When you are thinking about stepping foot into transcription, it is always a good idea to know what you're getting into before you even try. First and foremost, you need to ensure that you are ready for a fast paced environment that takes little to no hostages. In fact, you have to be on your toes at all times, especially with your writing, if you want to keep up with even the most mundane forms of transcription.General transcribers will work on just about anything. From radio, broadcasting, documentaries, to any other form of media or legal items that require a general transcription professional. But, what is it you can expect as a general transcription professional? Well, first and foremost you will want to know what transcription really is.
Transcription, or general transcription is, a business, which helps to convert the spoken word to a written, or electronic text file. You can be asked to either work live or from a pre-recorded sitting. While yes, live can be far more difficult than a pre-recorded audio or video tape, it is always good for you to be well versed in either of these forms of general transcription in the instance that you get hired on for a live or recorded transcription job.
In the field of general transcribing you can work for a transcription service company or work freelance. Either of these are legitimate forms of transcribing, however, with a companies backing, you may very well begin to land some of the more lucrative general transcribing jobs.
A couple of the requirements of general transcription, as with any other kind of transcribing out there, are that you have a fairly quick typing speed. Many of these companies will ask that you type two hundred words per minute or more. This is simply because if you're transcribing live, you have to be able to keep up with what people are saying with little difficulty. You may even be asked to submit to a speed-typing test, which will rate how many words per minute you type, as well as your accuracy.
The accuracy portion of these tests will help to assess whether or not you're capable of spelling and grammar. While people won't always speak correctly per the language they speak, you are going to be asked to type out each and every word as though the person is speaking. For this reason, the proper use of punctuation is an absolute must. Nothing is worse than a transcription that is flat and lacks the emotion that the people used while speaking the words you are transcribing.
Just like any other field that you may be interested in working in, general transcribing requires that you know your job and know it well. Without this pre-knowledge of the field, you will be swimming up stream with no hope in sight. Of course, on the job training will also help you to overcome any shortcomings that you may have with your general transcription career or gig.
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