What Does a Transcriptionist Do?
While there is a perception that a transcriptionist is simply a very fast typist, there is much more to the profession. Here are some examples of the skills and qualities that every successful transcriptionist must possess in order to deliver quality work and build a steady clientele. A transcriptionist requires the skill of literacy. Because there is the opportunity for just about any word in a given language to be used during the course of a meeting or session that will require transcription, the transcriptionist must have the ability to transcribe what is heard accurately. This includes understanding colloquialisms that may be employed by various speakers, being able to use punctuation in such a way that the inflection of the speakers are captured as much as possible, and being able to record the dialogue exactly as it occurred. A well-rounded education in the art of language is an essential for any good transcriptionist. Above and beyond basic language skills, the need to deal easi
If you’re a transcriptionist, you’ll find yourself listening to some sort of spoken media and typing what you hear. You’ll be creating a text document (a transcript) of the file. Transcription work generally falls into one of three very broad categories: 1) Medical Transcription, 2) Legal Transcription, and 3) Everything Else. The first two often require some specialized training, education, experience, or a combination of the three. Why? Because people in the medical and legal fields don’t like to speak in plain English and it takes training, education, or experience to figure out what the hell they’re saying. If you’re just starting out, your best bet will probably be “general transcription,” which falls into that “Everything Else” category. In future posts, I’ll cover Medical and Legal transcription. But, for today we’ll focus on General Transcription. General Transcription – The “What” What type of work you do will depend on what services the company offers its clients. So, when yo
