Transcription Archives

Client Spotlight – July 2020

Since our founding in 1966, oral history interviews and archival recordings have been a main focus of our transcription service. Each time we partner with an organization it is always amazing to learn the ins and outs of each project. It is with great pleasure that we share these two fascinating projects that we proudly transcribed.

Lynda Kachurek, Head of Rare Books & Special Collections at the Boatwright Memorial Library at the University of Richmond shared these comments with us about two of her projects.

This two-part oral history with Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker and his wife, Theresa Ann Edwards Walker, was conducted by the University of Richmond in 2016 and is believed to be the last interview Dr. Walker recorded before his passing in 2018. The excellent transcription completed by the Audio Transcription Center assists with accessibility online, as well as allowing greater subject analysis and research access for the material.

The Birmingham Tapes are a set of 10 mass meetings that span the duration of Project C, the SCLC’s (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) work during the 1963 Birmingham Campaign. They are believed to be the only publicly available recordings of these meetings, presenting a significant and unique perspective on the detailed planning and management of the Birmingham Campaign. The transcriptions done by the Audio Transcription Center not only assist with accessibility but they allow for a deeper research potential, greater subject analysis, and wider availability to these materials.

Transcription

Fast Isn’t Meaningful if a Transcript isn’t Accurate

There’s a reason the top academic institutions, government agencies, financial organizations, and market research firms continue to call on the Audio Transcription Center for their most challenging projects.

Our clients want their transcripts fast, but understand the importance of balancing speed with the delivery of a 99% accurate transcript.

Fast isn’t meaningful if a transcript isn’t accurate.

Accuracy is a necessity, and they know they’ll always get the most out of the diverse and knowledgeable transcriptionists who are custom-matched to each project. These awesome people bring their varied and unique experiences to each recording they’re transcribing. This allows for better understanding of the content, a more accurate transcript, and less time reviewing and fixing errors, saving time and dollars.

“I am so pleased with the transcriptions your people have done. This is a very large project, and I’ve only this week gotten to review the transcriptions. They are amazingly accurate, seemingly even looking up names to get them right.”
-An ATC client

At the Audio Transcription Center, our transcripts may be 99% accurate, but they’ll also always be unconditionally 100% guaranteed or no charge – no ifs, ands or buts.

Michael Sesling, Vice President

FAQ, Software, Transcription

The Hidden Truths of Voice Recognition Software

Q: Why the Audio Transcription Center cannot use Voice Recognition Software?
- A: Because Voice Recognition Software is not yet capable of producing to our strict standards.
Q: What strict standards?
- A: Let us count the ways:
  - VRS has difficulty in recognizing, simultaneously or not, two or more voices. Of course, two or more voices are intrinsic to oral histories.
  - VRS has difficulty with accents.
  - VRS has difficulty in dealing with less than broadcast quality sound.
  - VRS has difficulty with overlapping dialogue, idioms, collaquialisms, and especially ambient sound.
  - VRS – Formatting? Fuggedaboutit!
  - VRS developer IMB reached a 94.5% accuracy milestone which they are very proud of in its evaluation by “using the SWITCHBOARD corpus, a collection of telephone conversations that’s been used for decades.” “SWITCHBOARD is not the industry standard for measuring human purity, however, which makes breakthroughs harder to achieve.”
  - Finally, an important factor of VRS accuracy is the need for “training” the software to recognize the speech patterns and idiosyncrasies of the speakers. Imagine asking your narrators train the software that will be transcribing the session before each of your interviews. Oy!

BUT IT AIN’T ALL BAD

There are many projects where a very rough transcript is used as a quick reference source, and an actual verbatim transcript isn’t even required. In those cases, perfect transcripts are not needed, and VRS fits the bill… As well as lowers your initial budget.

In summary, if you don’t need a near-perfect transcript, VRS is a wonderful tool at a reduced cost. If you’re looking for an accurate transcript that is also 100% guaranteed, then the only option is to call your transcription vendor of choice. You might want to try us. Call us at (617) 423-2151, or click on the GET A QUOTE link in red.

FAQ, Transcription

What Is Verbatim Transcription and When Do You Need It?

What Is Verbatim Transcription and When Do You Need It

When requesting a quote from a transcription service, it’s important to know the level of detail you require. Do you need every single word including filler (“like,” “you know,” etc.)? Do you need every utterance and sound noted? This will help you get an accurate estimate in the short term, and will prevent you from paying twice for the same project in the future.

Continue reading “What Is Verbatim Transcription and When Do You Need It?” →

FAQ, Transcription

The Hidden Costs of “Cheap” Transcription Services

Before you select a transcription service, ask yourself “what are my priorities?” Cheap transcription services may be tempting as a way to save money but beware: low rates do not automatically mean low total cost. These are some of the many traps and hidden costs you may find:

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FAQ, Transcription

Choosing a Transcription Service Shouldn’t be a Shot in The Dark

Here are 3 ways a service may provide extremely low costs for transcription:

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Transcription

Top 10 Most Fascinating Facts About Transcription

Transcription, in one form or another, has always been used by mankind to document its own achievements. Today, though there are many options in voice recognition software, no machine has yet to match the accuracy of an experienced human transcriptionist. Here are the top 10 most fascinating facts about transcription in history:

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FAQ, Transcription

5 Advantages of Outsourcing Transcription Services

From market research organizations and financial institutions to television production companies, universities, and legal firms, a wide range of organizations require transcription services. At first glance, it would seem that outsourcing transcription services would either add to costs or decrease your company efficiencies. Not true. Let’s take a look at 5 advantages that outsourced transcription services can bring to your organization. Continue reading “5 Advantages of Outsourcing Transcription Services” →

FAQ, Transcription

Timecodes in Transcription: Types and Uses

Timecodes in Transcription Types and Uses - ATC Blog

Timecodes, also known as timestamps, are inserted into transcripts at specified intervals, providing a marker of where the text is found in a video or audio file.

Timecodes have been traditionally used in video captioning, but are becoming popular for use in panel discussions, legal transcripts, market research, oral history, and podcasts. The placement of timestamps makes it easier for a person to review or listen to a particular moment or conversation within a file.

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FAQ, Transcription

Who Needs Transcription Services?

Many organizations rely heavily on transcription services to have written records of events, create reference materials, make content searchable, write books, and of course, increase revenue. The list of advantages and segments can be infinite, but as a start here are six industry segments that can benefit from transcription services:

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