How long does it take to transcribe one hour of recorded speech?
In general, we speak three or four times faster than even the most experienced typist can transcribe the words. To give you an idea of the time involved, the industry standard allows 60 minutes to transcribe 15 minutes of clearly recorded speech. Consequently, a one hour recorded audio file could take four or five hours to transcribe. An equal period of time of the recording duration should be allowed for proofreading, printing, and posting the transcription, (if these are requirements). Accordingly, a clear recording of an hour in length could require four or five hours of work. If the recording is garbled, faint or has a lot of background noise, it will take more time to transcribe. However, we will inform you as soon as possible if the recording is proving difficult – so as to prevent you incurring additional charges.
