Have you been transcribing videos but are yet to reach the effectiveness you love? Youโve wasted time and effort and now seek a way out?
This post is for you!
Here, we have included the different ways you can transcribe your videos conveniently. Regardless of your industry โ be it media, law, or even medicine โ the tips here will guide you to transcribe your video files professionally, and even audio files.
But before we discuss the different ways you can transcribe your video, letโs talk about the importance of transcribing videos. Why should you do it?
Why Should You Transcribe Your Video Files?
Transcribing your videos can help you improve your brand awareness and reach. How?
For a start, transcripts, be it video or audio, improve accessibility. In particular, people in noisy environments and areas with poor network reception can read your transcripts to understand your content.
Also, people that are hard of hearing will understand your videos better with transcripts. So if you have ever considered extending your customer base beyond your reach, video transcription is an area you should explore.
In particular, here are the three primary reasons you should transcribe audio files:
It Aids Comprehension
Indeed, watching and listening to the contents of a video file jolt the brain to action. But to get the brain to glean in as much information as possible, you must engage it even further. And One way to do that is to add โreadingโ to the mix.
In essence, when your audience watches, listens to and reads the content of your videos, the information sticks better. Even better, they will comprehend your offerings.
Another case of comprehension is for non-native speakers of English. When you add transcripts to your videos, you improve the attention and understanding of a foreign audience. They will understand your language more easily, and more importantly, the content of your video.
It Enhances Engagement
After comprehension comes engagement; if your audience does not understand your video, they will not watch it until the end.
But when viewers understand the content of your video, they will watch it all and have a better experience. In the end, you will see enhanced engagement. How?
For a start, you will get adequate comments on your video. And with such feedback, you will get ideas for your subsequent uploads. Also, depending on where you upload said media, you will see a jolt in interactions โ likes and sharing.
All that will then lead to the final benefit of video transcripts:
It Is An Addition To Your SEO Efforts
If you use only a video or audio file, Google bots find it difficult to crawl your files. But when you transcribe such media content into a text file, search engines generally work better.
For a start, Google can crawl your text transcription. When it does, its bot will take your keywords and index them. Now, combine this indexing with the engagement you already have on your video.
What all that means is that your video will receive an incredible boost to its ranking. With that, you will get more views, reach a broader audience, and more importantly, make more sales.
Looking at the benefits of video transcription, you will see that itโs a worthy investment. But you should do it right if you want a concrete result. Here is how:
5 Ways You Can Transcribe Audio And Video Files
Start With Your Smartphone
You probably know that you can do video transcription on your smartphone. If you donโt, scroll to the app store. There, you will find numerous automatic transcription software tools.
Pick any tool that you like, but we suggest the notepad app. In some cases, some smartphones come with inbuilt transcription aids. If thatโs the case for your phone, then you neednโt download any tool or use the internet.
Either way, open the app and play your video. The app will automatically transcribe the audio to text, and you see the latter on your screen.
Note: mobile transcription apps are more like short gaps for when you are on the road. In other words, they are not as robust as youโd hoped.
Try Desktop Transcription Tools
If you want to take a step further than smartphones, use your Windows or Mac computer. The good news is that they have a more robust inbuilt transcription tool.
For Windows, you will benefit from its Speech Recognition. And according to Microsoft, you can rest assured you will receive up to 94.5% accurate transcripts. The best part with a Windows computer is that you donโt necessarily require the internet to run the software.
For Mac, the in-built transcription software is called Dictation. Thereโs another variant you can use โ the MacSpeechScribe.
Regardless of the desktop tool you eventually use, know that they equally work like your mobile apps. How so?
You play the video, and the app transcribes the audio on a screen.
Note: in the case of Macโs Dictation, you will need an internet connection. You can avoid that if you upgrade the software to a paid Enhanced Dictation.
Give Online Transcription Programs A Go!
As the name suggests, you will need the internet for this method of video transcription. Internet aside, most of the programs are free.
The only difference here with using desktop apps is that online programs sync to the internet. For that reason, they can detect more ranges of accents.
Even at that, prepare to proofread the transcripts. Depending on the online tool, errors are constant. Nevertheless, you can trust a few such as Google Voice Typing, oTranscribe, Speechlogger, and Trent.
Use YouTube
We know you might be thinking, what better way to transcribe videos than using a known video platform? Well, YouTube works when you use Automatic Captioning, its automatic transcription software.
This is great if youโre looking to transcribe a YouTube video, but you should know โ like with all video to text automatic transcription software โ the tool can malfunction. For a start, YouTube can only assure you of a maximum of 80% accuracy.
Furthermore, the 80% limit could drop even lower to about 50%. That is when your video includes background noise, speakers that speak fast with heavy accents.
That said, use YouTube captioning only when the video you are transcribing is for casual occasions. Even at that, prepare to go through series of edits.
Perhaps you ask if there is a similar popular third-party platform that you can use? Well, there is, and it is Googleโs Cloud Speech API.
You Can Trust Googleโs Cloud Speech API
Unlike YouTube Captioning, Googleโs Cloud Speech is more reliable. It can recognize up to 120 languages, and it comes with easy-to-use features.
More importantly, Cloud Speech gives you the option to try the transcription tool for free for an hour. After that, know that any transcription will attract a monthly fee based on the quantity of audio or video file you transcribe.
Frankly, none of the listed transcription methods can assure you a 100% accurate video transcript. While the options are good fits if you have the time to proofread and edit, they are not hands-free transcription aids. So, what can you do?
How Can You Transcribe Your Videos And Audio Files Like A Pro?
The first way to transcribe your videos professionally is to understand that computer-generated transcripts are not ready-to-use. Why?
For a start, computers, internet aids, and AI tools require audio and video recordings to be free of background noise. Without crisp and quality sound, your transcripts will certainly contain errors.
Computers also often only recognize single-speaker recordings. Even when they do, there are limitations to vocabulary and accent comprehension.
Another element that hinders transcription is when your recordings have speakers that talk fast. Fast talkers confuse auto-generated transcription aids. In summary, donโt follow such approaches if you want impeccable transcripts.
If you are looking to transcribe audio to a text file that has background noise, multiple speakers or heavy accents, you will need a professional service if you are looking for an accurate transcription of video to text.
Instead, seek human video transcription services like the ones Espresso Translations provides. Here, you wonโt experience technical glitches, nor will you waste time proofreading the deliverables. Once you receive your transcripts, know that youโre getting ready-to-use files that are 100% accurate.
In a nutshell, you can only go about transcribing videos like a pro with professional transcriptionists. And in this case, that is Espresso Translations.
FAQs About Methods Of Transcribing Videos
What Are The General Ways To Transcribe A Video Or Audio File?
Generally, you can transcribe in three ways, and that includes:
โ Manual transcription
โ Automated transcriptions
โ Professional transcription services
Manual transcription
This is when you transcribe your audio or video without the use of tools or software. Here, what you do is traditional listening and writing. As such, the transcripts from this method are accurate as it often involves native speakers.
Unfortunately, the turnaround time for manual transcription is long. Such timeframes wonโt work if youโre in constant need of audio or video transcripts.
Automated transcription
Unlike manual transcription, this method has a quick turnaround time. Here, you wonโt be listening to or writing anything.
Instead of the manual and rigid method, automated transcription uses transcription software that generates automatic transcripts from your audio and video. All you will do here is provide the documents and upload them to the software.
Professional Transcription Services
This is when you engage third parties to carry out transcription for you. Here, you can either contract your needs to a freelancer or an agency.
From our experience, agencies are the best aid because they are aggregates of experts across different niches. They can also match your desired turnaround time while maintaining 100% accuracy for your transcripts.
A professional transcription service makes use of background noise reduction tools which can dramatically improve the quality of your text prior to creating the transcript.
A transcription service can also time-code your text transcription and add speaker labels, making your video to text transcript easy to understand and use.
How Much Does Transcription Services Cost?
There are fixed costs for audio and video transcription. The charge often depends on the quality and quantity of your documents.
Another thing to consider is the language. Are you transcribing the file into a different language?
So, factor in all the conditions; only then will you get an accurate range for the cost. For specifics, you can contact Espresso Translations and get precise and affordable quotes for your transcription needs.
If you are looking to transcribe audio files or transcribe video content, we can get a quote to you in just a few minutes. We are a professional service that does not use video to text automatic transcription, but instead, we guarantee a human transcriptionist who is a native speaker of the audio or video file language will complete your audio transcription.
Conclusion
Transcriptions, both audio and video, are crucial to scaling your business. They improve your reach and boost your SEO. If you havenโt started yet, you should!
If you create a manual transcript, this can be very tedious work. Automatic video to text software does not do a great job. The only valid option for a quality transcript is to see a professional transcription service.
Contact us today to discuss your specific needs.