Make your event easy TO transcribe!
Transcribing audio to text for reports, ebooks, etc. can be so much easier for the transcriptionist to DO and do so with maximum accuracy if, as a speaker, you use a clear and steady voice when making your recorded event.
In a moment, I will share with you a prime example of this as with permission from the speaker I am going to show you just what I mean.
I have done now quite a few transcriptions which were made much more difficult than they needed to be by the following:
*People talking so fast it is a wonder they can understand themselves
*People talking over each other and interrupting each other – this is especially difficult to decipher when you have two or more voices that are very similar!
*People who interrupt themselves to go off on another train of thought completely and then jump back to the prior subject
*People with – to be honest – horrible grammar – who do NOT want these errors fixed when being transcribed!
*People who make it obvious that there was NO PLAN on what to be said or discussed so there is no flow or rhythm to what is being said
*People who repeat the same thing several times but there is no sequence to let the transcriber know when to leave it and when to remove it
*People who come in and out of range of their microphones or whatever recording device they are using – I have done some where I had to send the file to the interviewer or interviewee with unknown and unclear notations for whole paragraphs of audio I could not hear or figure out or even give my best guess at
I know there are others and realize them AS I am doing a transcription, but these are just off the top of my head … IF you are planning on having your audio event transcribed, it might be a good idea to type up one of your shows or seminars or webinars, etc. yourself and you just might be surprised at how difficult this can be, especially for someone that probably does not know YOU or is not used to the way you speak.
Most of my Transcription Clients have, mercifully, been great voices and conversationalists TO transcribe. I appreciate that and them so very much. A normal, easy to hear and understand ONE HOUR audio file can take up to six hours to transcribe, proofread and edit. Obviously, having to stop several times to re-hear and try to translate and/or decipher is going to take even longer.
Now, on to that prime example of an interesting, fun, and CLEAR speaker who obviously has planned out what she is going to say AND has a great delivery as she is saying it – I would like to introduce you to Ann Evanston, The Warrior-Preneur and a savvy biz lady who shares “thoughts, inspiration and education – warrior style!” and one of my favorite videos of Ann’s – The Social Psychology of Social Media.
Listen to Ann’s clear, steady voice with a nice, even flow – this is just the type of speaker that is a joy to transcribe!
thanks, Ann, for the permission to use you as my prime example 
and also for being a favorite and appreciated client!
Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing , proofreading and
transcription assignments!
Jan Tallent
Tallent Agency Virtual Assistance
573-775-4520 jan@tallentagency.com
Tags: assignments, communications, Editing, errors, fixes, grammar, Proofreading, Transcription, typing
April 15th, 2010 at 11:55 am
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jan Tallent. Jan Tallent said: @AnnEvanston thanks 4 being my example, Ann! http://jantallent.com/blog/2010/04/make-your-event-easy-to-transcribe/ [...]
April 15th, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Jan! First, thank you for using me as an example! I think people often to not think strategically when recording and how it will be used. If they did, the tempo of the recording would change for sure!
Second, as a speaker, I think there are many people who “speak” but have not had professional training. Even as a speaker your points are CRITICALLY important!
Ann Evanston
.-= Ann Evanston´s last blog ..Facebookology: Meet our Friday Fan: Karen Frank =-.
April 15th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
thanks, Ann, for commenting and also for letting me use you and your great speaking manner AS my example.
By the way, I took your great advice on making the comments section UNmoderated but duh! could not figure out how to change it so my wonderful BFF, Sharon McP, who also installed this blog for me, fixed it for me.
It helps to be surrounded by the best, no?!
April 19th, 2010 at 9:36 am
It is amazing how many errors I see when reading transcriptions. I do some work with an attorney’s office, and it is amazing to read what is given back to them. One friend of mine has his secretary listen through the recordings twice after receiving the transcriptions. She reads along and makes edits. It is so time consuming, this is something that just has to be done right the first time. I love your example, it really would be a dream to have her speak everything important.
April 19th, 2010 at 10:15 am
Oh, I know, Melissa. Actually, although I had gotten a year’s training for medical office technology, including the transcriptions (and those medial ones are HARD!) I had not really been using that training until I kept getting hired to proofread and edit so many terrible ones!
After I had fixed several that, frankly, I was ashamed FOR the typist to have charged a client to do, I decided that I might as well do them myself and offer potential clients the added bonus OF a proofread and edited document.
Yes, Ann is a wonderful example of a speaker who not only makes it easy to transcribe FOR but also one who can insure an error free, or as close as humanly possible to be error free, presentation that can be easily read along with the recording it is supposed to be about.