There are many advantages to transcribing the spoken content of an audio or video file into an editable text document.
It means the text can be amended, reworked and marked up with comments in a way that would be impractical and maybe even impossible on an audio or video file. Video captions, subtitles and full transcriptions make audio and visual content accessible to people who may struggle to hear. They also provide the content of consumer-friendly audio and video in an SEO-bot-friendly format – maximising a site’s user experience and SEO.
Meetings, speeches and training sessions can be repurposed in multiple ways to deliver benefits long after the words were spoken. A transcript of a speech can become marketing content, an email to staff, or a pitch for new business, for example. Transcribed audio files can easily be split into snippets of text to provide a variety of shareable content for social media.
Who uses transcribed audio and video files?
In our modern, digital world, everything from lectures to business meetings are recorded, repurposed and shared. As a result, transcription has become an indispensable requirement across many industries and organisations.
Here are some examples of where transcription has become ingrained in the day-to-day work of a range of sectors:
- Media
From large events to personal podcasts, transcription is used to aid the preparation and consumption of spoken content across all forms of media. - Academic
Schools, colleges and universities use transcription to improve the quality of their teaching, the accessibility of resources and to give students searchable versions of lectures and seminars. - Legal
Professionals involved in legal matters take audio statements from witnesses, claimants and other involved parties. Transcription is then used to create the legally binding documentation. - Journalism
Reporters gather information by conducting numerous interviews which they later transcribe into easily accessible source material. - Market research
Researchers collate recordings from interviews and focus groups, then use transcription to create accurate, searchable documentation of what was said and use the written data to collate their findings.
How to transcribe audio and video files
To meet this insatiable demand for transcribed audio and video content, there are a variety of forms of transcription, each designed to provide the most appropriate written recreation of the recording.
The four most popular forms of transcription are verbatim, intelligent verbatim, edited and phonetic.
- Verbatim transcription
A verbatim transcription captures every sound: coughs, laughter, doors slamming, phones ringing and every er… um… yeah. Equally importantly, it captures every pause, silence and prevarication contained within the recording. - Intelligent verbatim transcription
An intelligent verbatim transcription eliminates the non-speech elements from the text to leave a more readable transcript of what was actually said. - Edited transcription
An edited transcription is modified after the audio or video file has been transcribed to remove any unnecessary content, correct any grammatical mistakes and ‘tidy up’ any muddled speech, such as misspoken words and unfinished sentences. - Phonetic transcription
Phonetic transcription creates a written record of the sounds made, rather than the words spoken. Symbols are used to represent each individual unit of sound. This is useful when pronunciation needs to be identified – such as when comparing the same speech but in different accents.
