Transcription is a career which has, in the last couple of years, become a job that can easily be done from home. Thanks to the Internet, high-speed cable, and DSL, this job, which used to require a commute to an office, no longer does. If you have a computer, Microsoft Word, high-speed Internet access, or DSL, and can type 65 words-per-minute, all you need is a pair of headphones, a foot pedal, and the software to play downloaded files.
There are several different types of transcription, and depending on your education and background, you may be better suited for one than another. Medical transcription is the type of transcription most people have heard about. Medical transcriptionists transcribe doctor's office notes, hospital records, and other medical related audio.
Legal transcriptionists transcribe court depositions, legal pleadings, interviews, and letters. Transcriptionists specializing in business transcribe conference calls, meeting minutes, and interviews. Finally, general transcriptionists transcribe just about anything, including focus groups, interviews, conference calls, podcasts, and radio shows.
Those interested in medical transcription will probably have to attend a school for medical transcription. There are several excellent ones that offer online classes and certification. It's probably best to have some background in law to do legal transcription, and a familiarity with business terms is helpful for business transcription. And while you can't specifically train for general transcription, your typing skills should be up to speed, and you should have a pretty strong grasp of grammar and spelling.
Pay varies widely among companies. But don't sell yourself short. Transcription isn't simply typing. It involves lots of research, editing, and proofreading skills. Difficult audio (audio with foreign speakers or lots of background noise) takes longer to transcribe than good audio. Transcriptionists just starting out may be willing to take lower paying jobs to get their feet wet.
But once you're no longer new to the profession, don't sell yourself short. Do an excellent job, and expect to get paid a fair wage for your work. The following is a list of companies that hire transcriptionists. I found this on the transcription message board at WAHM.com, a great site for those interested in home employment. Some require experience. Some are willing to work with newbies. Good luck and good typing!
SpeakWrite
Rapidtext
The Transcription Company
Tigerfish
Ubiqus
NetTranscripts
TASK Document Services
Morningside Partners
Neal R. Gross
Cyberdictate
Wordz Xpressed
Cambridge Transcription
Monday, February 19, 2007
Tips Getting Started in Transcription from Home
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15 comments:
Nice write-up! :) and btw we have a lot of Medical Transcriptionists here in our country.
Thanks for this introduction to paid transcription. My wife has been in the medical field for 5 years and is looking for a change...I directed her to your post and the nice list of resources you've included about paid transcription services. Thanks!
Great list of resources.
Will take the time to try these companies out.
Tony.
I just know that this kind of work exists also. Thanks for the info.
If I were you, I will have a look into OCR application that can scan transcription and convert to text file. It's not 100% correct but it will speed up your process.
Good luck.
I have tried to join a few transcrption companies and have always been told they aren't accepting any new applicants. Maybe I have just been unlucky? I do have a friend who has done it for a while now and made some good money, without the commute.
If you have to done a lot of transcriptions. Check OCR to improve your speed. I recommend "IRIS".
I used with my previous work.
will use your tactic to my homebased business
I will have a look into OCR application that can scan transcription and convert to text file.
This post is really interesting and helpfull for beginner like me
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for the information on doing transcription from home. I see it was written quite a while ago so is still relevant today? I only ask because I wanted to let my readers who are interested working at home know about it. Thanks again!
Work from Home Ideas, it's still relevant. I'm currently a general transcriptionist from home, doing a bit of legal, medical, and entertainment.
Good tips on paid transcriptions - I don't think software can be as accurate as hiring an experienced translator. I also found the AudCap device useful when transferring audio for audio capture etc.
These types of tools definitely help with working at home, anything to speed up the process is most useful.
It seems then that this is one of the few legitimate work from home opportunities? It is very difficult for the normal person to tell what is a scam and what isn't.
So i really suppose that this job is a really comfortable and a really profitable especially for those who can't work in the office because of their health difficulties!
The tips you given are really helpful...
Regards,
Business Transcription services
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