What factors determine the length of time it takes to transcribe a tape?
The most important determining factor is the quality of the recording. Things that affect recording quality are: how it was recorded, background noises, speakers that speak too low, the volume setting, the microphone used or the brand of tape being used. The speakers voices are another factor, some speakers are too far from the microphone, they mumble, talk too fast or too slow, any of which makes it very difficult for a transcriber to hear. The number of people talking can also determine the transcription time because people seem to overlap their discussions and talk at the same time. Sometimes many participants fail to clearly identify exactly who is speaking. The speed of the person talking. Some people speak slower than others and others speak faster. A fast speaker equals more words, and more words require more time to transcribe, thusly driving up the cost. The quality of the speaker is another important factor because many people speak using “ums” and “ahs”. Sometimes they loose
