In 2022, the US transcription market was valued at $25.98 billion and is set to grow in the coming years. These figures reflect how valuable it is today to have reliable and accurate records of written information.
One of the contexts with the highest demand for transcripts is academia. If you are a higher education student, here we tell you what transcripts are, their importance, and how they can help you learn effectively and succeed in specific situations.
Here we tell you more about how to transcribe audio to text to help you build a solid and stress-free academic career.
What are transcripts?
Transcriptions transform the spoken content of an audio or video into written text (in the original language) to provide accurate and reliable records for various purposes.
These are the most common types of transcriptions:
- Verbatim transcription which involves transcribing word for word, including repetitions and errors, because all content is considered valuable for analysis and interpretation.
- Edited or clean transcription, repeated words, and errors are eliminated to make the content clearer and easier to read.
- Summary transcript is a shortened version and communicates only the essence of the original recording.
The first forms of transcription are said to date back to Egypt, approximately 3400 BC. In 1867, the great invention of the typewriter occurred, and information began to be documented very quickly.
With the advent of computers and word-processing software in 1980, technology was incorporated. Today, although humans still make transcriptions with the support of software and transcription pedals, the great revolution is automatic transcriptions made with artificial intelligence software.
With AI, automated transcriptions are obtained; thus, accurate information can be available in minutes. It is a highly valued service in different contexts, and we tell you about it below.
Main uses of transcription
Transcription is used in multiple areas because a large amount of information needs to be recorded daily. These records, or transcripts, are essential input to carry out your workflows and fulfill your functions. Here are some of the most relevant ones.
| Area | What is transcribed? | What is it transcribed for? |
| Legal | Trials, hearings, and procedures | To know the facts to analyze, discuss, and make decisions regarding cases and procedures. |
| Judicial | Interrogatories, records, depositions, testimony, arguments and judgments | Provides police and law enforcement officers with the information they need to enforce and comply with the law |
| Medical | Patient data, test results, procedures, diagnoses, and treatments. | Medical records are generated thanks to transcriptions and are indispensable for efficient care and communication between healthcare specialists. |
| Organizational | Presentations, meetings, conferences, seminars, interviews, and conventions | Having records facilitates the analysis and evaluation of data to develop strategies and meet your objectives. |
| Academic | Conferences, classes, seminars, symposiums, focus groups, congresses, speeches and interviews | Facilitate the mediation of teaching and learning processes and research. |
The above are just a few areas as examples; there are many more, such as the media industry, entertainment, and marketing. With this brief informative framework on transcription and who uses it most frequently, we now turn our attention to the field of academic transcription.
The importance of transcription in the academic world
The academic world is a whole of verbalized knowledge, information, and thoughts, and a technique is needed to capture that information and not forget it. That technique is transcription; it is a perfectly written and precise version of that content, and it can be printed, saved, organized, or searched for precise information quickly and easily.
In addition, transcription in the academy is essential because it provides access to knowledge and information to students with hearing impairment or who do not master the language.
Why rely on transcripts when studying for a degree?
Studying for a career is a great challenge. Many concepts need to be learned, and it requires an effective technique for managing information methodically: this technique is transcription.
By recording the contents in audio or video, you can generate the transcription manually or through a specialized service, which will undoubtedly allow you to obtain accurate and completely reliable information.
As we will show you, transcription is an ally that facilitates information processing in a series of contexts, which we will detail below.
1. Transcription of conferences without losing detail
Conferences are events in which a large amount of information is presented and discussed, usually by specialists who deal with complex topics. Therefore, you need to focus your attention entirely; this will only be possible if you record the conference’s content and then transcribe it.
The transcript will provide you with a complete record of the conference. You will have the written version to read, reread, summarize, and understand, and you may discover even new meanings that you may have missed during the live conference.
2. Transcription of the research
Interviews or focus groups are frequently used in research to gather information. The ideal is to record and then transcribe so that you can pay attention to what the participants say and how they say it, detect inconsistencies, ask questions to clarify, and ensure that you have the necessary information.
Once you have the transcripts, you can review the information carefully and conduct the corresponding analysis to achieve the research objectives.
3. Organize your notes by using the notes and printing them out.
One risk of taking notes is that they can get lost, and it can be difficult to search for specific information at a given moment. This is the same for recordings; searching for a specific segment of information in a video or audio can be really difficult.
By transcribing, you can print out all the information or save it on your PC or device. The search function makes it possible to locate any content easily and quickly.
4. It allows you to pay more attention in class
While taking notes is a strategy that makes it easier to retain information, dividing your attention between paying attention to the class to understand and taking notes so you don’t forget can be complicated and stressful.
In addition, taking notes limits your ability to get more involved and participate more in class, ask questions to clarify doubts, or make useful contributions to the group. The transcript will allow you to focus completely on the class and, therefore, get more out of it.
5. It fits your budget
If you don’t have the budget, you can convert the audio or video files into a written format yourself. While this practice helps you understand and memorize the information as you transcribe, it can be a bit exhausting, depending on the file size.
One option is to turn to the free service options of some transcription services or free trials, which will serve you well if you don’t require a lot of transcriptions because they generally have set time limits.
However, if you explore the transcription services market, you can find a solution according to your budget because they offer flexible plans. Some charge by the minute, others by subscription, and some include special discounts for students.
6. You can share notes with your colleagues
This is really important. Success in college involves making a series of smart decisions, and one of them is to create a peer support network. If someone was unable to attend class or any academic event of interest, you can send them the transcript file so they can access the information and not miss out on the learning experience.
Conclusions
One of the great challenges of being a university student is managing the large amount of information you receive daily in classes, lectures, and other very interesting academic activities.
The transcript allows you to have a reliable and accurate written version of that information. You can organize it, print it, download it, share it with others, and locate content that interests you easily and quickly.
Although you can do transcriptions yourself, if they are extensive recordings, you must invest the time and energy needed to study. The transcription services market offers a comprehensive, flexible selection, and some companies offer special student discounts.
Finding the most convenient option for you without Dune will be a great ally, allowing you to be a more effective student and improve your academic performance.
