We need transcription in many spheres of our life: business, education, entertainment, traveling, etc. It has always been a challenging and time-consuming process. Moreover, hiring an expert transcriber is expensive, too. However, what to do if you need real-time transcription, for instance, while traveling? Digital technologies present numerous opportunities to receive high-quality transcriptions. Check out the best services to transcribe audio.
Opening tip: Use a reliable transcription service
While selecting the most beneficial transcription website to convert your media to text, consider the following criteria:
- Turnaround speed
- Accuracy
- Ability to edit the final text
- Cost and hidden payments
- Supported media formats
- File sharing opportunities
- Data security
Also, take into account the quality and content of your media. Poor-quality files with background noise and multiple speakers require more attention, and the probability of inaccuracies is considerably higher. And here is our piece of advice in this case.
2. Combine human and automated transcription
The combination of manual and automated transcription is ideal if you want to receive high-quality results without spending much time. Some services offer this feature as it saves both costs and effort. All the media is transcribed via automated tools, and only then are difficult parts edited and corrected by an expert transcriber.
For instance, there is a transcription service called Transcriberry. It enables converting any audio or video files automated, whereas it analyzes the quality and suggests an option to transcribe or edit it by an experienced transcriber.
3. Use a transcription app
Innovative digital technologies such as artificial intelligence enable fast and efficient transcriptions of speeches of any complexity – from official meetings to everyday conversations. If you are a journalist or need instant transcription of any conference or other event, the real-time audio transcription apps are the best solution. Here are the apps that are definitely worth your attention.
Transcriberry
It is a service that offers both manual and automated transcribing of different media for users. On Transcriberry transcription costs $1.25 per minute for human transcription to 25¢ per minute for automated services. This service provides 99% accurate computer-based transcription services and fast human-based transcription. You can turn any audio or video files of any length to text in a few minutes, which is quite fast.
For human transcription, their professional transcribers work with audio or video files of any complexity and length. They hire more than 50,000 native English transcribers who deliver the ready transcription within only 12 hours if the media is less than 30 minutes long, which is quite a high speed. Transcriberry pays much attention to the protection of sensitive user data and offers a flexible pricing system. The extended features of this service like creating captions and subtitles, and translation will be launched soon.
Otter
Otter is an automated transcription service that provides fast and high-quality audio and video transcription. It is possible to use a desktop version on any computer or download an app on a mobile device. The quality and accuracy of automated transcription at Otter are considerably higher than in similar services. It utilizes special tools to identify different speakers, make timestamps, etc., which simplifies the transcription process and boosts the speed even if the file is million minutes long.
Moreover, Otter offers real-time audio and video conversion services. They provide numerous options to share the ready text files and structure them within an app. The opportunity of a free trial is also included (600 minutes). Premium plan costs $8.5 per month (if you buy an annual plan). Teams plan also available if you plan to use this service for company needs
Anchor
This app helps you upload audio files from any device and in any format or record them. Then, it enables editing these files and turning them into podcasts that users can easily share on popular platforms or social media.
Steno
An app for live transcription and recording. It supports over 100 languages and allows transcript editing. Users receive one hour of free transcription after the installation. Then, the app offers per-minute fees. The prices are quite costly; for instance, 50 minutes cost $2.99 and 500 minutes cost $22.99.
Dictation
Dictation works great for real-time conversations. After dictating a text, you can easily share, print, or edit it. Google Docs has a ready dictation feature. You can also use such tools as Speechnote or Speechlogger. However, they are suitable only if the file is high-quality.
4 Helpful transcription tools everyone has on a mobile phone
These are options if you need to convert something urgently and donÂ’t have time for the installation of any apps.
- NoNotes.com – a tool for call recording and audio to text conversion. The price is quite affordable.Â
- Google Voice is a perfect option for voicemail transcription.
- TapeCall allows unlimited recording of all calls and converting them into text. Users can also download the recordings.
- Google Keyboard (Android users only). Although it has limited functionality, it can cope with transcribing audio files to text and supports many languages, which is especially beneficial for travelers. Users can transcribe and translate the audio files conveniently in one place.
Fast audio-to-text transcription is necessary for many spheres of our life, like traveling, news, business, and educational needs. Consider these opportunities as they provide high-quality and fast results.
