Digital Recording for Transcription of Interviews

You will often find yourself in a position where you need your interviews to get transcribed. Earlier this could be a difficult process. Till date we see a transcriber sitting in on meetings or in court who either takes notes or transcribes the entire process. However, the room for error is large in such a scenario and there is no longer need for someone to physically sit and write down every word as it is said.

Digital recording is an extremely convenient option that is now being widely used. It can be easily done with the use of a basic recording device or a Dictaphone. Today’s technology allows you to record on various mp3 players and mobile phones too so that you don’t even have to carry around an extra device to do the job. Rarely will you require an external microphone as the inbuilt ones are usually good enough unless there is too much ambience noise.

Once your file is recorded it can be transferred to a computer, usually with the use of a USB cord. When dealing with a transcription agency, you will find that several agencies accept digital formats of files and often encourage it. Digital formats are easy to transfer from one person to another with the help of the internet. You can email the file or if it is too large you can upload it to a website such as you send it from where the receiving party can download it. Rarely are these files too large unless the quality is very high. Once the files have been downloaded they can be saved and listened to at the convenience of the transcriber.

There are various formats that can be used to record interviews. Some of the popular formats include mp3, mp4, wav etc. Many of these formats can be converted from one to another with minimal loss of quality. If you need to convert your file you can use a software to do the job, or alternatively if the file isn’t too large there are websites that will convert it for you online.

One of the major advantages of digital transcription is that it allows the transcriber to go over the recordings while slowing down the pace so that overlapping dialogue can also be transcribed. It also allows him to listen and re-listen in case of heavy or conflicting accents. While all transcribers are expected to be familiar with the jargon of the industry, it never hurts for them to be able to listen extra closely for unusual words. Digital recordings allow for modification in speed and pitch so that not a single word is missed out on.

At the end of the day, you want your interview transcriptions to come out flawlessly, and you don’t want to waste time on posting DVDs or floppy disks back and forth; it is cumbersome, expensive and a waste of time. Digital transcription is a much more convenient option which is easily available today.