakers. Some prefer to use intials after introducing their full names, others always use full names to avoid confusion. The important thing is consistency.
You should also use formatting that is easy on the eyes. Large paragraphs or walls of text can make it more difficult for readers to follow a conversation and keep with the flow. Punctuation is another often overlooked part of transcribing text. Avoid using exclamation points unless they truly fit the line.
If you’re unsure of a word that was said, leave a ‘(?)’ next to your best guess, but never just leave the word unmarked. These are parts of the audio that need further verification, either on your end later or someone else’s, and you’ll forget all about them without marking them. Guesswork should never make it to your final product, as you can easily misconstrue what someone was saying and create confusion.
