Equipment You’ll Need to Do Transcription Work

What kind of transcription equipment do you need to work as a transcriptionist and provide transcription services?

Getting the right equipment and software is a must if you want to become a professional transcriptionist. You'll be glad to hear that transcription equipment is NOT expensive.

To do transcription work, you'll need a computer, Internet access, transcription software, a headset and a transcription foot pedal. A foot pedal and headset are optional but recommended.

A Computer

If you want to become a general, business, medical  or legal transcriptionist, the first thing you'll need is a computer. This is the most expensive piece of equipment you'll need and you probably already have a computer if you're considering transcription work.

Most companies will want you to have Microsoft Word which is the most commonly-used word processor used for general transcription.

Explore a career in general transcription with this FREE general mini-course

High Speed Internet Connection

You'll also need a high-speed internet connection as your internet connection will affect your speed, reliability and productivity and most transcription companies will require a high-speed internet connection if you want to do transcription work for them.

A Headset

Headsets or headphones are important for transcription because you'll hear more clearly what is being said. Acquiring headphones that have a noise-canceling feature are helpful especially when working in a noisy environment. Headphones provide better sound and reduce background noise. I recommend using lightweight headphones as you will use them for long periods. You can also use earbuds.

Get more information about transcription headsets here.

A Transcription Foot Pedal

Transcription software and a transcription foot pedal allows the transcriptionist to start, stop, rewind, forward, slow down and speed up the recording and keep their hands free for typing. You'll plug in the foot pedal to the USP port of your computer. This works similarly to the way tape transcription machines are working.

Although you can start doing transcription work without a transcription pedal, using a foot pedal will make transcription work easier and faster. A foot pedal allows you to use your foot instead of your hands to pause and rewind which allows you to continue typing without interruption. This makes you more productive and enables you to do more work in less time and make more money because you can do the work up to four times faster. Your first transcription job will pay for a foot pedal.

Click here to find out which transcription pedals and transcription kits I recommend.

Transcription Software

There is a lot of transcription software that can make your work easier, including free software.

Most transcription work is now digital. To transcribe digital files, you'll need to have transcription software and a transcription pedal that is compatible with the files you’ll receive. Read more about transcription software here.

Efficiency and speed are important for transcription work. When working more efficiently you can do more work, take on more transcription jobs and make more money.

Ready to get started with transcription work?  

Explore a career in general transcription with this FREE general mini-course

To get in-depth training,
I recommend Janet Shaughnessy’s detailed, online, multi-media, online general transcription course
This course includes typing drills, transcription skills, transcription formats, grammar skills, lots of practice files and much more.

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.

Disclaimer: If you purchase a product through a referral link, I will get a commission at NO extra cost to you and it helps me to keep providing you with quality information.