Transcription Services: What Does a Transcriptionist Do?
Providing transcription services might sound simple to someone who has never done it. You just type what you hear, right? Well, not quite. While that is part of the job, good quality transcription is much more than just taking down what’s dictated to you. Paying close attention and understanding what it is you’re transcribing takes a lot of skill and extensive experience.
As a leading provider of transcription services, the Akorbi team likes to keep you informed about how our services work. Here, we’re going to break down what a transcriptionist does, and why transcription services can be so intensive.
The Right Education, Qualifications and Experience
Firstly, providing good transcription services requires the right education, qualifications, and experience. Typically, a transcriptionist will take a course to gain a specific qualification before they begin their career in transcription services.
However, education isn’t always a requirement, and some employers will accept applicants based on experience, or offer training courses themselves. If a transcriptionist is going into a specialized field, such as interpretation, medical transcription, or legal transcription, then additional training is required.
Careful Listening
When it comes to the role of transcriptionist, it offers some unique challenges and requires unique skills to take them on. The first is being able to listen and pick up on specific details that others might miss. This is more than just being able to type quickly. It also involves understanding intonation, meaning, context and, in some cases, culturally specific language.
Accurate Recording
Being able to accurately record information goes beyond even careful listening. Providing transcription also means being able to effectively multitask, not to mention be able to use general software, along with transcription-specific software. On top of these skills, a transcriptionist must have a proper understanding of grammar and punctuation. When it comes to transcribing across a language barrier, this is an even bigger hurdle that requires exceptional skill.
Lots of Patience
A big factor in transcription that you might not hear about as often as typing, language proficiency and listening skills is patience. Being able to transcribe accurately takes a lot of patience, and the ability to focus for a long time. In many cases, a transcriptionist may need to listen to the same piece of dialogue over and over, working through technical issues or difficult-to-hear recordings to do their job. Transcription is generally a much higher-stress task than most people assume, and it takes a special ability to focus.
Get In Touch About Our Transcription Services
Looking for professional, detailed transcription services that you know you can rely on for accuracy? Contact Akorbi today. We provide worldwide transcription, translation and interpreter services, and can tailor our custom packages to suit your needs. Check back on our blog for more information and news, or take a look at the full range of translation and interpretation services we offer.