Transcription is quickly becoming one of the most popular jobs for many people and corporations. Companies often outsource transcription tasks to transcriptionists with guidelines to ensure everything typed is exactly as it was said. So, why is transcribing so important? What are the requirements? What can happen if your transcribing equipment fails? This article will cover everything you need to know about transcription and the importance of high accuracy rates.
What Is Transcription?
Transcription means writing down what someone says. This can range from lengthy speeches by leadership, such as the president, judge, manager, or school principal, to short statements like a call to an emergency department. Since the person may not repeat the speech or the conversation, it pays to record what they say in an audio file and get a transcriptionist to listen and type what is said.
The Importance of Transcription
Transcribed documents are used almost everywhere, including in a court of law. That means each transcribed document needs to be as accurate as possible. Even the slightest error can change the context of an entire document, putting the person’s credibility at risk. The perfect transcription should include every noise, sound, pause, or utterance in the recording. Transcriptionists must determine the type of sound made or perceived through inflection and gesture.
Here are a few major reasons why transcription is essential:
Accuracy Eradicates Ambiguity
Every statement recorded by insurance companies, by claimants or witnesses and accused persons is placed under stringent scrutiny to separate facts from fiction. If done accurately, the transcription helps both parties reach an agreement that ensures fast and streamlined claim processing or ruling.
Improves Clarity
By reading through an accurate transcript, insurance companies and courts can get the facts straight through dates, times, names, places, reports, and witness statements which contribute to a fair hearing and judgment. Remember, simple errors like "did" and "didn’t" can do a lot of damage to a case.
Consolidates Important Information
Poor transcription can affect the accuracy of the information provided. The court will have a difficult time differentiating between correct and incorrect information. That means it will take more time to consolidate information and give a fair judgment.
Transcription Accuracy Requirements
Transcription companies have different formatting and accuracy requirements. With the availability of transcription equipment, transcriptionists can capture every word the speaker says and note it down. Transcriptionists will then come in and fix grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. This helps improve the company and the transcriptionist’s reputation based on high quality and diligence.
Making mistakes in what someone said may not make much difference in some industries, but can snowball into a colossal mess in others. Some speakers, particularly counselors, political analysts, and tutors, don’t like to be misquoted. Sometimes the text may appear exactly as said by the speaker, but how the sentence is punctuated or formatted may bring out a different meaning. That’s where punctuation and formatting come in.
Get Transcription Software For Accurate Transcripts Today!
Efficiency, Inc offers transcription equipment solutions tailored to your needs. Whether you’re cross-examining in a courtroom or writing minutes for a board of directors, we can help you create accurate transcripts that will impress your leadership. Reach out today!