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1 Hour Audio Transcription: Time, Cost & Efficiency Tips
June 8, 2025
I want to shorten the time it takes for transcription by even a minute or a second.
Whether you're someone tasked with transcription by your boss at work, or someone doing it as a side hustle, everyone probably feels this way.
But when you rush, constantly thinking "finish quickly, finish quickly," you end up making more listening errors and typos.
Ultimately, it can take even more time than working at a normal pace.
Are other people transcribing more efficiently?
Many of you might be wondering the same thing, right?
So, this time, to help all of you, we've compiled estimates for transcribing one hour of audio (word count, working time, and average cost).
We'll also cover average rates and fees, which are important for side jobs and remote work.
We'll explain the main reasons why transcription takes so long and their solutions, so reading this article should make your workflow more efficient and project management much easier.
Please read to the end.
Average Word Count, Working Time, Cost, Rate, and Fee per Hour of Transcription
First, let's look at the average word count, working time, cost, and rate for transcribing one hour of audio.
When you consider it as a job, how much content is in one hour of audio that you're transcribing?
What is the average word count for a 1-hour interview or meeting minutes?
The average word count per hour of audio is said to be around 15,000 to 20,000 characters.
However, this is just an average (estimate).
If the speaker is elderly and speaks slowly, it might be as low as 13,000 characters. In contrast, a conversation between friends tends to be fast-paced, sometimes reaching a considerable 25,000 characters.
In conversations with many silences, the word count can be significantly lower than the average.
Since the rate is determined by the audio duration, it's recommended to check the content and who is speaking in advance when taking on a transcription job.
What is the average working time for transcribing 1 hour of audio?
When typing on a keyboard, the time it takes to transcribe an average word count (transcription) depends on typing speed, but it's generally said to be:
1 hour of audio: approximately 4 hours
Let's calculate it.
- For a 1-hour interview: average 17,500 characters
- Characters typed per minute: 70 characters (equivalent to a word processing proficiency level 1)
- 17,500 characters ÷ 70 characters = 250 minutes
Thus, by simple calculation, transcribing a 1-hour interview takes an average of 250 minutes, which is approximately 4 hours.
If there are typing errors, listening errors, or poor audio quality requiring repeated listening, it can sometimes take 7 to 10 hours.
For recordings with good audio quality, such as lectures, and with standard/average typing speed, transcription can be completed in as little as 3 hours.
However, if the audio quality is poor or there are many speakers, it can take 7 to 10 hours. The word count is 16,000 to 20
approximately 4,000 characters.
Source: https://8089.co.jp/faq/whole4
If a beginner transcriber or someone with slow typing speed takes on a transcription request with a short deadline, it could lead to significant difficulties.
What is the average market rate for accepting (or commissioning) a "1-hour transcription" job?
When outsourcing transcription, there are broadly three methods:
- AI-powered automatic transcription
- Hiring an individual via crowdsourcing sites
- Human transcription by specialized agencies
Pricing is often presented per minute, so a simple calculation yields:
- AI: (150 yen to 2,400 yen / 1 hour)
- Crowdsourcing: (360 yen to 12,000 yen / 1 hour)
- Specialized agencies: (6,480 yen to 48,000 yen / 1 hour)
These are the average rates.
※These are just estimates, as rates can vary depending on the content's specialization, deadline, etc.
If you are accepting work, most publicly advertised jobs already have fixed character counts, compensation rates, and deadlines, so you'll be looking for opportunities that match your conditions.
Referring to the market rates above, it's generally safer to avoid jobs with rates that are either excessively low or unnaturally high compared to the average.
How are transcription rates determined?
When taking on transcription work as a side job or for remote work, rates are often determined by time.
When calculating costs, the amount is usually set at a per-minute rate.
However, there might be other ways to calculate costs, such as continuous work from a specific company at a fixed rate, so it's recommended to discuss costs and rates in detail beforehand.
Costs associated with transcription work
For transcription as a side job or remote work, no special equipment is required.
If you have a computer that can play audio, you can start working without additional costs.
Also, transcription software and AI transcription services are often available for free, so there's no need to purchase software.
For comfortable transcription, investing in your work environment is also recommended.
When spending money for work, using a good keyboard and headphones can be highly effective.
Keyboards can improve typing speed, and headphones can prevent mishearing, so investing in equipment can help increase your earning potential!
3 Reasons Why Transcription Work Takes a Long Time
Four hours for a 1-hour audio transcription is fast. I take many times longer than the average...
For those who felt discouraged after seeing the average (estimate) above, don't worry.
Here, we will introduce the reasons why transcription takes a long time.
- Low quality of the original audio data
- Content is specialized (many technical terms)
- Slow typing speed
These are the three main factors. Let's explain each in detail.
1. Low quality of the original audio data
If the speaker's voice is too quiet or muffled, making it difficult to hear, you might have to replay the audio multiple times, leading to frequent missed words or mishearings, which slows down the work speed.
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The same applies to audio data with ambient noise or background sounds.
The time required can multiply depending on the quality of the audio data.
A higher rate is meaningless if you can't meet the deadline.
Be careful not to easily promise short deadlines until you've actually listened to and checked the audio.
2. Specialized Content (Lots of Technical Terms)
When the content involves unfamiliar keywords or conversations in unknown fields, it can be difficult for non-experts to accurately transcribe, even after multiple listens.
While it's crucial to cultivate a habit of constantly gathering diverse knowledge and information, you should also take proactive measures, such as listening to the audio data several times beforehand and researching any unclear parts.
3. Slow Typing Speed
One often overlooked factor is typing speed.
If your typing speed doesn't match the audio playback speed, you'll constantly have to pause and stop typing, leading to significant time loss.
However, trying to force a faster typing speed can lead to more typos, which is also inefficient.
Strive to find the optimal balance between typing speed and accuracy.
Boost Your Rate! 5 Tips for Efficient Transcription to Transcribe More Words in Less Time
I understand the causes of delays, but how can I actually transcribe more efficiently?
For those with such questions, here are 5 specific techniques to improve your transcription efficiency.
- Clean up audio data
- Request a glossary in advance
- Master touch typing to increase typing speed
- Use a dedicated player and high-performance earphones
- Utilize AI transcription tools
The five points above will be covered.
We'll explain each tip for efficiency and boosting your rate in detail!
1. Clean Up Audio Data
Audio quality is crucial for completing transcription quickly.
Average audio files from meetings or interviews typically contain noise like ambient sounds.
Instead of starting transcription immediately after receiving an audio file, it's essential to first remove distracting sounds using dedicated noise reduction software.
If the speaker's voice is too quiet, it's also good to adjust it to an average volume at the same time.
Furthermore, if you know your typing speed, creating a version of the audio with the playback speed slowed down to match it at this stage will allow for smoother workflow.
*Always back up the original file before performing noise reduction or speed adjustments.
2. Request a Glossary in Advance
When taking on transcription work as a side job or remote work, during the initial communication, it's helpful to request:
- General content (e.g., topic, theme)
- A list of specialized terms (with brief explanations if possible)
It's best to ask for as detailed materials as possible for these two points.
While you could clarify unclear parts later, this often leads to more back-and-forth communication. Asking in advance tends to reduce the total time spent.
By explaining that it's "necessary for delivering accurate data as quickly as possible," clients are more likely to cooperate.
3. Master Touch Typing to Increase Typing Speed
When transcribing by typing yourself, typing speed is crucial.
The skill most directly linked to improving transcription efficiency and increasing your per-hour rate is undoubtedly touch typing (or blind typing).
If you currently look at your hands while typing, mastering touch typing can dramatically increase your typing speed.
Typing speed directly impacts your earning potential.
Since it's useful for all computer-based jobs, it's worth improving your typing speed, not just for transcription but for boosting your rates in other work too.
There are various training tools available, such as free typing apps and gamified typing software. It's recommended to choose one that suits you and practice to increase your typing speed.
4. Use Dedicated Players and High-Performance Earphones
When you transcribe, do you play audio files using a regular music player app?
Actually, there's a convenient tool called a "dedicated transcription player" specifically designed for transcription.
These players allow one-touch pause/play, fast-forward, and rewind, eliminating the need for mouse operations. This means you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard, helping maintain typing speed.
Some even include features for editing the audio itself or have built-in editors for transcribing.
Furthermore, it's recommended to use earphones or headphones specialized for audio playback or equipped with noise-canceling features.
This allows you to focus solely on listening without being distracted by ambient noise.
Many dedicated transcription players are free software, so it's often free to try them out.
5. Utilize AI Transcription Tools
Finally, I recommend using "AI transcription" tools.
When transcribing, you don't need to do all the work manually.
In recent years, the performance of AI speech recognition has improved remarkably, making tools that automatically convert audio data to text easily accessible to individuals.
By uploading recorded audio to an AI transcription service for transcription, you can save hours of time compared to typing out the transcription yourself.
Moreover, AI transcription tools are very affordable to use.
Some, like "Mojiokoshi-san," are even free!
They are also recommended for those who aren't confident in their typing speed!
Below, I'll introduce some recommended AI transcription services, so please give them a try.
Shorten Transcription Time with Convenient Tools
Once you become proficient with the tools introduced so far, your transcription efficiency will dramatically increase.
Before manually transcribing, loading audio data into a dedicated transcription tool for automatic transcription can also help you easily grasp the overall content, killing two birds with one stone.
In some cases, you might even achieve deliverable quality with just a few minor corrections...
By efficiently transcribing without spending a lot, you can increase your per-hour rate.
Therefore, AI transcription tools are highly recommended for side hustles and remote work.
7 Tips to Dramatically Improve Transcription Efficiency | Mojiokoshi-san
Top 5 Recommended Transcription Tools and Apps
Finally, we'll introduce tools and apps to speed up your transcription process!
From recommended AI transcription services to earphones, try out these tools and apps that can cut down your transcription time by over an hour.
1. Mojiokoshi-san
First up is the highly recommended AI transcription service.
Mojiokoshi-san is a transcription service that automatically converts audio files into text using AI.
Not only does it boast high recognition accuracy, but you can also choose from two types of cutting-edge AI:
- PerfectVoice: Transcribes 1 hour of audio in about 10 minutes, supports 100 languages.
- AmiVoice: Features speaker diarization (transcribes by speaker), perfect for meeting minutes.
This allows you to conveniently switch between them based on their strengths and the specific transcription scenario.
It supports not only audio files but also video, image, and PDF transcription.
Once you upload the file, the AI handles everything, making it ideal for those who aren't confident in their typing speed.
A key advantage is that you can use it for free for up to 3 minutes without registration or login, allowing you to check the transcription quality beforehand.
It's so high-performing that sometimes only minor edits are needed to achieve deliverable quality. If you're unsure about transcription methods, why not give it a try first?
2. Express Scribe
Express Scribe is a dedicated transcription player compatible with both Windows and Mac operating systems.
In addition to basic features like changing playback speed without altering pitch and controlling playback with hotkeys, it also supports operation via USB foot pedal.
It supports not only audio data but also video playback.
If speech recognition software is installed on your computer, automatic transcription is also possible.
※Note that the default setting uses the OS's built-in speech recognition system, which may not offer very high accuracy.
3. Sound Engine
This is a software designed for editing audio files themselves.
- Completely remove unnecessary sections
- Remove distracting noise
- Adjust volume and speed
These are its primary functions.
While Express Scribe, mentioned above, also has a noise reduction feature, this specialized software generally offers higher accuracy.
It can edit multiple audio files at once, which is useful when dealing with a large volume of data for work.
A free version is available, but it has limited features, so it's recommended to invest in the paid version for full functionality.
ne Free/Pro4. Enno
Enno is an application known as a "grammar and style checker".
It has a function that automatically detects typos, grammatical errors, and awkward phrasing in text.
When you're asked to not only transcribe but also proofread and refine the text for a transcription job, using a tool like this can significantly reduce the effort required for corrections.
Even for verbatim transcription or transcription with filler words removed, it helps in finding typing errors and other mistakes.
Despite being a free software, its accuracy is relatively high. However, if you're looking for more professional, high-performance tools, there are paid services like "Just Right! Pro" and "Bunken" that are also recommended if you're willing to invest.
5. AirPods Pro
The last transcription gadget I'll introduce is earphones.
The recommended earphones are "AirPods Pro".
These are Apple's well-known wireless earphones with noise cancellation. Their neutral sound tuning makes them suitable for listening to audio.
Furthermore, they feature an automatic ear detection function, allowing you to pause/play audio by simply putting on or taking off the earphones.
With the Live Listen feature, they can also function like a hearing aid.
This might be useful for interviews in challenging environments.
Of course, as genuine Apple earphones, your ears won't get tired even after wearing them for over an hour.
If you're going to invest in your work environment, a good keyboard and earphones are highly recommended.
How to Reduce Transcription Time for a 1-Hour Audio File: Summary
This time, we've explained the average estimates for the time, word count, rates, and costs involved in transcribing a 1-hour audio file, along with methods to work as efficiently as possible.
Let's review the 5 key points for efficiency and increasing your rates once more:
- Clean up audio data: Noise reduction, volume/speed adjustment
- Request a glossary in advance: Ask as early as possible
- Master touch typing to increase typing speed: A versatile skill worth acquiring
- Use a dedicated player and high-performance earphones: Invest in your setup to boost transcription efficiency
- Utilize AI transcription tools: Achieve fundamental time savings with the power of AI
By paying attention to these points, even those who used to jump straight into work without much preparation might realize how much time they wasted by neglecting small preparatory steps.
Right now, as you read this, precious time is ticking away and disappearing.
You can significantly reduce transcription time and increase your rates, even by starting with free methods!
Give it a try!
■ AI transcription service "Mr. Transscription"
"Mr. Transcription" is an online transcription tool that can be used from zero initial cost and 1,000 yen per month (* free version available).
- Supports more than 20 file formats such as audio, video, and images
- Can be used from both PC and smartphone
- Supports technical terms such as medical care, IT, and long-term care
- Supports creation of subtitle files and speaker separation
- Supports transcription in approximately 100 languages including English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Italian, etc.
To use it, just upload the audio file from the site. Transcription text is available in seconds to tens of minutes.
You can use it for free if you transcribe it for up to 10 minutes, so please try it once.
It is "Mr. Transcription" who can easily transcribe from audio, video, and images.
Transcription allows you to transcribe for up to 10 minutes for free.
You can copy, download, search, delete, etc. the transcribed text.
You can also create subtitle files, which is ideal for transcription of interview videos.
HP: mojiokoshi3.com
Email: mojiokoshi3.com@gmail.com
Email: mojiokoshi3.com@gmail.com
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Transcription for audio / video / image transcription. It is a transcription service that anyone can use for free without installation.
- What is Mr. Transcription?
- Transcript images, sounds, and videos with Mr. Transcription
- Free registration
- Rate plan
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