General Data-Entry Transcription
Audio transcribing data-entry training & jobs

We are one of the only Internet company that offers a complete online training program to teach you how to do audio transcription data entry. You can find some online vocational colleges that offer this as well as Medical transcription, but you will have to pay in the neighborhood of $800 to $2000 for the course. 

After you pay the $800 to $2000 for a vocational program, you then need to find the jobs for yourself. Our program not only gives you free training, free software, we also will give you job and assignment sources directly. Hopefully you can appreciate the value of our program little more.

Program Overview
Our training will teach you general transcription; we will give you an overview of medical transcription. However there is more involved with medical transcription that includes, for the most part, learning medical terminology; If you know medical terminology, then you can learn enough with this program to focus toward medical transcription jobs if you choose.

We will focus primarily on general audio transcription, which will also include; business, educational, research, and media to just name a few. We will teach you digital and tape transcription of research material, conference recordings, focus groups, telephone and taped interviews, and much more.

Our training will also focus this training on the latest type of transcription which is transcribed digital audio and digital video recordings. We will cover older styles of transcribing such as from tape as well.

We are going to list job sources where you can get assignments after training. For those members who may be interested we will explain how you can start your own online transcription business if that is something you would like to pursue.

Sixty percent (60%) of ALL work-from-home data-entry assignments are in the transcription field. This is why we want to provide this to our members. There are many transcription jobs not being filled because of lack of workers. With all the transcription jobs available you will now have many more opportunities to earn income from home.

Exact verbatim
Also know as "Script Transcription." At this level of detail, you transcribe everything that the speakers say. Stuttering or unfinished words or sentences will be transcribed, as well as superfluous speech such as "umm", "ah", "you know", and nonverbal sounds (laughter, sighing).

Any pauses or interruptions will be included, as well as remarks (yeah, OK) by the interviewer that the interviewee does not respond to.

This level of detail is usually required only by researchers interested in speech patterns.

This is commonly used in:
Research study (scientific, medical, behavioral)
Depositions
CLICK HERE TO SEE A SAMPLE

Near verbatim
Also known as "Smooth Verbatim" or "Magazine Transcript." This is the most popular type of transcription. Many clients are interested in some of the verbatim content, but not all of it. You can omit or include whichever details are of use to their project.

Typically at this level you would include nonverbal sounds such as laughter, slang words, improper grammar, most superfluous speech and some indication of unfinished words or stuttering. However you would not transcribe noises such as coughs or every "umm" or "ahh" or include superfluous remarks from people other than the speaker.

This level of detail is used by most clients who require accurate recordings of their subjects, yet are not studying exact speech patterns.

This is commonly used in:
Interviews and focus groups (primarily the content is of interest to the researcher)
Business Meetings
Presentations with discussion, questions and answers (typically for publication)
Conferences (several speakers, moderated dialog)
Q/A- sessions (questions and comments from the audience)
CLICK HERE TO SEE A SAMPLE

Content Only
This is an expansion of the near verbatim style. You edit as you transcribe. You correct grammar, eliminate interrupting comments from the interviewer, correct slang, and omit personal comments. This level of detail is appropriate for any project where the content of the speech is the main priority. At this level of detail, anything superfluous to the content will be ignored, including most non-verbal sounds, stuttering, incomplete or revised sentences and superfluous speech by the speaker or others.

In many cases you would also edit the text to remove incorrect grammar or slang words (editing "yup" into "yes," or correct word use). This style is often used by those publishing their transcript, such as a conference lecture or a Congressional hearing.

Those clients are looking for a transcript of the content of the talk and are not interested in how exactly it was presented; this level is appropriate for their project. Content Only is mostly used when the "gist" of the recording is desired, perhaps for the purpose of summarizing a discussion.

Rough Draft
You would type what you hear as you listen to the audio just once. You would not stop to rewind and re listen to pick up inaudibles.

The client would have to be prepared to spend considerable time to review the audio and correct the document. This is a fairly uncommon type of assignment, but at least you will know what to expect if you receive a rough draft assignment.

Time Coding
This is any of the styles formats of transcription types that is uniquely designed for audio, video editing. Time codes are indicated at every speaker change using a certain time stamping format that we will teach you how to use.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A SAMPLE

Here is a list of the common type of transcription assignments:
Technology podcast shows, daily transcription
Business meetings transcription
Inspirational teleseminars transcription
Conference calls transcription
Training cassette transcription
Business leaders interview transcription for publishing
Focus group interview transcription
Church Sermon transcription
TV show transcription
Oral history transcription
Quarterly Earnings conference calls transcription
Research interview transcription
Customer service calls transcription
Entertainment industry
and much more...

You will transcribe audio to text (most common) and video to text.


4. How the Audio and Video is Collected to be Transcribed

There are three ways used to record data to be transcribed. They are as follows:

General Recording Tips to Give Your Clients for Transcription
It will make it easier for you to transcribe if the person who is recording can follow some simple tips when setting up recordings. If you are only going to do outsource assignments and NOT own your own transcription company, then you will not be responsible for the quality it will be the company outsourcing the work to you who should make sure the quality is good enough to get an accurate transcription.

However, even if you are only going to be doing outsource assignments, you can always make suggestions to the company that will be sending you the assignments if you continually get bad quality files.

Here are some good tips (Courtesy of Wordworth Typing and Transcription) to give your clients:

When recording an interview, meeting, lecture or other event with the intention of having it transcribed later, you can help make the transcription process as efficient and accurate as possible. While it's not always possible to follow all of these tips, taking them into account can help ensure better transcription by improving sound quality and minimizing incidental noise.

The better the recording, the more accurate and cost-effective the transcription will be.

As much as possible, ask the client to try to follow these guidelines for best results, which will make your job as the transcriber much easier.

Poor Quality Recordings
In some cases clients may still transcribe poor-quality dictation because the content is essential. The outsource companies or yourself will review each case individually to let the client know what can be done to provide the best quality transcription possible. Poor-quality dictation includes those in which there are noisy, muffled, simultaneous overlapping conversations, and two or more speakers recorded at greatly different volumes. In some cases the outsource company or yourself will be able to digitize and enhance the audio to remove noise or clarify the speakers.

In such cases you will work to understand how many "inaudible" sections are permissible. This work is billed at an hourly rate depending on the services needed. Rush service for poor-quality tapes, if offered, is billed at rates higher than normal rush service because of the huge effort and possible transcriber fatigue involved.

In large jobs where you encounter a poor-quality tape or digital file, you can often choose to not transcribe the particular recording until the client is contacted for guidance. In rare instances you may refuse to transcribe very poor audio because of the likely poor quality of the resulting transcription or fatigue on the transcriber (yourself).

More than likely, the outsource company sending you work will weed out these assignments. However, you can suggest that you will try certain assignments, and thus build a good relationship with the outsource company. However, this can result in many future projects of poor quality recordings. The upside is that these will pay the best; the downside is that you have to work a little harder (maybe a lot harder in some cases!) to decipher the recording.

5. What Equipment and Format is Used to Collect Audio/Video
The equipment and format are the same methods used to collect recordings for transcription mentioned in Part IV. Here we will teach more about the devices used in the Voicescriber method to gather the recordings. The two methods used today are Tape and Digital.

Cassette Tape Recordings

About tape sizes & formats
There are three primary sizes of tapes all of which you will need to learn. In approximate order of popularity they appear to be:

1. Micro cassette - 33mm
2. Regular cassette - 64mm
3. Executive cassette - 34mm.

Note that the popularity of digital (without tape) dictation systems is increasing. As a result, you will see less dictation on such tapes as these.

These can be directly transcribed because transcription machines are available in these sizes. Other size tapes, including videotape (VHS, BETA, etc.), can also be transcribed using a standard VHS or Beta player. The client will first make copies to one of the three above types.

When using regular cassette tapes for transcription, any longer than T-60 (30 minutes on a side) should be avoided. Longer tapes tend to jam more easily in the cassette machines, which often starts and stops the tape. Micro and Executive tapes are designed for transcription and therefore rarely jam.

Shown above are the regular cassette (top), executive (left), and micro (right) with approximate sizes for each tape. Micro and Executive cannot be used in the other's machines. Executive tape dictation systems are more expensive but provide superior clarity of dictation.

Formats
Most popular recorders use a single track of audio. Some of them have two speeds at which the audio can be recorded. Recording on the fastest speed produces higher quality dictation, but provides less recording time on the tape.

Multiple-track recorders are typically used in settings that require very accurate transcriptions and have multiple persons that might speak simultaneously. For instance, courtroom transcripts are often taken by a four-track recorder with each person wearing a separate microphone and recording on a different track of the tape: judge, two lawyers, witness. Multiple-track recorders are rare outside of the courtroom setting. However, they provide superior transcripts because the transcriber allows one to listen to each track individually or all tracks at once.

At this time you should not concern yourself too much about cassette recordings because, as already mentioned these will soon be a thing of the past. If you are getting a lot of assignments or jobs that require cassette transcription then you can make a small investment to get the equipment needed to play these cassettes. As we mentioned in the Equipment Needed section, you can pick up this hardware very inexpensively in garage sales or eBay, to just name a few.

DIGITAL AUDIO FILES
As mentioned earlier, the latest way of transcribing is from digital files, such as MP3. In the next 5 years almost all transcription work will be through computers, using specific file formats on the computer. This is why now is the best time to take this opportunity to learn this new way of transcribing. Many of the large transcription companies who have been using the old methods such as Dictaphone and tape transcription are struggling to get up-to-date with the newest technology. This is why we will focus this training on the latest and greatest transcribing - DIGITAL!

With the advent of multimedia computers (audio, video, etc.), more material is being generated in the form of digital computer files. Digital hand held dictation devices are now available that record to a memory card and can generate audio files you can place on disk or send over the Internet. You will have the ability to transcribe such files that come in a variety of formats.

We are only going to teach you the terms and some brief definitions. DON'T get overwhelmed with this information or feel you need to become an expert on computer audio formats. We are only providing you with terminology so if someone refers to certain terms, you will know they are referring to an audio format. You will not be expected to supply technical information on these terms.

JUST A LITTLE EDUCATION NEVER HURT ANYONE!

Some of the existing formats for digital audio files are:

To see a more complete description of the most common digital audio file formats CLICK HERE

The latest MP3 technology - This is now the most common transcription format.
Since the latest technological advances have resulted in using MP3 and digital recordings when doing interviews, we will explain why researchers (clients needing transcription work) are switching to digital MP3 technology, and how to use this technology for transcribing. This is a huge plus when it comes to applying for online assignments from these companies.

You will have the ability to present current credentials of knowledge of MP3 and digital transcribing. We can tell you that digital recordings are by far the clearest and most easily transcribed recordings for any of the scores of transcription projects you will work on.

Besides the better sound quality and ease of duplication and storage already mentioned, digital audio has some distinct advantages over analog tapes (cassettes or micro cassettes). Because MP3 files are recorded at a fixed bit rate, MP3 files always play back at the same speed with which they were recorded.

Changes in pitch are a common problem with tapes, in that they may record at one speed on one tape machine and then when played on another machine, they will play either faster or slower. The resulting change in playback speed alters the pitch and the feel of the voice.

Even the slightest drop in pitch or speed can lead a transcriber to interpret what they are hearing differently. Slower playback makes them sound drunk, and faster playback makes them sound nervous or on speed. Although, MP3 files record and play at a fixed speed, playback speed can be manipulated to make a recording play at a slower or faster tempo while preserving the pitch.

This is very useful for transcription. Another advantage of a constant playback and record rate is the ability to precisely index or bookmark a selection in an audio file.

For example, a researcher has noted in their transcript that there is an unintelligible utterance at 2 minutes and 32.457 seconds in the recording. They want to ask someone else to listen to it and see if they can make sense of it. If the researcher gives them a tape, they will have trouble finding it because the other person's tape player may play at a different speed; what happens at 2:32.457 on one person's machine may be different than with another tape player.

This has been a problem for years with researchers sending cassette tapes to transcribers. However, this segment will always be found at a precise time on a digital recording, no matter what computer or MP3 player you are using to listen to it. The other big advantage is that a researcher could store their audio data on a server or in computer files so a transcriptionist could download it.

They can also play segments of their data in a presentation or make it available on the web so that readers can hear what the transcript is attempting to represent. The difficulty of working with cassettes for analysis has led many qualitative researchers to rely heavily on text transcriptions as a basis for their analysis.

This reflects a particular view of spoken language as merely a window into concepts, beliefs, and experiences that are seen to exist in the mind of the speaker. According to this view, there is little difference between written words and the spoken words they represent.

This is a bit like saying a dead butterfly specimen pinned down in a display case is equivalent to watching a live specimen fluttering and interacting in its environment. There is so much detail that tends to be lost when analog recording technology is used or when spoken discourse is transcribed, i.e. translated into written text.

Certain software programs used for qualitative analysis, like Transcriber (which we will be giving you for free a little later), will allow you to synchronize transcripts to a digital audio file, much like a Karaoke machine. Such synchronizing and linking is not possible with cassette tapes. Finally, if you want to measure how long a particular phenomenon takes, digital audio and video allow you to precisely measure the temporal unfolding of social interaction.

For example, if a researcher wants to measure and tabulate the amount of time counselors spend discussing various issues with their clients, by indexing the counseling sessions in this way, they can also retrieve related segments for further comparison and analysis. They can even create time lines that chart the sequence and distribution of various communication formats over the course of the session.

In this part of your training we will explain the software and hardware that is used to do your transcription assignments. We are going to give you a FREE transcribe software you will use for both your training and for assignments.

Before we get you going on your training for the transcribe software, we will explain some OPTIONAL hardware that many transcribe operators currently use.

The hardware we will show you is not needed as we will show you how to transcribe using the software directly through your computer. We thought we would at least explain there is some optional hardware that can be used that will make your transcribing job a little easier.

OPTIONAL HARDWARE:

There are a couple OPTIONAL additional pieces of hardware that can be used along with the Express Scribe software.

- ONE: Foot Pedals, to start and stop the audio as needed so you can type all the information at your pace without missing any important details.

- TWO: A good set of headphones to listen to the voice you will be transcribing.

FOOT PEDALS (OPTIONAL HARDWARE)
There are three types of foot pedals that can be used with Express Scribe on a PC or Mac. First there are professional 3 foot pedal controls that connect direct to the computer's game, serial or USB port. Second, there are game controller "rudder" style pedals.

You can also make a custom cable to wire almost any other pedals (eg. Radio Shack) to the game or serial port.

Express Scribe works with almost all professional transcription pedals that connect to a PC's game or serial port. Refer to the Help screen for setup instructions.

More Information | Purchase Online

HEADSET (OPTIONAL HARDWARE)


You DO NOT need to use a headset unless you want to. You can listen to the audio through your computer's speakers and use the hot keys such as F10, etc., that are set up by default on the transcription software.

You can also use any set of headphones you may have laying around, and later pick up a set of professional transcribing headsets.

HERE IS A LIST OF PROFESSIONAL HEADSETS FOR PURCHASE 

EXPRESS SCRIBE SOFTWARE

Express Scribe Transcription Player Publisher's Description:
Express Scribe is professional audio-playback-control software designed to assist the transcription of audio recordings. It is installed on the typist's computer and can be controlled using the Features: Plays compressed .WAV files ~ Variable speed (constant pitch) playback ~ Can use computer rudder pedals (or some other specialists transcription pedals) to control playback ~Dock portable recorders to load recordings ~ Uses system wide Hot Keys.

Features:

• Variable speed playback (constant pitch).
• Supports many professional foot pedals, which connect to the game, serial or USB port to control playback.
• Uses 'hot' keys to control playback instead of foot pedals or when using other software (eg., Word).
• Ability to dock both analog and digital portable recorders to load recordings such as external tape deck, etc.
• Works with Microsoft Word and all major word-processor applications.
• Automatically receives and loads files by Internet, email or over a local computer network.
• Automatically sends typing to the person who dictated the work.
• Works with speech recognition software such as Dragon Naturally Speaking to automatically convert speech to text.
• Loads CD audio directly - listen as it loads in the background.
• Works with FastFox typing utility to turn difficult medical/legal phrases and common terms into mere shortcuts from your keyboard.
• Express Scribe is 100 % free for you to use for your transcription work.

Supported File Formats:

Ability to play most audio file formats (including encrypted dictation files) including:

• wav, mp3, au, aif, vox,
• dct (encrypted dictation)
• Windows Media, VoiceIt (sri)
• RealAudio (ra and rm)
• Olympus, Lanier & Grundig (dss)
• Sony Recorder formats (msv, dvf)
• Philips Digital Recorder format
• Sanyo Digital Recorder format
• DSP TrueSpeech*, GSM 6.10,
• mp2, vox, PCM, uLaw,
• ALaw, ADPCM, CELP, SBC,

System Requirements:

• Works on Windows XP 2000/2003/Vista/2008 and Windows 7
• Mac OS X - 10.1 or above
• Linux - see here.
• For earlier Windows versions (98, ME) please click here
• Sound Card or Integrated Sound Support.

EXPRESS SCRIBE DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS
















Express Scribe - Download, Install and Run Express Scribe

Step 1 of 4 Download Install File

To start downloading the software click on the link download link based on your computer's operating system provided above.

The following screen will displayed when download begins.

If you clicked Run in Step 1, you may receive a security warning, click Run again if you receive this warning and go on to step 2.2.

Step 2B: If you clicked Save in Step 1 or if you are using Firefox or Chrome, you need to double click on the file "essetup.exe" in your downloads list for the browser you are using. Click Run when you see the screen below:

Step 3 of 4 license Terms

After you have clicked run, the Express Scribe Software License Terms window will be displayed as below: Read the license terms and if you agree with them select "I agree with these terms" and click Next

After the license terms appear a Related Programs dialog will appear. Click on the related product to se description and if you would like to install.

None of the options are required to do this training, but you may find some nice added features to try. If you do not want to try any of the related programs then make sure all boxes are unticked. Click Next to finish the install

Step 4 of 4 Installation Complete
You have finished installation. Express Scribe is now ready to use and you can proceed to the next part of the online tutorial.

You have finished installation. Express Scribe is now ready to use and you can proceed to the next part of the online tutorial.

Express Scribe - Basic Operation

Before continuing, please look at the screen shot below and locate the positions of all basic controls:

Express Scribe displays recordings that are similar to tapes. Each recording is listed with details of who created the file, when it was created, the length of the recording, notes, and the current location.

To load a recording file, press Ctrl+L (hold down the Control key and press L) or click on the Load button on Express Scribe.

Express Scribe displays recordings that are similar to tapes. Each recording is listed with details of who created the file, when it was created, the length of the recording, notes, and the current location.

There are three options to load audio files into your Express Scribe program.

1. Automatic/Sync: You can set Express Scribe to check an FTP server, local network or computer folder and Express Delegate server for new dictations at timed intervals. The program will automatically load new dictations found in the specified path. Set up automatic loading from the Incoming tab in the Options dialog.
2. Manual Load: Load from a local computer folder, network or CD by clicking on the Load button on the main interface. You will be able to browse your computer and network connections for your audio file.
3. Dock: Transfer audio from a portable device directly to Express Scribe. There are two options, an Audio Cable Method which allows you to record audio from an analog source such as a cassette tape player, or Audio File Transfer for devices that can be connected by USB to your computer.

Step 2 of 6 - Playing a Recording

To play a recording, do one of the following:

1. Press the F9 key to start playing the file, and press the F4 key when you want to stop.
2. Click the play button at the base of your screen (A green triangle) to start playing the file, and click the stop button (A black square) when you want to stop.
3. If using a foot pedal - Press the middle pedal of your Foot Pedal control to start playing the audio file. Release or quick tap to stop the audio. 

Try playing a recording now. Use your mouse to highlight the "Welcome" recording and press the play button. If you cannot hear anything then open Options, go to the Playback tab and check that the correct sound card is selected and increase the volume. If you still cannot hear anything then ask your local computer technician to check the sound card on your computer.

Step 3 of 6 - Moving Back and Forward within the recording

Keyboard and Hot Key Control

• To rewind the recording, press and hold down F7
• To fast forward the recording, press and hold down F8
• To move directly to the start, press the Home key
• To move directly to the end, press the End key

Rewind now by pressing and holding down F7.

Step 4 of 6 - Resizing the Window

Practice resizing the window. This can be done in three ways - by "dragging ", by opening the "view " menu or by pressing one of the buttons at the top right hand side of the window.
Express Scribe allows various different view of the application.

1. Full Size: The main and small toolbar icons are present, Dictation file list view, Play Back controls and Notes section.
2. Play Control: By dragging the lower right corner of the application up towards the top left corner you can create a view that does not include the Main and Small toolbars or the Notes section. This leaves you with the Dictation list view and the Play Controls.
3. Mini: Click on the Scribe Mini icon on the Main Toolbar to reduce Express Scribe to about an inch in size.
4. Customized: You can customize your view of Express Scribe by going to the View menu and selecting or deselecting the icons, buttons and toolbars that you would like to see or remove.

Step 5 of 6 - Typing the Recording

Select the recording you wish to type out, and press the play button. If the typing pad is not visible then select the "View" menu at the top of your screen, and left click "Show Typing Pad". Click the left mouse button in the typing pad to begin.

You can also type using any Windows word processor including Microsoft Word, Corel Wordperfect, Lotus Wordpro, OpenOffice and others while Express Scribe runs in the background.

If you use a word processor, you should use system-wide hot keys so that Express Scribe can be controlled while it is in the background. Alternatively, you can use a foot pedal control.

Step 6 of 6 - Dispatch Typing

When you have completed the typing for a file, you can either Dispatch the typing by email to the person who dictated the file or you can simply mark the file as Done.

To Dispatch a file by email either:

1. Press Ctrl+D to Dispatch the file by email to the sender.
2. Click on the Dispatch icon on the Small Toolbar.

If you have typed the document using a word processor (eg. Microsoft Word), you can attach the document file to the email (click Browse).

To remove the file from the current files list (without reply by email to the sender) either:

1. Press Ctrl+N for Done
2. Click on the Done icon on the Small Toolbar

If you need to recover the file to amend it either:

1. Press Ctrl+O.
2. Click on the Recover Old Dictations icon on the Small Toolbar

Express Scribe - Advanced Features

Step 1 of 4 Open Help

Step 3 of 4 Finding keywords

You can also search for keyword by selecting the Find tab on the Help Manual, typing the word that you are looking for and clicking Display.

Step 4 of 4 Technical Support

If you have searched the manual and still cannot find the solution for your problem, please visit the Express Scribe technical support page HERE. and follow instructions there.

Our Advice:
We suggest you type the transcription to your Microsoft Word Doc. or OpenOffice Doc. and then save it to your computer. It is easier to print or send to the client through your own e-mail or through the Internet if you are not familiar with Express Scribe's features.

Feel free to practice with the Express Scribe sending features to get it figured out, and that can be an easier way to send assignments in the long run.

Feel free to start getting to know Express Scribe. You can upload MP3 song files and listen to music, practice typing the lyrics while using the hotkeys to start/stop/pause, etc.

You are not going to hurt anything by using this software. The better you get to know it, the easier it will be when it cones time to do your transcription for clients.

Research/Focus Group Transcripts – When transcribing a research/focus group use the following guidelines. Most focus groups will have an introduction at the beginning where the facilitator explains how the group will interact and the purpose of the meeting, along with some additional comments. There is no need to transcribe this material unless you have been instructed to do so.

Instead, begin transcribing when the first participant identifies him or herself or when the conversation is obviously beginning on the topic. Identify the focus group leader as "Facilitator:" and use only "Male Voice:" and "Female Voice:" to identify participants. Trying to identify each speaker by name over the course of a long focus group gets too confusing. Consistent usage of "Male Voice:" and "Female Voice:" is best, unless the assignment specifically mentions that you should name the participants. Do not add numbers to the identification.

Speaker Identification – Separate the speaker identification from transcription text with a colon (:) followed by a tab. Do not use spaces. Your final document will be formatted using a standard template that relies on use of the colon and tab to produce the final product for the customer. Use only the following speaker identification formats, unless otherwise instructed in a work order:

Male Voice: [tab] (Use initial caps on both words)
Female Voice: [tab] (Use initial caps on both words)
Interviewer: [tab]
Respondent: [tab]
Facilitator: [tab] (For focus groups)
John: [tab] (When you can only identify a speaker's first name.)
John Smith: [tab] (When you are able to identify a speaker's first and last name.)
Dr. John Smith: [tab] (When you know a speaker's name and title in medical transcripts.)

If the transcript is titled "John Smith," and there is only an interviewer and a respondent, the respondent is obviously "John Smith." Use your best judgment, but go ahead and name the respondent as "John Smith" if it seems appropriate. "Respondent" is always better than "Male Voice."

Don't use the following identifications: Speaker, Another Female Voice, Second Male Voice, Presenter, Moderator, Person, Child, Voice, or any other convention not listed above.

Don't number speakers, such as Male Voice 1, Female Voice 2, and so on. This might be useful as you start the transcript if you think you'll be able to identify the speaker later and then search and replace to update the identification through out the document. However, if this does not happen, remove the numbering before submitting your final transcript.

Every company may use their own format on how to identifying speakers. 

Verbatim Transcripts – When an assignment specifies a verbatim transcript, try to
capture every word spoken on the recording, including stutters, false starts, and
exclamations. For consistency, use only the following for exclamations:

Always use three sets of numbers for hours, minutes, and seconds. Add a leading "00:" if necessary. If transcribing a video, unless otherwise specified, use the time code displayed in the video itself, not the time shown as elapsed in your player. For example, the time code in the video might start at 04:00:00 rather than 00:00:00. When time coding an interview, only the respondent's answers need to be coded. For long answers, place a new time code every 30 seconds. However, time codes should only be inserted at the beginning of a sentence, so this is not a precise measurement. Place a new time code at 30-second intervals, or as close as you can get without breaking up a sentence.

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TRANSCRIBED DOCUMENT WITH TIME CODING



Video Recording Transcripts – In a video or talking-head interview, occasionally there is discussion of camera angles, noises in the room, interviewee coaching, or other technical adjustments that must be made.

Rather than transcribing such off topic conversation, simply identify it as [Director's comments] in the transcript. Silent footage of scenery, landscapes, crowds, etc. should be marked as [B-roll]. Please ask if you have any questions about what material should or should not be transcribed.

Transcribe obvious questions and answers only. Often these kinds of transcripts will be shown on the assignment as "Summarize ???s, Verbatim answers." In this case, summarize the interviewer's questions, but be certain to capture the respondent's reply word-for-word.

Other Types of Transcription - In our demonstration we used the transcription of an interview, which is one of the most common types of transcription assignments you will see.

You may also see many transcription assignments such as research studies, thesis etc. Here you will need to listen to the audio and transcribe into proper textual forms.

You would not be identifying the speakers as you do in an interview. The only time you would identify anyone is in the title page. Instead if "INTERVIEWER" you would name the person presenting the research audio as "RESEARCHER:"

– When time coding a transcript is called for, use the following format:

Introduction

A transcript should reflect as closely as possible the actual words, speech patterns, and thought patterns of the interviewee. The narrator's word choice, including his/her grammar, and speech patterns should be accurately represented. This is not an exercise in literary composition; the transcriber should avoid value judgments about the grammar or vocabulary of an interviewee. To retain validity in transcripts, most of the editing should be done by the interviewee.

A transcript is at best an imperfect representation of an oral interview. The transcriber's most important task is to render as close a replica to the actual event as possible. Accuracy, not speed, is the transcriber's goal.

Although the final product may not closely resemble the tape, because of many changes, the transcriber serves as first editor by putting words on paper. A good transcript is very valuable.

The transcriber will use a style guide to assist in transposing the spoken word into written language. This style guide is adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition. Transcribers and editors needing information on matters pertaining to spelling, punctuation, and usage not covered in the style guide, should refer to the Chicago Manual of Style.

STYLE GUIDE

Scroll through the Style Guide below for specific information.

TRANSCRIBER ADDITIONAL TIPS:
Unclear Words or Phrases– Please make every effort to hear and understand what is said. Sometimes you can figure out a word by the context of what the speaker is saying. ABBREVIATIONS

In general, avoid abbreviation in transcripts. One general rule requires that a civil or military title appearing before a surname only should be spelled out, but it should be abbreviated before a given name and/or initial(s) plus surname. (See example e below.).

Do not abbreviate:
a)Okay
b)et cetera
c) Names of countries, territories, provinces, states, or counties
d)Doctor when used without an accompanying name
e)Senator, Judge, Bishop, General, Professor, Brother, or any other political, academic, civic, judicial, religious, or military title when it is used alone or when it precedes a surname alone, i.e., Judge McCall
f) The Reverend, or the Honorable, when the is part of the title preceding the name
g) Books of the Bible
h) Names of the months and days
i) Terms of dimension, measurement, weight, degree, depth, et cetera (i.e., inch, foot, mile)
j) Part of a book: "Chapter 3," "Section A," "Table 7"
k) Word elements of addresses used in text: Avenue, Building, North, South, except NW, NE, SE, and SW
l) Portions of company names: Brother, Brothers, Company, Corporation, Incorporated, Limited, or Railroad, unless actual company name uses the abbreviation
m)Senior or Junior when following partial names: Mr. Miller, Junior or Mr. Toland, Senior. (See b in next section.)

Abbreviate:
a) When preceding the given name and/or initial(s) plus surname:
Bro., M., Ms., Sr., Dr., Messrs., Mmes., Rev., Sra., Fr., Mlle., Mr., Rt., Rev., Srta., Hon., MM., Mrs., Rt., Rev., Msgr., Very Rev.,
b)Jr. or Sr. after given name and/or initial(s) plus surname: John H. Smith, Jr.
c)NE, NW, SE, SW in addresses given in text
d) Points of the compass: N, E, S, W, NE, SE, NNW, WSW, et cetera
e) Era designations: A.D. 70, 753 B.C.
f) Time designations: A.M., M., P.M.

Initials only, initialisms, acronyms, reverse acronyms:
a) Celebrated persons are often referred to by a full set of initials that represent the full name, often without periods. JFK, LBJ, and HST
b) Agencies and various types of organizations in government, industry, and education often are referred to by acronyms or initialisms: avoid periods, as in AMA, IOOF, NATO, UN, USMC, USAF, USN, FDIC, SEC, AFL-CIO, or AF of L-CIO, and especially SMU, Texas A&M

ACTIVITY AUDIBLE ON TAPE--PARENTHESIS

Nonverbal sounds which occur on tape are noted and enclosed in parentheses. For such notations use no capital letters, unless for proper nouns or proper adjectives, and no ending punctuation. Reserve the use of parentheses for such activity notes. Descriptive terms: (laughs) when speaker laughs, or (Jeffrey laughs) when person other than speaker laughs, or (laughter) or (both laugh) when more than one laughs. Use (both talking at once) or (speaking at same time)--NOT (interrupts). Other examples: (unintelligible), (telephone rings), (truck passing by). When these occur at the end of a sentence or a clause, position them after the punctuation. Avoid editorializing; just put (laughs), not (laughs rudely)!

ADDED MATERIAL--BRACKETS

Brackets [ ] are reserved for the use of editors for notes and words not present on the tape and added to the transcript. The interviewee is free to add or delete material at his/her discretion on the first transcript. Such material is incorporated into the final text as indicated by the interviewee and does not appear in the first draft transcript unless indicated on a word list provided by the interviewer/first editor.

CAPITALIZATION. See also NAMES

A rule of thumb: When in doubt, don't. Proper names of institutions, organizations, persons, places, and things follow the forms of standard English practices. When in doubt, consult the dictionary. If still in doubt, don't capitalize. Partial names of institutions, organizations, or places are usually treated in lower case.

Capitalize -- See examples below
a) Names of particular persons, places, organizations, historical time periods, historical events, biblical events and concepts, movements, calendar terms referring to specific days, months, and oriental years
b) Titles of written books
c) Hyphenated compounds in titles, as in Twentieth-Century Authors
d) Generic references to members of athletic, national, political, regional, religious, and social groups--for instance: Bears, John Bulls, Democrats, Masons, Fundamentalists
e) Time designations: A.M., M., and P.M.

Don't capitalize -- See also examples below
a)Oh, except at beginning of sentence or response
b) Incomplete titles of persons
c) Names of dances other than names of dancing events, such as Society Ball
d) Pronouns referring to deities, such as God in his mercy. Examples: Capitalize/Lower case

Board of Trustees of Mythical University, but board of trustees, the board, the trustees
The University of Texas, but the university
Department of History, but history department
"History of Texas" or History 1301, but a course in Texas history
study French and Spanish, but study history, economics, philosophy
Maricopa County, but Tempe was in this county
City of Tempe (if government), but I live in the city of Tempe
the State (if government) rests its case, but the state's wild flower
New York Times, Times, but the newspaper
the West, in the Southwest, but to go west, to face southwest
an Easterner, Western American history, but a western university
West Coast, Gulf Coast, but the coast
Interstate 35, I.H. 35 or I-35, but the interstate, the highway
Eighth Street, but the street
Bible, but biblical work
Scripture(s), but scriptural passage
Veterans Administration, but the university administration
Veterans Administration Hospital, but oral history office
the Word of God, but the words of the song
the Fall (of Man), but the fall of 1992
the Gospel of Luke, but the gospel
the Book of Daniel, but a book of poetry
McLennan County Court, but county court
Washington Street Bridge, but the bridge
American Revolution, but the revolution of the colonies
World War I, First World War, but the war
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, but MacArthur, a general, U.S. Army
President Harry Truman, but the president of the USA, presidency
the Bronze Age, but the third of the four ages of man
the Democratic party, but the party that won in that precinct
the Democrats (party members), but democracy
Great Depression (referring to 1930s), the Depression, but a recession, fifth century, B.C.
Sherman Antitrust Act, but an act of Congress
Bro. Adam Smith, Brother Smith, Aunt Kathryn, but my brother, Bob; Kathryn, my aunt
Grandmother, Grandpa Smith, Dad, (substitute for given name), but my grandmother, Elizabeth; my mother
U.S. Senate, but senate (in reference to state)
Capitol (referring to building), but the capital of Texas (meaning the city) DASHES

The em dash (—) is used in BUIOH memoirs without preceding or following blank spaces or punctuation to indicate:
1. A hanging phrase resulting in an incomplete sentence (do not use ellipses)
2. A parenthetic expression or statement
3. An interruption by another speaker
4. Resumption of a statement after an interruption
5. A meaningful pause on the part of the speaker

DATES. See also NUMBERS

In the heading on the first page of a transcript, use the European style (i.e., 4 July 1776). Elsewhere in the transcript, typing dates conforms to the rules for typing numbers:

Use numerals for years (1996) except when a sentence begins with a year: Nineteen sixty-two was an important year for me.

Use numerals for days when they follow the name of the month and precede the year: I was born on August 5, 1987.

Spell out the words for the day when the year is not expressed and the speaker uses the ordinal number: My birthday is August fifth. My birthday is August the fifth.

Spell out the word for the day when the day precedes the month: the fifth of August
Other examples: 1930s; the thirties; 1989 or '90; midsixties; mid-1960s.
When spelling out 1906, use Nineteen 0-six or Nineteen aught-six.

DIRECT ADDRESS: Set off by commas: Pam, I know you will enjoy this.

DIVISION OF WORDS AND NUMBERS. See also HYPHENS

Hyphenation at the ends of lines is not a concern for the first draft transcript. Later editors should be aware of the following rules and should double-check any computer-generated hyphenation to conform to these rules. Words at the ends of lines should be divided according to syllabifications prescribed in any standard dictionary.

Don't divide:
a) A syllable
b) A numeral, including numeric representations of money
c) A number from a measurement word or symbol
d) A one- or two-letter syllable from a word
e) The combination ble from a word without preceding it by a vowel, such as able or ible, except for assembling, assembled, and assemble
f) At the ends of three lines in succession
g) Proper names
h) Hyphenated words other than at the hyphens
i) Words of one syllable
j) The following word endings: -ceous -cious -gious -tial -cial -ciple -sial -tion -cier -geous -sible -tious
-cion -gion -sion -tite
k) A single vowel syllable from the first part of the word unless it belongs with ble
l) Words having a misleading appearance when divided
m) Initials used in place of given names from surname
n) Capital letters used as abbreviations or acronyms
o) Abbreviations for academic degrees
p) Divisional marks, i.e., a), (1), (i), from material to which they pertain
q) Dates

ELLIPSES: Do not use ellipses (. . .) in transcribing oral history tapes because they would give the appearance that material was left out.

FALSE STARTS

A false start may be anything from a syllable to a sentence. Repeated words, phrases, or syllables are at times indicative of a person's thought patterns, overall speech patterns, personality patterns, or of a speaker's effort to emphasize an element of communication. Sometimes an interviewee may be deliberately ambiguous or even turgid in meaning for reasons of his own. Where to draw the line in deleting false-start material from the transcript is a difficult decision. We strive to follow a middle course leaving in enough to indicate individual speech patterns. If repetition is for emphasis as reflected in the voice of the interviewee, the repetition is always retained. Do not try to indicate stuttering unless it is intentional.

FEEDBACK WORDS AND SOUNDS (crutch words, encouraging words, and guggles)

While there is some merit in having an absolutely verbatim tape, which includes all the feedbacks (such as Um-hm and Yeah), too many interruptions in the flow of the interviewer's remarks make for tedious transcribing now and exhaustive reading later. Knowing when to include feedback sounds and when to omit them calls for very careful judgment. Usually the interviewer's noises are intended to encourage the interviewee to keep talking. Look at your transcript. If every other line or so is an interviewer's feedback, go back and carefully evaluate the merit of each feedback. Don't include every feedback, especially if it interrupts the interviewee's comments in midstream. Only if the feedback is a definite response to a point being made by the interviewee should you include it. When in doubt, ask.

Type no more than two crutch words per occurrence. Crutch words are words, syllables, or phrases of interjection designating hesitation and characteristically used instead of pauses to allow thinking time from the speaker. They also may be used to elicit supportive feedback or simple response from the listener, such as: you know, see?, or understand?

Use of Uh: The most common word used as a crutch word is uh. When uh is used by the narrator as a stalling device or a significant pause, then type uh. But sometimes a person will repeatedly enunciate words ending with the hard consonants with an added "uh," as in and-uh, at-uh, did-uh, that-uh, in-uh. Other examples are to-uh, of-uh, they-uh. In these instances, do not type uh.

Guggles are words or syllables used to interrupt, foreshorten, or end responses, and also as sounds of encouragement. Guggles are short sounds, often staccato, uttered by the interviewer to signal his desire to communicate. They may be initial syllables of words or merely oh, uh, ah, or er. Spelling of specific guggles: Agreement or affirmation: uh-huh, um-hm; Disagreement: unh-uh


GRADES, ACADEMIC: Set letter grades in capital letters, no period following, no italics, no quotation marks. Show number grades in Arabic numerals with no quotation marks and no following period. Plural should have an apostrophe: I made all A's by earning 100's on all my exams.

HYPHENS. See also DIVISION OF WORDS AND NUMBERS

To determine use of hyphens, especially for compound words, first, check the unabridged dictionary, then, check Table 6.1 in Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed.

Hyphenate
1. To indicate division or separation in the following: a) Division of words into syllables, as in syl-la-ble
b) spelling out a name or words, as in H-o-r-a-c-e. Capitalize only where appropriate.
c) Separation of numerator from denominator in a fraction expressed in words unless the numerator or the denominator is hyphenated. In that case, use / to separate numerator from denominator. Examples: one-fifth; three/thirty-seconds 2. to indicate unification or combination as follows: a) Nouns made up of two or more nouns which imply the combination or unification of two or more linked things, functions, or characteristics, as in AFL-CIO, astronaut-scientist
b) Modifiers and adjectival compounds when used before the noun being modified, not after, including those formed with numbers: a one-of-a-kind student 3. To indicate an infrequent pronunciation or meaning of a word: re-creation, recreation; re-cover, recover; re-form, reform
4. To indicate clear meaning when possible confusion could result from adding a prefix to a word starting with a vowel, as in co-op--usually, this convention operates with doubled vowels.

Do not hyphenate 1. A noun compound of a spelled-out number and prefix, as in mideighties (but do hyphenate prefix plus numerals, as in mid-1980s).
2. Chemical terms, as in: sodium nitrate, sodium silicate, or bismuth oxychloride
3. A compound modifier that follows the noun it modifies unless hyphenated in dictionary: Example: Her argument was well balanced. She was good-natured.
4. A compound modifier that includes an adverb ending in -ly
5. A hyphenated word at the end of a line other than at the hyphen
6. A proper noun except when absolutely unavoidable
7. Contractions, such as: can't, wouldn't, don't, didn't, wasn't, he'll, they're, she'd

INCOMPLETE SENTENCES: Incomplete sentences are familiar occurrences in oral history because of its conversational nature. They are best ended with an em dash (—).

ITALICS: See QUOTATION MARKS for titles not in italics.

Italicize:
1. Ttles of whole published works, such as Plain Speaking
2. Titles of books, bulletins, periodicals, pamphlets
3. Titles of long poems
4. Titles of plays and motion pictures
5. Titles of long musical compositions: operas, operettas, musical comedies, oratorios, ballets, tone poems, concertos, sonatas, concerti grossi, symphonies, and suites, but not descriptive titles or attributed titles
6. Titles, actual titles, rather than descriptive or attributed titles, of paintings, sculptures, drawings, mobiles; for instance, da Vinci's Mona Lisa is actually La Gioconda
7. Names of spacecraft, aircraft, and ships, except for abbreviations preceding the names, such as designations of class or manufacture, as follows: S.S. Olympic , H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth, U.S.S. Lexington, Friendship VII
8. Foreign words and phrases that are not in common currency; when in doubt, don't italicize. Consult the dictionary; don't italicize a quotation in a foreign language
9. A foreign word or phrase when translation follows that foreign word or phrase; enclose translation in quotation marks and precede translation by a comma
10. For emphasis (use sparingly)
11. References to words as words, phrases as phrases, or letters as letters: "Often is a word I seldom use."
12. In indexes, the cross-reference terms, See and See also
13. Titles of legal cases, except in footnotes where only ex parte, ex rel., and in re are italicized along with other Latin words
14. Enumeration letters referring to subdivisions within a sentence or within a paragraph as well as those appearing in lists, when such letters are in lower case, such as a, b, or c
15. Newspaper names and the city names that accompany them: New York Times. Note: Do not italicize any articles preceding a newspaper name. Example: the Times.

LEGAL CASES: Italicize titles of legal cases, with v. for versus: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas

NAMES: The spelling of proper names of persons or locations is one of the transcriber's most difficult tasks. The office has many reference works that contain names and places. Ask for help. See also ABBREVIATIONS; CAPITALIZATION; ITALICS; QUOTATION MARKS

NUMBERS

In text, spell out all numbers one hundred and under, whether cardinal or ordinal, and anything above that which can be expressed in two words (even hyphenated ones) or less: Examples: sixty-nine; seventy-fifth, twenty-two hundred, but 2,367

Exceptions
1. All street address numbers, all intrabuilding numbers, all highway numbers
2. Telephone numbers
3. Fractional sums of money above one dollar: $2.984.
4. Dates: See also DATES above 735 B.C. mid-1950s
A.D. 1066 the midfifties
1990s midfifties fashions
24 February 1997 July 1997 (no comma)
'99 1979-80 5. Time of day--use numerals when A.M. or P.M. follow or when typing a whole plus a fraction of an hour: 8:20 P.M., four o'clock. 7:30, seven in the morning
6. Number elements in names of government bodies and subdivisions of 100th and higher, all union locals and lodges, as in Thirty-sixth Infantry; 139th Tactical Wing
7. Parts of a book, such as chapter numbers, verse numbers
8. Percentages, as in 50 percent

For consistency any sentence which contains numerals pertaining to the same category should have all numerals. Example: The report stated that 7 [instead of seven] out of 265 students voted in the campus elections.
Exceptions: a. The sentence begins with a number: Seven out of 265 students voted.
b. Numbers representing different categories: In the past ten years five new buildings of over 125 stories have been erected in the city. Numbers as numbers: When spoken of or referred to as numbers, they may be enclosed in quotation marks or italicized; either is acceptable. Plurals of numbers:
Spelled-out numbers form plurals like any other noun: the twenties and thirties
Numerals form plurals by adding s alone, with no apostrophe: 1920s and 1930s

Prefixes and suffixes with numbers: When connecting figures with a prefix or suffix, add the hyphen in the appropriate place if the compound word is adjectival. Connect numbers expressed in words to a prefix or suffix with a hyphen, except for -fold when forming adjectival compounds, such as twenty-odd.

PAGE NUMBERS

In final copies of memoirs, lower-case Roman numerals are used on auxiliary pages preceding the main text. Title page is considered to be page i, but is not marked.
For text, appendix, and index pages, center the page numbers (in Arabic figures) one-half inch from the top edge of the paper. Number appendix and index in sequence with the text pages and place the appendix pages between the end of the text and the index.

PARAGRAPHING: Indent for paragraphs where topics change, where subtopics are introduced, or where other dialogue is introduced. This may be very difficult to judge as you are typing and is often left up to the final editor.

PLURALS. See also NUMBERS

Compound words formed with prepositions are pluralized by forming the plurals of the first nouns in the compounds, as in fathers-in-law.
Letters of the alphabet are pluralized by adding s or 's: Zs or Z's. Use the apostrophe only where confusion is possible: A's, not As.
Foreign words are pluralized, unless Americanized, according to the customs proper to the particular languages. For example, in Hebrew, Kibbutz is pluralized by im: Kibbutzim.
Abbreviations are pluralized by adding s when in the form of acronyms, initialisms, or reverse acronyms without periods: GREs. When periods are used, add an apostrophe: B. K.'s
Proper nouns: Add s to the singular if the addition does not make an extra syllable, as in six King Georges; but add es to the singular form if the addition creates an extra syllable, as in six King Charleses. Nouns--including names of persons--that end in s take addition of es to form the plural: The three Loises are friends with the three Marys. Everyone at the reunion were Joneses or Martins.
Note that the apostrophe is never used to denote the plural of a personal name.

POSSESSIVES

Follow the standard rules for possessives.

For proper nouns, add 's to most, even those ending in sibilant sounds, except Jesus' and Moses'. Example: Charlie's, Frances's. For plural possessives, the apostrophe goes at the end: the Smiths'. Collective nouns are exceptions, as in children's.

PUNCTUATION: Transcript punctuation follows The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. See also DASHES; HYPHENS; QUOTATION MARKS

QUOTATION MARKS

1. When a direct expression is spoken by one person (I, he, she), set apart the expression with commas, use opening and closing quotation marks, and capitalize the first letter of the first word quoted. Example: She said, "I am going to graduate in May."
2. When a direct expression is spoken by more than one person (we, they), do not use quotation marks, but do set apart the expression with commas and do capitalize the first letter of the first word quoted. Example: They said, What are you doing here?
3. When a thought is quoted, do not use quotation marks, but do set the thought apart by commas and capitalize the first letter of the first word quoted. Example: I thought, Where am I?

Enclose in quotation marks when text refers to
1. Titles of articles in periodicals
2. Book chapter titles
3. Book divisions other than chapter titles: sections, paragraphs, charts, and other labeled book parts
4. Dissertation titles
5. Essay titles
6. Newspaper headlines (in all capital letters)
7. Poems (short, not book length)
8. Radio program titles
9. Sermon titles
10. Short musical composition titles when not designated by number
11. Song titles
12. Short story titles
13. Television program titles
14. Theses (unpublished)
15. Lecture titles
16. Titles of formal courses of study
17. Debate topics

Do not enclose in quotation marks

1. Names or words used in conjunction with the words call, called, named, or words with similar meanings. Examples: Call me Adam. We named the dog Bowser.
2. The word yes or the word no other than in a sentence which includes other direct discourse.
Examples: He couldn't say no, yet he didn't really want to say yes. She said, "No," when asked, "Do you care to join us?"
3. Thoughts or paraphrases, as in, I thought to myself, Who does she think she is?

Punctuation with quotation marks:

The period and the comma always stay inside the quotation marks. Example: "I'm ready for lunch," she said, "but it's only ten o'clock."

The semicolon and the colon always stay outside the quotations. Example: With trepidation, she scanned "The Raven"; it was too eerie for her tastes.

The em dash, exclamation mark, and question mark are within the quotation marks when they apply only to the quotation. Examples: She began to say, "In the spring of 1920--" and then remembered it was a year later. She began by saying, "In the spring of 1920,"--I think it was really 1921--"I graduated from Baylor and began teaching school."


REFERENCE WORKS: For stylistic purposes, consult the unabridged dictionary and The Chicago Manual of Style; if the two conflict, try to follow Chicago on all matters except hyphenation.

SPELLED-OUT WORDS: When in the course of the interview, one of the participants spells a word, capitalize appropriately and separate letters with hyphens, as in B-a-y-l-o-r. Follow the exact words of the speaker, as in, They called him Screech, spelled capital S-c-r-double e-c-h.


SPELLING PROBLEMS. See also ABBREVIATIONS; CAPITALIZATION; DIVISION; HYPHENS; NUMBERS
Always use the computer spell check function before printing and always look up a word if you are not 100 percent sure of its spelling. When the dictionary allows more than one spelling of a word, chose the first one listed. DO: DON'T: for a while for awhile awhile ago a while ago all right alright until, till 'til toward towards (okay if memoirist says it) nowadays now-a-days apiece (They cost six dollars apiece.) a piece (I ate a piece of pie and gained ten pounds!) inasmuch as in as much as insofar as in so far as Channel 10 Channel Ten a lot alot et cetera etc. okay O.K
Spellings for slang and certain words and expressions pronounced in regional dialect are available in dictionaries or reference works. Informal language, such as yeah and yep, may be transcribed verbatim if they occur in the dictionary. Words commonly pronounced together in spoken English--such as gonna (going to), sorta (sort of), and kinda (kind of)--are in the dictionary and may be used in the first transcript. The interviewee often edits them out.


UNINTELLIGIBLE SPOTS ON TAPE:

When speech on a tape is unintelligible, first play it aloud. Next, ask someone else to listen.

If you can make an educated guess, type the closest possible approximation of what you hear, underline the questionable portion, and add two question marks in parentheses. Example: I went to school in Maryville (??) or Maryfield (??). If you and those you consult cannot make a guess as to what is said, leave a blank line and two question marks in parentheses. Example: We'd take our cotton to Mr. _________(??)'s gin in Cameron. If a speaker lowers his/her voice, turns away from the microphone, or speaks over another person, it may be necessary to declare that portion of tape unintelligible. If you absolutely can’t make out the words at all, insert [unintelligible] in the transcript in their place. Use [unintelligible] only, NOT [?], [unknown], [can’t hear], [inaudible], or any other convention.

Example: When he'd say that, we'd--(laughs; [unintelligible]

UNFAMILIAR TERMS:
When there is a term you are unable to identify, take your best guess and enclose it in brackets, such as, [hypogammaglobulinemic]. If you have phonetically spelled an unknown term in brackets and you subsequently come across the same term, be sure to use consistent spelling. If you learn the correct spelling of a word or name during the course of transcribing, go back and correct the previous instances of the word.

Ordinary search engines are also useful; if your guess is close, the search engine will come back and ask, "Did you mean…" which often gives you the correct term. Or, search for something unique about the subject matter and you might find a document that contains the correct word. Company websites will often have a list of employees, which can be useful in the spelling of names.

* Please note: As will be further explained in the guidelines for editing, overuse of dashes only weakens a transcript. One must judge that it is important to the context of the interview for the reader to know that the speaker paused, was in a quandary, and therefore did not speak straightforwardly. Where the pauses are not this significant, simply end the sentence with a period or a question mark

Above is the Chicago Stylebook, some assignments may require The Associated Press Stylebook. If you want information on obtaining The Associated Press Stylebook CLICK HERE

CLICK HERE to match your results for assignment #3

Educate yourself
You can do your own research and training on terminology, and medical transcription procedures. Start by learning the HIPAA laws, get your own reference material to teach yourself. A little additional effort and you can be a medical transcriptionist in no time at all.

These are the books and reference materials that we feel you cannot do without:

Some companies will provide some materials for you for a small fee and the ones you don’t have you can purchase as you are able. Some may be available used. But it is important to have up to date books.

See sample reports
Other formats are usually dictated by physician. If this all sounds complicated it is very simple to do. Take a look at some sample transcription documents below to see how simple these transcribed reports are. Click on each report to view.

OPERATIVE REPORT

With a little additional work you can easily become a medical transcriber if you choose to go to the next level.



10. Preparing for the Jobs

There are typically three types of possible transcription jobs you will be able to do;

1.) Job Boards - Bid Agencies - Working through bid agencies which you are still an independent contractor but will do work for individuals and/or companies by bidding on work they provide. We provide all the jobs and assignments directly for you to view.

2.) Transcription Outsource Services - You can apply online with transcription service companies which generally you would be a contractor for that company.

3.) Independent Transcription Business - Start your own online transcription business. Work as an independent contractor; which will allow you to do assignments for individuals and/or companies wanting to subcontract work directly through your business. This is of course optional but may be an option to explore.
 
ALL THREE OPTIONS WILL STILL ALLOW YOU TO DO THE WORK FROM HOME!

TRANSCRIPTION JOBS LAYOUT

We are going to list jobs and assignments for the four types of transcription work opportunities:

A.) Job Board - We have a list of up-to-the minute job postings. Many of these jobs may have been posted in the last few minutes. You can click on any of the cities, states or countries to see what is available in your area. Listed will be telecommuting (work-at-home) and in-office jobs.

B.) Bid Agencies - Using the bid agencies we provide will allow you to find posted jobs and bid on the work. If your bid gets accepted you do the work. This is the best way for inexperienced transcribers to get work.

C.) Transcription Outsource Services - You can apply for online transcription service companies which generally you would be an employee for that company. 

All of the jobs we list are available Worldwide.

A.) Transcription Job Board
We have listed in this section a large amount of outsourced transcription opportunities through special job boards. You will see telecommute and in-office jobs. All of the jobs listed will be for general areas. You can search search any location as well to locate any of the telecommute jobs available in your area  Most of telecommute jobs can be performed from anywhere in the world and some may still require you to be in the companies local area.

Just read the job and all those details will be give by the company offering the transcribing job assignment.

We have a list of up-to-the minute real-time jobs and assignment postings. Many of these jobs and assignments may have been posted in the last few minutes. 

Our Job Results
What we are providing for you is an easy way to get results for "transcription" jobs and income opportunities. Our job board results is our own re-scripted job search engine programmed to display instant results upon clicking on the links we provide. This will save you hours having to go to each search engine and typing your search and going through the long process of getting results. With our search results you can search all the job and assignment results in minutes.

You may change the location of results if you choose from the default locations.

TRANSCRIPTION JOB BOARD #2
Local - Global Assignments

United States of America

C.) Transcription Outsource Services
 
We have listed in this section a large amount of outsourced transcription job opportunities through special agencies. These companies specialize in outsourcing work directly to you.

The following jobs will need you to fill out their processing application to load in their systems for you to receive work. Some may require a résumé. This is how they will know the level of work they will be able to outsource to you. Remember we do offer a free Résumé Software and Training for you to use for free. 

CLICK ON THE COMPANY LOGO TO ENTER THEIR SITE:

At-home transcribers needed to produce verbatim transcripts for media clients such as CNN, FOX and MSNBC. Ability to work independently and meet deadlines a must. Familiarity with current events and AP style a plus.	You must be available during U.K Hours of business. Online Transcription. Training will be given. You may be asked to take a typing test to establish your skills level.	Remote Realtime Transcription - specializing in remote realtime transcription for the educational setting and for hearing impaired. You simply will type recorded audio for people with hearing loss.
Requires some past transcription experience, we suggest after you have done a few assignments from other companies to apply to Voicesript if you are from the UK.	VITAC is looking for experienced steno-based realtime writers to caption over 150,000 annual hours of popular programming. Candidates are realtime writers, prepared to caption, with dictionaries that support a full range of programming and accuracy/verbatim	Verbalink offers work from home transcribing audio recordings. We offer a verbatim transcription service to our clients, which means that their recordings are typed word for word. Therefore it is essential that all transcribers have excellent listening skills as well as good keyboard skills.
Data Entry, Typing and Transcription, offering many other opportunities such as research, focus groups etc. Very good opportunities all around.	The fast-growing TAPE TRANSCRIPTION CENTER needs transcriptionists to convert recorded material into text format at our offices in Boston. 75 wpm required, experience preferred.	If you are a quick typist with a good ear for language and a strong sense of written English, transcribing for Tigerfish can be a way to earn money while working at home (or on the road) with a flexible schedule.
Speakwrite offers positions in home data operators, that convert recorded audio to word text. Very simple job. The only problem is assignments are not always available, however you can get on email list when they come to be.	Transcribe phone notes such as text, voice mails etc. for several types of people. Also you will get work transcribing work at IDictate	You will be dealing with tranfering video recordings to text. They will ask if you have start /stop video capabilities, if you have a VCR this will qualify for that start/stop requirement.
You will be transcribing a wide variety of public and private proceedings. Most of our recordings are digital, so please indicate in your résumé or cover letter if you are familiar with digital audio and with using an FTP program.	Transcription and Proofreading. They do mention 2 years experience for these assignments, but you can apply for assignments and if they are overloaded you can get some work.	Providing a convenient and inexpensive way to outsource secretarial projects. The secretarial services we provide range widely, from dictating letters and reports to full novels.
Transcribing and typing dictations of sound files or video files to word documents. FCC currently does have a wide variety of audio transcribing jobs in all locations.	eTranscription Solutions is always looking to expand their transcriptionist base. We have given you the software needed in Transcription Training and the basic skills required to apply for this home based job.	Home transcript jobs with great pay and benefits available. Jobs available for worldwide workers. If you live in Colorado you can get more local assignments as well as global assignments.
Cambridge Transcriptions is constantly looking for intelligent and capable people to join the staff. Reliable part-time positions are available, either on-site or off-site.	This outsource company has limited assignments, but good assignments. They do tend to get filled quickly at times. Visit site for current job openings. This changes daily.	Currently, they do not have many opportunities for Work-at-Home Transcriptionists and Proofreaders. They contact you when we have any assignments.

DISCLOSURE: To best of our knowledge all of the job providers we list are FREE as they will be paying you. - If you find any of the job programs, offers, etc. asking for additional money disregard those jobs and DO NOT PAY ANY ADDITIONAL MONEY. If you do see any jobs requiring money you can report them to us at:
Support@Work-From-Home-Training.com or HomeBizJobs@Yahoo.com and we will do our best to remove them if possible.