How To Transcribe Interview Recordings

How To Transcribe Interviews Automatically Using Audext

Audext automatic transcription software converts to text almost all types of audio formats. It doesnt matter if you recorded it in MP3 or WAV format you will receive ready interview transcription in a couple of minutes. We dont limit the size of the file that you upload to our service.

Audio and video work files can be easily converted to text in a couple of clicks. If you have a video interview on hands you can just extract the audio clip from it. Or if your video files are in one of the following formats use our step-by-step guide on how to transcribe it to text with using Audext.

All you need to do is:

1. Login to your account.

2. Enter the dashboard.

3. Upload your audio/video recording.

4. Enter the names of speakers.

5. Voila! The transcription is started and will be ready in a couple of minutes!

Thats all, in a matter of minutes youll have your interview transcript on hands. Once your file is transcribed, you will be able to access it through your dashboard. You can edit it using our Interactive Cloud Editor.

How To Tackle Live Issues

No matter how much you prepare, there is always a chance that something will go wrong, technically or otherwise, when you’re in the middle of the interview. Handling audio quality, recording or communication issues during an interview can be challenging. The best way to deal with them is to be honest about the problems and often to even use humor to lighten the atmosphere.

Though audio quality issues might be frustrating, keeping that frustration hidden will keep the interview on track, as you can keep the conversational flow going while troubleshooting to get the best sound quality. In case of issues that interrupt the interview altogether, itâs critical to remain calm and let your interviewee know that youâre pausing to troubleshoot. Acknowledging an issue and working on it is always going to be better than being distracted during the recorded interview. It avoids being impolite to your interviewee and hard to decipher transcriptions.

The first method you should try to troubleshoot audio issues in both in-person and remote interviews is to test another recording program. If the audio quality is better on the new program, continue the interview using the new program. If the issues persist, switch out your hardware to anything else you have.

Medium-quality audio that is consistent is better than high-quality audio with constant issues. Inconsistent audio is often even more of a problem than bad sound quality.

Recording And Transcribing Research Interviews Without The Headache

Research interviews can be a pain to conduct. All the steps you need to take – what to ask, what not to ask, and which people to ask – can be headache-inducing for a researcher, especially when you’re under time constraints.

Add that to the task of transcribing 30 minutes worth of audio, and you’ve got yourself a borderline migraine.

The point is, qualitative interviews can be a daunting and complex process. There are many factors to take into consideration and lots of things can go wrong if researchers aren’t careful.

Thankfully, you can make the interview process significantly less time-consuming and nerve-wracking using a couple tips weve shared in this article.

Read on to learn how to record and transcribe your interviews without a hitch.

Also Check: Questions To Ask Cfo In Interview

What Is The Relationship Between The Transcript And The Recording

Transcripts were once seen by some oral historians as a substitute for the original audio and video recordings. It was not uncommon years ago for large oral history programs to dispose of or reuse audiotapes once transcripts of the recordings were made. This decision stemmed from concerns over the tapes’ deteriorating sound quality, the costs of storing and preserving tapes of unknown longevity, the potential obsolescence of play-back equipment, and the belief that most researchers preferred to read a transcript rather than listen to a recording.

More recently, archivists and oral historians began preserving both the original recording and its accompanying transcript as complementary documentation of the same event. No matter how thorough and accurate transcripts may be, they are never able to capture all the details in an audio recording such as the tone of voice and emotion expressed in the spoken word, nor can they convey the facial expressions and mannerisms that come through in a video recording. They are, however, excellent access tools. They provide an easily accessible reference substitute for the recordings, and they require no special play-back equipment or listening booth.

Choose A Transcription Style

There are two basic styles of audio interview transcription:

Verbatim Transcription

Verbatim transcription means that you write exactly what you hear. Every filler, interjection, stutter, and so forth is transcribed. For example, the speaker might say, I, um, went to the store and, like, bought some m-m-milk, followed by a laugh.

You would transcribe the sentence exactly as said and include the laugh in brackets at the end. Note that verbatim transcription is typically the most difficult, as it requires strong focus and extraordinary attention to detail.

Non-Verbatim Transcription

Also known as a smooth transcription or an intelligent transcription, a non-verbatim transcription removes fillers, vocal tics, and the like. Using the above example, you would type I went to the store and bought some milk. You can choose the level of editing you want.

For example, maybe you find emotional expressions like laughing or crying relevant, so you decide to include them, but you cut out verbal tics. Whatever transcription rules you decide to follow, make sure you apply them consistently throughout the entire document.

Don’t Miss: Preparing For System Design Interview

Rely On Reduct For Super Accurate & Fast Interview Transcripts

Reduct provides users with both computer and human transcription services. Both are fast and accurate but are useful in different circumstances, so first let’s look at when to choose each of them.

Reduct’s computer transcription, or automatic transcription, is computer-generated and delivered to you very quickly. Our computer transcription service is free with our subscription, about 85% accurate, and ready in just a few minutes. It’s a great choice if you

• Only need transcription for your own use and don’t need it to be perfect
• Want a more cost-effective transcript
• Need a transcript as fast as possible
• Have a very clear audio recording

Note: Our computer transcripts are on par with the industry standard for accuracy. But unlike many transcription services including Zoom’s built-in transcription we allow speakers to provide “hints for transcription” when uploading audio/video files to improve the quality of their transcripts. These “hints” let users provide glossaries and speaker names so our platform can detect and accurately transcribe those terms or phrases. This feature is super beneficial when using computer transcription, but it’s also nice to provide these transcription hints for human transcribers so they have an easier time transcribing unclear audio.

Although it’s more costly than automatic transcription, at $1.67 per audio minute, Reduct’s human transcription service is the cheapest 24-hour service available. It is an excellent option if you

Why Should You Use A Human Transcription Service Over A Computer Transcription Service

When it comes to transcribing interviews there are many factors that mean that using a human transcription service will get you the most accurate results.

Computer transcription services have many limits within their software which makes transcribing interviews particularly difficult. These limits include the inability to overcome issues such as poor audio quality.

As well as this, computers have issues when it comes to speaker identification, which can affect how audio recordings featuring multiple speakers are transcribed. Human transcription services have the editing ability to ensure that the interview transcript looks like a conversation between various speakers.

A lot of companies use computer software for automatic transcription as they are typically cheaper, and have a faster turnaround time. However, the levels of accuracy that you receive are often poor. This can be detrimental forlegal transcription as inaccurate interview transcripts can change the way the evidence is read and analysed.

Human transcriptionists also have the ability to offer clean verbatim transcription if required. This means that a human transcriptionist can remove any unwanted speech sounds such as stutters and false starts, as well as any filler words to create a file which is easier to read and understand.

At Alphabet our transcriptionists are highly trained to transcribe interviews, and include every detail to ensure you are left with the most accurate written record of your interview.

You May Like: Design Interview Preparation

How To Record Interviews For Best Results

With social distancing rules in place , the above picture is probably a true representation of how you will be recording interviews in 2020.

Lets be honest, if youve recorded your interview with tons of background noise or other disturbances, it will make interview transcription that much more difficult.

Below are a couple of reasons why:

• You will spend more time and effort transcribing bad quality audio.
• If you hire a freelance transcriber, they may make mistakes which youll have to correct later.
• A transcription services company may charge you extra for difficult audio.
• Difficult audio can lead to inaccuracies in data, which will affect your outcome.
• You may have to waste time recording the interview again if its really bad.

To avoid the above from happening, weve created a couple of helpful, in-depth guides like:

If you cant be bothered to read all of those guides, below are some brief steps:

How To Transcribe Interview Recordings

How you can Transcribe Interviews. A job interview could be a reliable source for fresh or hard-to-learn more. However, in referencing the data contained inside an interview or discussing the data with other people, most cannot devote time to hearing it from the interview entirely. Transcribe your

Manual Transcription Frequently, its simpler to tape a job interview to hear after attempting to take notes while attempting to speak to someone. However, taping means that you will have to transcribe the job interview. Based on which method you utilize to transcribe interviews, this is often a tiresome process or perhaps a procedure that requires almost no time. Manual Transcription Typically, interviews are recorded on tape recording machines, after which by hand transcribed. This involves lots of starts and stops using a feet pedal. Transcriptionists use feet pedals to stop and start the tape so the transcriptionists hands can transcribe. When the transcriptionist does not catch the precise wording or she must replay the tape to a particular area of the interview, then she will have to perform a tremendous amount of rewinding. Transcribing interviews by hand can be quite time-consuming, especially should you prefer a verbatim transcript. If you simply need to produce a summary in the interview in order to select certain quotes, its less tiresome.

Video advice: How to Automatically Transcribe Recordings, Interviews and Meetings in Real Time to Searchable Text

Don’t Miss: Prepare For System Design Interview

How To Manually Transcribe An Interview

Regardless of whether you work in journalism, public relations or marketing, at some point you will find yourself tasked with the daunting job of transcribing an interview. Its not that writing out an interview transcript is hard, but it is incredibly time consuming even for short interviews. There are online services out there that charge a reasonable rate per minute for audio or video transcription, but that as well takes time. Same thing with interns. You have the interview audio or video in hand and you want to jump to the next phase of the project to start scripting or editing your project or story. Well look at how to transcribe an interview with free audio transcription software so you can get to that step quickly.

Video advice: How to transcribe interviews?

What Is An Interview Transcription

An interview transcription is the process of converting an oral interview into a written form. It creates a record of the things discussed between two or more people in an interview that can be referred to at a later time. An interview transcription can either be done at the time the interview is taking place or after through a recorded audio.

Recommended Reading: Interview Questions To Ask A Cfo

Calculate How Long It Will Take

If you decide to transcribe the recording yourself, first calculate how long it will take you.

With a decent typing speed of 50-60 w.p.m. you can transcribe a simple 1-hour recording in approximately 4-6 hours.

Complex recordings with multiple speakers, poor audio quality, strong accents, or technical content can take 9-10 hours to transcribe.

You should also account for time-coding and formatting, as those will take extra time.

Tip: If you need to transcribe frequently, then investing some time in improving your typing speed may be a good idea.

How Can I Index My Recordings

Listen to the recording closely and write down the major points in the order in which they are discussed, being careful to also note the minute and second or the meter reading on the recorder .

In general, researchers and listeners are more interested in the answers than the questions . A good rule of thumb is the more detailed and descriptive the indexing is, the better researchers are able to access the tape content. For example, writing “describes fears about not surviving and prayers he wrote in his diary” is more helpful than “fears in battle.” For examples of some excellent logs the Veterans History Project has received from participants, please see sample Audio and Video Recording Logs listed on our forms page.

You May Like: Best System Design Interview Prep

Listen To A Paragraph Or Sentence As A Whole

Remember that the context of what is being said is important. In many cases, you will encounter some moments in the recording where there is mumbling or unclear verbiage. Its important to listen to the entire sentence or paragraph and try to work out what words they are trying to say. This should make a lot more sense than trying to figure out one singular word each time.

Extracting Insights From Your Interviews

Giving your full attention during any conversation is keyespecially if its an interview! . If you think about it, the content of the interview decides the findings researchers share, the case studies marketers create, and the stories journalists publish. When we shifted to remote work, interviews naturally ended up on video conferencing platforms like Zoom. Unlike offline events, you can easily record and transcribe your virtual interviews capturing every word with its nuances. This means its also easier to analyze, interpret, and share your interviews. In this post, well focus on how to transcribe your interviews and edit and download transcripts in the preferred format. Transcribing Interviews There are two ways to transcribe your interview. The traditional way is to use a transcription service provider wholl use humans to create the transcript and send it back to you after a couple of hours. If youre looking for 100% accuracy, then its the way to go. Note that transcription service providers cant capture the nuances in the conversations as they transcribe what you say, not how you say it.

How to use an iPhone to record interviews and how to get the recording transcribed How to use an iPhone to record an interview and send it to a transcription company for transcribing, an advice note by UniversityTranscriptions.co.uk.

Read Also: Top 10 Behavioral Questions

How Much Time Does It Take To Make A Transcript

Creating a transcript is time consuming but extremely valuable. Word processing software and other computer programs have made the task easier than before, but oral historians and folklorists estimate that it takes between six and twelve hours to transcribe one hour of an interview, plus additional time if you edit the transcript afterwards.

How To Transcribe An Interview With Voice Record Pro

To get started, simply open the Voice Record Pro app and hit record. If youre only interested in recording an interview or conversation for notes, thats all youll need. If this is a podcast or radio production project, you may want to connect a more professional microphone to your iPhone or Android smartphone. If the project is video based, you can simultaneously record the interview on your smartphone, playback the interview afterward to record on your phone in real time or Voice Record Pro offers an array of import options.

Next, go to the list of all your recordings and select the file you would like to transcribe. Along with the option to playback the audio, youll see options to send the audio file by email, sms or even via FTP upload. You can also upload the file to various cloud storage services or get right to editing the audio within the app. About halfway down the list you will find the option for Transcription.

After the audio to text transcription for your interview is complete, you can copy/paste into another app or email yourself the transcription. To save the transcription within the app, you press Append to Notes. That saves the transcription along with the audio so you can come back to review it later.

You May Like: Best Interview Clothes For A Woman

Why Record An Interview

When you interview someone, you’re getting a snapshot of their life experience directly from them. If you record an interview, you have permanent access to that first-hand information. For example, if a client explained what they needed from your product in an interview, you shouldnât rely on your memory when relaying that information to your designers.

Whether your interview is in person or online, recording it ensures that you can use the information you get from your interviewee properly and make the best use of it for your business.

Additionally, recording information makes the interview easy to share. If an interview isnât recorded, then it can only be shared through notes taken by the interviewer, which wonât be as effective as the direct audio of the interview. Recording the interview makes sure everything shared is first hand information, which is a more effective form of communication.

Finally, recording an interview allows you to be more engaged in the interview itself as you donât need to worry about taking notes or marking down specific information. By recording, you are making sure that the interview has 100% of your attention in the moment, which will lead to a better result.