When doing transcription work, you will encounter some bad-quality dictation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When is a dictation considered poor quality? <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n And what can\u00a0you do when you receive a poor-quality audio file to transcribe?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Poor-quality dictation includes background noise, muffled dictation, overlapping conversations, and speakers that are recorded at different volumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any background noises on audio can make it more difficult for the transcriptionist to hear what is being said and transcribe accurately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A bad audio recording may contain too many inaudibles to get a useful transcript.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, all recordings that will need to be transcribed, including interviews and focus groups should be conducted in a quiet setting without noises from traffic, ringing telephones, air conditioners, and heaters. But recordings are often done in less-than-perfect conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When an interview has background noise or the microphone is not placed\u00a0near the interviewees, the interviewer's questions might be clear but the interviewees' answers may not be.\u00a0This is a\u00a0common challenge when transcribing group discussions and other recordings involving multiple people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what should you do when you get a bad-quality recording?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When encountering a poor-quality audio, review and evaluate the quality of the recording and try some of the following methods to see if you can understand what\u2019s said better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evaluate the possibility of transcribing a dictation by listening to different parts. Check to find out if the complete tape is bad or if the quality is better at different parts of the dictation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When transcribing a bad recording inform the client upfront of the additional time it will take to complete the transcription and that there may be many gaps (inaudible) in the transcript.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you feel that you can\u2019t transcribe the recording at all, notify the client immediately and don\u2019t try to do the impossible unless the client insists and is willing to pay the price for a less-than-perfect transcript. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t want to guarantee turnaround times with difficult audio because it will depend on how difficult the audio is.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearn more about general transcription <\/a><\/strong>
with my FREE Mini-Course<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n