[Time-saving] How to transcribe text 10 times faster [App usage techniques]

Transcription work is really troublesome (it seems troublesome)...

For those of you who are feeling exactly like this right now, I will explain how to transcribe efficiently.

• I want to know the detailed method (procedure) for transcription.
• It takes time to compile meeting minutes and interviews. Is it something that can't be done as efficiently as possible?
• Tell us about useful tools and specific techniques for using them!

We have compiled useful information for these people.

By reading this article, you will be able to reduce the transcription work that used to take hours to a fraction of the time , allowing you to focus on more profitable work.

Please watch till the end.

Let's streamline the transcription process!

Transcription, which involves transcribing audio and video content into text, actually takes a lot of time and effort depending on how you do it.

Especially recently, it has become possible to dramatically improve efficiency by using transcription services that use AI.

Traditional transcription methods were very time consuming.

When you think, "Let's start transcribing!", this is how you imagine the process, right?

1. Prepare recording data (hand over).
2. While playing the audio source on an IC recorder or the player attached to your smartphone or computer, transcribe what you hear point by point using an editor such as Word.
3. Whenever I couldn't catch the parts I couldn't catch up with or couldn't keep up with the transcription, I made corrections one by one by pressing the playback button or rewinding.

To put it bluntly, this method is far too inefficient .

Even if you type manually on a keyboard, you can transcribe in less time by checking the steps and making preparations (preparing the work environment) before actually doing the work.

At first glance, it may seem faster to start work right away, but if you don't plan your work well in advance and start work on the fly without any preparation, you end up spending a lot more time. It's something that will happen.

Also, AI comes into play when it comes to tedious tasks like transcription.

By using an AI transcription service such as Mr. Transcription , you can transcribe text much faster and with higher accuracy than manual transcription.

Now, let's take a look at the points you should keep in mind for more efficient transcription and the transcription steps.

How to transcribe 10 times faster (5 points)

First, I will explain the important points.

In order to perform transcription work efficiently in the shortest possible time, you need to keep in mind the following five points.

• Make full use of tools and apps
• Optimize your audio data
• Listen to the audio in advance
• Do not stop audio playback while doing manual work
• Streamline your typing

I will explain each in detail.

Make full use of tools and apps

The first thing you should consider is using a specialized transcription tool .

We tend to try to manage all our tasks using the standard software that comes with the OS we're used to, or the standard Office apps.

However, using specialized tools tailored to the purpose will make the task much easier.

Of course, such "dedicated tools" also exist for transcription.

In addition to the "AI automatic transcription tool" that has recently become a hot topic,

• Audio player dedicated to transcription with easy playback control
• A highly functional editor that makes it easy to make detailed corrections and create presentation materials and documents.
• A grammar proofing tool that checks Japanese mistakes

A variety of useful apps are available.

Choosing the right tools for each task and using them effectively will save you time.

It may take some time until you get used to using it, but the benefits you will get later on are huge.

Optimize your audio data

If the quality of the sound source (audio data) that is the source of transcription is poor, work efficiency will drop significantly and mistakes and mistakes will occur more easily.

If you are recording yourself, try to place a high-performance microphone as close as possible to the speaker and record the audio in an environment that is less susceptible to background noise .

If you already have recorded data, we recommend ``optimizing'' the data itself, such as removing disturbing noise and adjusting the volume and playback speed to make it easier to hear.

*When using an AI automatic transcription tool, the conversion accuracy will be higher if the original data is clear.

Various specialized apps can help here as well. I will explain the details in the next section.

Listen to the audio in advance

If you are not present at the time, such as when you are contracted to perform tape transcription as part of an outsourcing request, we recommend that you listen to the audio data all the way through before starting the transcription process.

• How many types of participants (speakers) are there?
• What topic are you talking about?
• How many words are there that you are unfamiliar with?

While paying attention to these points, try to understand the whole picture, even if it's just a rough outline.

Searching for technical terms online in advance will make the process smoother.

Do not stop audio playback when manually transcribing

When you're manually transcribing the audio, if you come across a part that you can't hear, it's tempting to stop and rewind the audio.

However, no matter how easy to use the player you are using, if you have to pause and rewind every time, you will never finish your work.

If you don't understand something, mark it with a symbol like "●" along with a timestamp, and check it later.For now, focus on completing everything.

If you find yourself pausing frequently because you can't keep up with typing, we recommend slowing down the playback speed when optimizing audio data.

Streamline your typing

Of course, the faster you can type, the faster the transcription process will take.

Ideally, when listening to audio, you should be able to type (transcribe) at the same speed as the playback speed, without pausing as much as possible.

In addition to honing your skills with typing practice software, it's also important to choose a keyboard that's easy to use and suits you.

Another technique to make your typing more efficient is to make good use of the convenient features of the Japanese Input System (IME) . I will also introduce more details below.

[Explanation] Specific steps to transcribe audio files (5 steps)

Now that you have covered the important points, we will explain step by step how to perform specific transcription .

1. recording
2. Optimize audio files
3. Drafting (automatic tool)
4. Minor corrections
5. Fluff removal/alignment

The general flow is like this. I'll explain them one by one.

[STEP1] Recording

In order to transcribe smoothly, we recommend recording in advance to make it easier to transcribe .

As explained above, the better the quality of the sound source (audio data), the more accurate the transcription will be.

When recording with a smartphone or IC recorder, you can record higher quality sound by using an external high-performance microphone .

Also, depending on the work flow, when you are present, such as meeting minutes or interviews, there are services that can not only record audio with an IC recorder but also transcribe it at the same time.

• Texter
• Voice Rep Pro
• smart secretary
• Otter

These tools support real-time recording and transcription, so you can use them depending on the usage scene.

AI transcription is recommended when the sound quality is poor

The latest AI transcription service is able to clearly distinguish and transcribe with high accuracy even if there is some noise or a voice other than the main one speaking.

For example, at events such as lectures, the microphones may pick up the murmured voices of the audience.

The AI ​​engine for transcription is trained to automatically identify such noise.

Therefore, if you use an AI transcription service, you can smoothly transcribe audio into text even if the audio quality is somewhat poor.

High-quality microphones are expensive, so we recommend signing up for an AI transcription service with the money you would pay for the equipment .

[STEP2] Optimize audio files

As explained above, optimizing the recorded audio data to make it easier to transcribe will save you time later.

There are three main things you should do:

• noise removal
• volume adjustment
• Playback speed adjustment

It may seem difficult, but if you use special tools, it is surprisingly easy.

• SoundEngine
• Audacity

These two are recommended.

When editing audio data, it's a good idea to prepare a short (about 1 minute) sample file of the audio for testing in the next step.

[STEP3] Start up using automatic tools

"Quick transcription" refers to transcribing the contents of audio data word for word.

*Even if you transcribe by hand, it is important not to omit any parts such as "ah" or "um".

Mechanical work like this can be said to be a field where tools can be used exclusively.

Many transcription tools are available for free for short audio data, so try transcribing them with several tools using the test sample data you created in the previous section, and choose the one with the highest accuracy possible. .

The compatibility with the tool depends on the audio file and the content of the conversation, so it's better to do this test so you don't waste your money.

• Mr. Transcription
• Speech to Text Demo
• AI transcription

You can try these tools for free , so we recommend them even if you have never used them before.

Once you have narrowed down the tools that look good (that are compatible with the audio file you want to transcribe), you can use the actual data to convert the audio file to text.

If you are confused about AI transcription tools, we recommend “Mr. Transcription”

If you're having trouble finding a tool to transcribe audio, try Mr. Transcription first.

“Mr. Transcription” is an AI transcription service that can provide highly accurate transcription.

The two types of AI transcription engines we use are not only highly accurate;

• PerfectVoice: 100 types of multilingual support
• AmiVoice: Speaker separation function (transcription for each person speaking)

You can also use convenient functions such as

Transcription is also very easy , and you can use it without hesitation since you just need to upload the file from the top page .

What's more, you can try it for up to 1 minute for free and without registration , so you can try it right away.

Why not try out AI transcription with “Mr. Transcription”?

It is also OK to combine multiple transcription results

When performing AI transcription, one technique is to transcribe the same data using multiple tools and then use only the correct parts .

With services like ``Mr. Transcription'' that use multiple AIs, you can combine the strengths of each AI by transcribing with multiple AIs.

An app called ``Difference Extraction Tool (Diff)'' is useful for this kind of work.

• WinMerge
• FileMerge
• Text comparison tool

When combining multiple transcription results, make good use of the difference extraction tool.

[STEP4] Correction of details

Although AI transcription has very high performance, small mistakes or parts that could not be transcribed may need to be transcribed manually.

When making corrections, we recommend using a transcription player that has been in use since before AI transcription was introduced.

Dedicated transcription players include the following software.

• Okoshiyasu2
• Express Scribe
• Casual Transcriber

These dedicated players have convenient functions specialized for transcription, such as hotkey playback control, foot switch (pedal) compatibility, and the ability to operate in the background without switching windows. It comes with a variety of tools, so please take advantage of it.

Some apps come with editors that include features such as cueing and timestamps.

Customization of the Japanese input system (IME) is also recommended.

In addition, by registering frequently occurring words and phrases in the dictionary tool of the Japanese input system (IME) in advance, and by making good use of the automatic conversion (live conversion) function, you can reduce the number of times you type and easily speed up character input. is possible .

When working on a Windows PC, it's a good idea to use conversion software other than the standard IME.

• ATOK
• Google Japanese input

These two are the most representative. If you are interested, please give it a try.

This article explains how to manually transcribe using a keyboard. Please take a look.

7 tips to dramatically improve the efficiency of transcription (tape transcription)

[STEP5] Fluff removal/alignment

A text that is a word-by-word transcription of audio (original transcription) is necessary as an archival record, but it is difficult to use in actual work.

If you want to quickly reference the content later, summarize it as a document, or publish it on a website or publication, you need to edit the text to make it easier to read.

There are two types commonly used in the world of transcription:

• Eliminate meaningless words such as "ah" and "um"
• Seibun: converting spoken words into written words

Also, when writing your sentences, be sure to check the following points:

• Incorrect expressions/phrases
• Supplementary information on missing parts (particles, demonstratives, etc.)
• Sentence breaks (punctuation)

Professional transcriptionists make various other corrections, but even if you transcribe the text yourself, these adjustments are necessary at least.

*Be careful not to over-organize your sentences, as this may result in the content being different from what the speaker intended.

We also recommend using a grammar proofing tool that automatically checks for typos and Japanese mistakes.

• Just Right! Pro
• Bunken
• enno

The above three are famous. Some of them are available for free (including trial versions), so please try them out for your daily writing.

We also recommend human transcription services

If you can't find time to do the work, or if you urgently need clean transcription (text) data, one option is to use a professional transcription service .

The service content varies widely, from ``just starting a draft'' to services that include lint removal and text preparation.

Of course, we can also accommodate short delivery times.

Many of the prices are very reasonable, and there is also a ``character price plan'' that makes it easy to order one-off, so you can choose the most cost-effective service according to your goals.

• coera lab
• Tokyo translation
• Voitex

The three famous places are listed above.

You can also request transcription at a low cost by using a crowdsourcing service, but be careful as it takes time to identify the person you are requesting and (in some cases) pre-testing.

Please use it as appropriate while checking the balance of time and financial costs, and comparing it with AI transcription.

How much is the outsourcing market price for audio transcription? [Explanation of tips on how to request cheaply]

summary

This time, we have explained tips and specific steps for efficient transcription.

As explained in the introduction, there are important points in transcription.

This means making sure you have enough time to set up your work environment and make preparations .

There are three reasons.

• By understanding the whole thing, you can think about things from a bird's-eye view while working.
• Estimating work time is easy. We can respond flexibly to shortage situations.
• Easily find areas that can be made more efficient = areas that are likely to take time (bottlenecks).

If you pay attention to these things, you will be able to finish the work in a short amount of time, even if it feels like a detour.

When doing any kind of work, not just transcription, it is important to prepare rather than just jumping into action.

Smart people are making good plans, actively collecting know-how and useful apps, and increasing their productivity.

Please give these ideas and tools 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