A transcriptionist is one of the hottest careers on the market jobs. This profession offers attractive income and opportunities for cultural exchange with many countries around the world. However, besides the attractive points, many people do not know how to become an outstanding transcriptionist.
This article will help you discover the skills and tools you need to know before starting your career as a transcription services provider.
Why Is Being A Transcription Services Provider An Attractive Career?
#1. Flexible – Work Remotely
You can work at any time in your time without being constrained by the formality of working for the company. If you are one of those people who prefer to enjoy your freedom, then you can choose to work as a freelance transcription services provider. As a freelancer, you are free to work from your home comfortably and get things done on your own terms. You can provide your linguistic services remotely to your clients from anywhere via the internet. You can even work while travelling.
#2. Good Salary
Today, foreign languages have become a tool that many young people strive to cultivate in their career journey. The income level of the translation profession is relatively high compared to the general level of the whole society today. Transcriptionists who are newbies or inexperienced often earn between $.30 and $1.10 each audio minute. The median hourly salary for a transcriptionist is $15.03 per hour, according to Payscale.com. Transcriptionists with experience might earn more than $27 per hour.
#3. Connect With People Around The World
The most important element of being a transcription services provider is wide communication. You can meet different people, their language, their culture, their local words as well as common idioms and slang.
This is not only a greater benefit to be had but also an incredibly enjoyable experience. You get the chance to learn and discover interesting things like food, culture, lifestyle in many countries from all over the world.
What Skills Do You Need To Become A Transcriptionist?
#1. Listening Skills
Listening skills are required to start your transcription career. Depending on the type of transcription project, you may have to transcribe conversations between multiple people under less than ideal conditions. You must master the skills of transcription. If you are sure to acquire these skills through hours of practice and dedication, working as a transcription services provider is a rewarding job that you can do right now from your home.
#2. Typing Speed
An input rate of at least 65 words per minute (wpm) is recommended for beginner transcriptionists. Most experienced transcriptionists can type between 75 and 90 wpm. You should strengthen your typing skills through hours of practice. Lots of websites offer free and basic typing tips. The faster you learn to increase typing speed and accuracy, the quicker you will become a competent transcriptionist. Because most recruiting companies will ask you to take a short test to evaluate your typing skills.
#3. Understanding Of Different Accents
Some audio files can be easily transcribed, especially when recorded in a good environment with all clearly speaking parties. However, not all files are so pristine. Often, audio files are recorded in settings that are less ideal environments with multiple people talking. Therefore, you must be familiar with the different accents and proficient in the languages in order to correctly transcribe an audio file. For example, when someone uses the word “to”, you need a basic grammatical command to determine if they say “to” “two” or “too”.
#4. Subject-Matter Expertise
You need to know exactly what language pair you’re going to transcribe. You also need to know which words translate into which words based on the context and problem of the topic covered in the audio document. This is not easy for beginner transcriptionists. You can even lose your work by just a few mistakes. For example, to become a law transcriber, you must have background knowledge of the law. There are many types of transcriptionists, including financial transcriptionists, medical transcriptionists, technical transcriptionists, etc.
Therefore, you need to perfect your expertise in specialized areas. This is an extremely important factor for your successful transcription. Since different fields have different languages, you need to know how to transcript accordingly.
What Tools Do You Need To Become A Transcription Services Provider?
#1. Computer
It doesn’t matter whether you have a PC or a Mac, a desktop or a laptop. The most important aspect is that your computer has enough RAM and storage space. You will need at least 8GB of RAM to work efficiently and simultaneously with multiple software programs. If your computer runs Chrome, Word, ExpressScribe, Excel and your foot pedal crashes at the same time, you need a new machine to maximize your earning potential.
#2. Transcription Software
There are a number of professional audio player software for PC or Mac designed to help transcribe sound recordings with better quality. They reduce your turnaround time by playing back the sound with keyboard hotkeys or by installing one of the supported transcription pedals. Valuable additional transcription software features include variable speed playback, multi-channel control, video player, file management, and more. A suggested transcription software for you is ExpressScribe.
#3. Foot Pedal
The foot pedal is not required but is highly recommended as it saves time once you have mastered the transcription. Look at the Infinity USB Digital Pin Control with a Computer (IN-USB2) plug. You can find it at e-commerce platforms like Walmart, Amazon or other online stores.
#4. Headset
Besides having a good pair of ears, a headset is also essential to better support your work. For transcription work, it is recommended to use over-the-ear headphones to ensure noise cancellation, such as the ECS OHUSB Wordslinger Deluxe. If you like in-ear headphones, the Spectra USB phonetic headphones are a great choice.
Become A Transcription Services Provider At GTE Media
GTE Localize is a professional transcription services provider that offers a wide range of linguistics and localization services for all major languages of the world. We always offer opportunities to those who are passionate and want to start a career in transcription. Send your CV to apply now.
