What is audio or video transcription?

In short, transcription is the conversion of sound into text. Although it’s true, it is also a considerable oversimplification. There are many free audio transcription tools on the market, but sometimes the transcription needs to consider more than just words – e.g., ambient sounds, such as birdsong, laughter, or passing vehicles. Here, an online program may not be enough. If you’re looking for a professional transcription, consider entrusting it to a professional LSP.

First of all, let’s consider why you should create transcriptions. For starters, transcriptions can help you reach your target audience in different situations and contexts. In addition, it is worth bearing in mind that the audience of your content may also have hearing problems. For such people, subtitles are the only way to get acquainted with your materials. In this case, it is essential for the transcription not just to be a carbon copy of the words spoken in the material. It should also convey the mood of the audio or video material. But one step at a time. First, let’s start with what transcription is in general.

What is audio and video transcription? The definition

The word “transcription” comes from the Latin term meaning to transcribe. In a literal sense, transcription is based on the rewriting of a recording, that is, making a textual record of it.

Nowadays, one of the main types of transcription is based on adding subtitles to a video so that all viewers can follow the presented story. Creating a video or audio material (especially in the form of podcasts), is an essential content marketing tool. However, transcription can also involve a description of the proceedings of a meeting, a conference, or an interview for documentation purposes.

Transcriptionists who develop transcriptions are highly specialized individuals. They must be excellent in the language in which they create the subtitles and able to convey the context of the content. Moreover, the recording is often delivered poorly, making it difficult to understand. Therefore, transcriptionists should also have the technical skills to improve the material and make it useful for further work. It is also worth noting that transcription creation does not always look the same/look alike (pick one). That is because there are several types of such a service.

Types of transcription

Depending on the client’s wishes, transcriptionists can perform four forms of transcription:

FULL TRANSCRIPTION

This type takes into account all verbal aspects of the recording, such as laughter, hesitation, linguistic tics, and repetitions. Transcriptionists will note all words spoken by the parties. Full transcription makes no changes to anything, even if there is a linguistic error.

REFINED FULL TRANSCRIPTION

A refined full transcription allows you to rephrase your written comments. The post-transcription document will contain text written in the correct language, without syntax errors or incorrect wording. The transcriptionist must also remove repetitions and hesitations in the text.

REFORMATTED TRANSCRIPTION OF AN AUDIO OR VIDEO FILE

In this case, transcriptionists should transform any sentences spoken in the material to fit the written style while respecting the rules of fidelity. In this case, the transcription may reformulate the text in the third person or change the colloquial language used by the speakers.

SYNTHESIZED TRANSCRIPTION

Synthesized transcription involves providing a summary of an audio or video recording. This option, therefore, does not require a complete transcription of the recording, as only the basic information from the material is retained.

Deviation to subtitling

Creating subtitles for movies is a special kind of transcription that rarely takes its full form. In most cases, the content of the subtitles differs a little from the original audio. What’s more, the person developing subtitles for a video should match the subtitle length to the pace of speech or action in the video. This is crucial for a smooth viewing experience.

It is also essential for the transcriptionist to tailor the subtitled text to the content according to subtitling standards and consider audiences’ cultural specificities in a given country. To this end, professional transcription service providers take care of the semantic and lexical consistency of the text and perform cross-correction. With such a service, transcriptionists will enrich your videos with readable and understandable subtitles, making them stand out from other auto-titled videos.

Software and technology in transcription

There are three basic types of transcription based on audio and video:

MANUAL TRANSCRIPTION

It’s the primary form of transcription development, which is also the most time-consuming. However, manually developed texts are the most accurate ones. The choice of manual transcription is especially recommended for companies and brands that follow specific strict guidelines when transcribing. Manual transcription is also often chosen within highly specialized domains, such as law, medicine, or engineering. Correcting automated transcribed content for these industries could take more time. However, in most cases, you can use automation.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN TRANSCRIPTIONS

Using AI in transcription can automatically convert an audio or video file into a written text. The technology can improve itself based on the source material provided. However, there is no doubt that this type of transcription, although it speeds up the entire process considerably, is subject to a high risk of errors. Therefore, professional agencies usually combine AI transcriptions with manual proofreading.

SPEECH-TO-TEXT

The speech-to-text conversion or speech recognition is a technology that involves transcribing spoken words or audio content into text. You can do this through applications, APIs, and other software solutions. Speech-to-text conversion technology is now becoming more widely used. The reason can be attributed to significant advances in speech recognition to improve accuracy and accessibility. In addition, APIs increase productivity and efficiency, allowing you to submit your work faster and use the time saved for other productive activities. Of course, no system can provide complete assurance, so verification by a specialist is recommended here, too.

Professional video or audio transcription services

When there are multiple speakers, technical jargon, different accents, and different languages, transcription of voice to text can be complicated. That’s why it’s worth entrusting this task to professionals. Aploq has many years of experience developing audio and video transcriptions. This way, we’ve developed an effective working methodology. As a result, we can offer the highest quality transcription services combined with technical skills and the ability to write quickly.

We work with various audio and video formats, and each text created by our team undergoes a detailed review, so you can be sure that you will receive a transcription free of spelling, grammar, or syntax errors. So contact us, send us your materials, and at the end, receive an impeccably transcribed text.

Translate your transcript to reach a larger audience

Do you need to translate your video or audio content to reach a larger audience in Poland? You’ve come to the right place! We provide professional transcription services and subtitle Polish translators. We will ensure that we not only provide you with an error-free subtitle translation, but we will also take care of the localization of the content to adapt it to your readers in Poland perfectly. This way, you can be sure that your audience will correctly understand the content you want to convey through audio or video files. You no longer need to use several agencies to do the transcription and translation; at Aploq, you will find all the necessary language-related services. Contact us and let us know how we can help you with your Polish language needs.