Find out how to get transcription jobs from home or anywhere.
Transcription is a great career for people wanting to work from home. And digital transcription makes it possible to work from home or anywhere.
Transcribing is typing the information that you hear on the recording transcription. This converts recorded audio or video to text.
Transcription work is not limited to medical or legal transcription
Examples of General Transcription Jobs from Home
General transcription jobs from home include transcription of voicemail messages, meetings, interviews, single-person dictation, conferences, movies, speeches, discussions, reports, video presentations, speeches, lectures, focus groups, and more.
Many businesses, companies, organizations, and individuals need transcription of a variety of recordings.
Corporations need transcription of quarterly meetings, conference calls, and analyst calls.
Businesses transcribe quarterly reports, dictations, conferences, seminars, and lectures.
Students need college notes transcribed.
Television and broadcast firms need transcription of news, sports events, interviews, and close captioning for televised programs and movies.
Not sure if general transcription jobs are right for you?
Explore a career in general transcription with this FREE general mini-course
Digital transcription changed the way transcription is done.
In the past, transcriptionists received cassette tapes. Today, the majority of transcription is done from digital audio and video files. And it's now easy to work from home or from anywhere doing digital transcription work.
Digital transcription has increased the demand for transcription in a wide variety of industries.
Digital recorders have made it easier for companies to make audio and video recordings of meetings, interviews, lectures, conferences, seminars, and other events. Companies put up more video and audio on their websites and provide transcripts of their recordings to broaden their audience. This has created additional work-at-home opportunities for transcriptionists.
You can do transcription jobs from home or anywhere.
Digital files created by digital recorders are now transferred from clients to transcriptionists through the Internet and transcriptionists are using transcription software to listen to the recording. Those new technologies have made it possible to do transcription work anywhere you have a computer and a good Internet connection.
Benefits of digital transcription for transcriptionists:
Digital transcription has many benefits. Here are some of them:
- Digital transcription is easier, faster, and more convenient than cassette transcription.
- You can get more work because it doesn’t matter where the employers are located.
- Save time. You don't waste time traveling to clients to pick up and return cassettes. You can get to work without leaving your home or office. You download digital audio and video files and upload your finished transcripts to your clients via the Internet.
- Faster turnaround. Transcriptionists can receive the digital recording immediately and email or upload the finished transcript as soon as it's finished.
- The quality of digital files is much better than the quality of tapes or cassettes.
- You can filter background noises (e.g. air conditioners, electronic buzzing) to understand the speech better, make transcribing easier, and increase accuracy.
- You can slow the recording down or speed it up to make it easier to understand and transcribe.
- Faster playback. You can instantly go to the part of the audio you want. You don't have to waste time searching for certain sections on a tape, rewinding a tape, and replaying it.
What you need to get transcription jobs from home
To become a general transcriptionist and do digital transcription work from home or anywhere you need a computer and a high-speed Internet connection.
You need transcription software (you can start with free software such as Express Scribe). A digital foot pedal is optional but highly recommended. Using a foot pedal keeps your hands free to do the typing and speeds up transcription. And using a good headset (also optional) will make it easier to understand and transcribe the audio.
Before downloading or purchasing software, read my article: What's the Best Transcription Software.
Medical and legal transcription requires specialized training
General Transcription is Easier than Medical Transcription
General Transcription vs Medical or Legal Transcription
General transcription covers anything that is not medical or legal. General transcription is the easiest option for people who are looking to make money working from home as a transcriptionist without going through expensive training. You don’t need to know medical terminology and don’t need a degree or certificate. However, I do recommend a specialized course, especially Janet Shaughnessy’s detailed, online, multi-media, online general transcription course.
Skills Needed for General Transcription Work
You need good listening, typing and grammar skills and a good command of English.
Transcriptionists applying for work with transcription companies typically have to take a test before getting transcription jobs to prove that they can do accurate transcription work.
Building your reputation and credibility as a reliable transcriptionist is the key to getting repeat business and referrals from transcription companies and clients.
Don't apply for transcription work before you're fully trained. Making mistakes will ruin your reputation and jeopardize future jobs. To get work from a transcription company you'll typically have to pass a transcription test. If you fail the test you may not get a second chance.
Recommended reading: How to pass transcription tests.
To get in-depth training,
I recommend Janet Shaughnessy’s detailed, online, multi-media, general transcription course
This course includes typing drills, transcription skills, transcription formats, grammar skills, lots of practice files, and much more.
Janet's General Transcription Course will help you a great deal in getting started in general transcription. This is an excellent course that is very thorough. You'll get through a general transcription course faster than a medical transcription course as you don't need to learn medical terminology.
Not sure if transcription is the right career for you?
To learn more about transcription work and find out if transcription work is right for you, sign up for my FREE general transcription mini-course!
TRANSCRIPTION RESOURCES
- FREE General Transcription Mini-Course.
- Detailed, multi-media General Transcription Course.
- General Transcription Practice Files.
- FREE Legal Transcription Mini-Course.
- Medical Transcription Course.
- Check out this complete transcription starter kit at Amazon.
- Grammarly is the best online spelling and grammar checker to help you edit your transcripts. Grammarly has a free version and a premium version. Check it out here.
RECOMMENDED READING
- 25 Article: Transcription jobs for beginners – no experience needed
- Article: 7 Ways to Learn Transcription
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
If you are serious about doing transcription jobs from home, check out this complete transcription starter kit at Amazon. The kit includes Express Scribe Pro transcription software, USB Foot Pedal and USB Transcription Headset!
Express Scribe Transcription Bundle: Pedal, Professional Software and Headset
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