Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Online Transcription Services The Wave Of The Future

By Susan Ross


When it comes to Dictaphones and dictation, while not completely irrelevant, fewer and fewer people are using this process. In fact, most now use online transcription services and audio files. As such, there are a number of different areas in which being able to transcribe information can often be necessary. Whether professor, lawyer, doctor or other professional, most are going to need to transcribe information at some point and time.

In fact, transcriptionists are in high demand. For, there are a number of different disciplines as well as individuals which need to have information transcribed either from written pages or audio files. In addition, there are also those needing to have an individual take dictation then transcribe the information into a word processing document.

With the advancement of computers and technology, transcription has taken on an entire new identify. For example, it used to take a great deal of time for an individual to dictate a letter, proposal or other document, then have the material typed on a typewriter. After which, there were often a number of passes on the typewriter before a document could be finalized and delivered.

When using a service, most ask that information be processed on a cassette, CD or VHS. While this is the case, most actually prefer audio files which can be sent back and forth over email. Whereas, in others, individuals are now starting to use programs such as Google Drive, in which parties can share and edit a document from different locations.

Individuals working in this area can often make a great deal of money. For, whether working as a freelance, independent or part of a service team, pay is often higher than that of more basic clerical positions. In addition, individual freelancers and independent contractors often have the ability to set rates and charge by the hour, word, minute, page or project.

As rates can vary, it is important to know whether an individual or service is charging per minute, per word, per line or per hour. Also, while private services often assist governmental agencies, law firms, courts, meeting planners, nonprofits and trade associates, the rate is often higher for these services.

Before the time of the internet, secretaries often had to take dictation, most often using the Gregg style of shorthand in the past. Then, in the 1970s, the job became easier through the use of cassettes. After which, individuals started typing from audio files rather than written pages in order to transcribe more quickly. For, most individuals working as transcriptionists are fast typists. As such, it can often take far less time to listen and type than it can when attempting to read a number of pages with different handwriting styles while typing.

The jobs of transcriptionists became even easier once the first Xerox 860 electronic word processor with a disc drive was born. For, individuals could then create, format, type and edit documents without having to retype the material on a typewriter. Then, with the establishment of email and the internet, individuals could begin sending attachments back and forth through email. Whereas, the newest trend is to share and edit documents through Google Drive, the Cloud, Dropbox and other similar platforms.




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