Beth Worthy
8/24/2012
To a transcriptionist’s benefit, there are now a variety of software tools specifically designed to simplify audio transcription to optimize efficiency (and prevent unnecessary headaches!). Tools like VoiceWalker, Scrivener, and SoundWriter all aim to make transcribing audio more manageable.
VoiceWalker enables transcriptionists to control the playback of audio files, enabling you to transcribe without using a foot pedal. It also allows you to walk through the audio files so you can repeat short segments of the file before moving on.
Scrivener is a sophisticated and very flexible word processing tool, with its main strength being the easy control of audio and keyboard shortcuts that make transcription work a lot simpler.
SoundWriter is a very cool tool that links a written transcription to the segment of the audio file it corresponds to. So basically when you click on a part of the text transcription, it plays the audio part that has been transcribed.
The major transcription services include medical, legal, and business, among a growing list of others. As a transcriptionist, you’ll not only be expected to know how to handle audio formats; you’ll also need to be familiar with various formats uploaded by clients, including text (.txt), portable document format (.pdf) and rich text format (.rtf), to name a few. The continual rise of the digital age has made it incredibly easy and convenient to upload audio files online.
Transcript of the Video
Transcription is the process of converting audio, video, text and handwritten documents into digital or written files. Transcription services are required by many companies and businesses, such as educational institutions, insurance agencies, government organizations, investigation agencies, market researchers, medical facilities and many more.
There are a number of software tools that simplify and speed up the work. Some of the software tools are described in this video.
VoiceWalker is a software tool that lets the transcriber play the audio or video in a controlled manner, which eliminates the need for a foot pedal. An added benefit of this tool is that you can systematically step, or “walk” through, a recording, repeating short segments for a specified number of repetitions; then move on to the next segment. The segments overlap, so you don't lose your place.
Scrivener is a flexible and sophisticated word-processing software tool that makes a great transcription tool. Easy sound control and keyboard shortcuts simplify the work. The transcriber can play back, or step forward and backward, with a few keyboard strokes.
SoundWriter is a software tool that helps link a transcription to the corresponding digitized audio. The result is a transcription you can hear. When you click on a line of transcription, you hear the corresponding words as originally spoken. SoundWriter provides specific tools for working with intonation units, overlapping speech, and more.
Transcribe! is a tool that enables the transcription of audio without alternating between an audio player and a text editor tool, eliminating the shuffling between audio players and text editors. It’s mostly used to discern words from the music recording.
Also Read: 10 Ways In Which Online Transcription Can Help Us
