How to Transcribe 10x Faster with Apps

Transcription work is really tedious (or seems tedious)...

If you're feeling exactly like this right now, we're here to explain how to transcribe quickly and efficiently!

• You want to know the detailed process (steps and methods) for transcription.
• Summarizing meeting minutes or interviews takes too long... Is there a way to do it as efficiently as possible?
• Tell me about useful tools and specific techniques!

This article compiles information helpful for people like you.

By reading this article, you should be able to reduce transcription work that used to take hours to a fraction or even a tenth of the time, allowing you to focus on more lucrative tasks.

We'll introduce methods to transcribe faster, so please read to the end.

Streamline Your Transcription Process!

Transcribing audio or video content into text can actually vary greatly in time and effort depending on your method.

With advancements in technology, methods for much faster transcription have emerged.

Recently, using AI-powered transcription services has made it possible to significantly boost efficiency.

How to Transcribe Much Faster Than Before?

When you think, "Time to transcribe!", you probably imagine a process like this:

1. Prepare the audio data (or receive it).
2. Play the audio source on an IC recorder or a player on your smartphone/computer, and transcribe everything you hear into an editor like Word.
3. For parts you couldn't hear or couldn't keep up with, repeatedly press the play/stop button or rewind to correct each one.

Frankly, this method is far too inefficient.

Even when typing manually, by reviewing the steps and preparing (setting up your workspace) before you start, you can transcribe more quickly and in less time.

At first glance, it might seem faster to jump straight into the work, but if you don't plan your work properly beforehand and just start haphazardly without any preparation, it will ultimately take more time overall.

Also, tedious tasks like transcription are exactly where AI shines.

By using 'Mojiokoshi-san' and other AI transcription services, you can transcribe much faster and with higher accuracy than manual methods.

Now, let's look at the specific key points, steps, and methods for faster and more efficient transcription.

How to Transcribe 10x Faster (5 Key Points)

First, let's explain the crucial points for faster transcription.

To transcribe quickly and efficiently in the shortest possible time, you need to master these five points:

• Fully utilize tools and apps
• Optimize your audio data
• Listen to the audio once beforehand
• Don't stop audio playback during manual transcription
• Streamline your typing

Let's explain each in detail.

Fully Utilize Tools and Apps

The first thing to consider is using dedicated transcription tools.

It's tempting to try and do everything with familiar OS-付属 (standard) software or common Office apps.

However, using "dedicated tools" tailored for a specific purpose makes the work significantly easier.

For transcription, such "dedicated tools" certainly exist.

In addition to the recently popular "AI automatic transcription tools," there are also:

• Transcription-specific audio players with easy playback control
• High-functionality editors for detailed corrections and creating presentations/documents
• Proofreading tools that check for Japanese language errors

Many convenient apps like these are available.

Choosing the right tool for each task and using it effectively leads to time savings.

It might take a little effort to get used to them, but the benefits you'll gain later are immense.

Optimize Audio Data

If the quality of the source audio data for transcription is poor, work efficiency will significantly decrease, and errors and mistakes will be more likely to occur.

If you are doing the recording yourself, it's best to place a high-performance microphone close to the speaker and record in an environment where surrounding noise is minimized.

If you already have recorded data, it's recommended to "optimize" the data itself before transcription, such as removing distracting noise or adjusting the volume and playback speed for better clarity.

This allows for smoother transcription, reducing the total work time and enabling you to complete transcriptions faster.

※When using AI automatic transcription tools, clearer source data results in higher conversion accuracy.

Various dedicated apps are useful here too. I'll explain more in the next section.

Listen to the Audio Once Through in Advance

If you've taken on a transcription project as an outsourced job and weren't present at the original event, it's highly recommended to listen to the audio data all the way through before starting the transcription work.

• How many participants (speakers) are there?
• What topic are they discussing?
• How many unfamiliar terms are there?

While paying attention to these points, try to get a general overview, even if it's just a rough idea.

If you search for specialized terms online beforehand, the subsequent work will be smoother, and you'll be able to complete the task faster as a result.

Don't Stop Audio Playback When Transcribing Manually

When transcribing manually, if you encounter a section you can't understand, it's tempting to stop and rewind the audio.

However, no matter how user-friendly the player is, constantly pausing and rewinding will make the work take forever.

For unclear sections, mark them with a symbol like "●" along with a timestamp to check later. Focus first on getting through all the content.

You'll complete the transcription much faster than if you constantly pause and rewind.

If you find yourself frequently pausing because your typing can't keep up, a good method is to slow down the playback speed when optimizing the audio data.

Optimize Typing Efficiency

Naturally, increasing your typing speed will shorten the time required for transcription work.

When listening to the audio, try to avoid pausing as much as possible and transcribe as you go.The ideal state is to be able to type (transcribe) at the same speed as the playback speed.

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

As a technique to further improve typing efficiency, there is also a way to skillfully utilize the convenient functions of Japanese Input Method Editors (IME).

I'll explain that method in more detail below.

[Explanation] Specific Steps for Transcribing Audio Files (5 Steps)

Now that we've covered the important points, let's explain the specific methods and ways to transcribe audio step by step.

1. Recording
2. Audio File Optimization
3. Rough Transcription (Automatic Tool)
4. Detailed Correction
5. "Kebatori" (Filler Word Removal) and Text Formatting

This is the general flow. I'll explain each method one by one.

[STEP 1] Recording

To transcribe more quickly and smoothly, it's recommended to record in a way that makes transcription easier from the outset.

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

When recording with a smartphone or IC recorder, using an external high-performance microphone allows for higher quality recordings.

Also, depending on the workflow, for situations like meeting minutes or interviews where you are present, there are services that not only record audio with an IC recorder but also transcribe simultaneously.

• Texter
• Voice Rep Pro
• Smart Shoki
• Otter.ai

These tools support real-time recording + transcription, so it's good to use them selectively depending on your specific scenario.

AI Transcription is Recommended for Poor Audio Quality

The latest AI transcription services can skillfully distinguish and accurately transcribe even with some noise or voices from people other than the main speaker.

For example, at events like lectures, microphones sometimes pick up the murmuring of the audience, right?

AI engines for transcription are trained to automatically identify such noise.

Therefore, even if the audio quality is somewhat poor, AI transcription services can smoothly transcribe the audio into text.

High-quality microphones are expensive, so contracting an AI transcription service with the money you'd spend on equipment is a recommended approach.

[STEP 2] Audio File Optimization

As explained above, optimizing recorded audio data to make it easier to transcribe will save time in subsequent steps.

The three main things you should do are:

• Noise reduction
• Volume adjustment
• Playback speed adjustment

It might sound difficult, but it's surprisingly easy with dedicated tools.

• 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.

[STEP 3] Rough Transcription with Automatic Tools

"Verbatim transcription" refers to transcribing the content of audio data word for word, exactly as it is.

*Even if you're transcribing manually, the key is not to omit anything, including filler words like "uh" or "um."

This kind of mechanical work is where tools truly excel.

Many transcription tools offer free use for short audio clips. So, use the test sample data you created in the previous section to try out several tools and choose the one with the highest accuracy.

There's a compatibility between tools and the content of audio files or conversations, so performing this test will prevent wasting money.

• Mojiokoshi-san
• Speech to Text Demo
• AI Mojiokoshi

These tools are free to try, making them highly recommended even for those new to using such services.

Once you've narrowed down the best tools (those compatible with the audio file you want to transcribe), the next step is to convert the actual audio files into text.

If you're unsure about AI transcription tools, "Mojiokoshi-san" is highly recommended.

If you're looking for an audio transcription tool or method, start by trying "Mojiokoshi-san."

"Mojiokoshi-san" is an AI transcription service capable of highly accurate transcriptions.

The two types of AI transcription engines it uses are not only highly accurate but also offer convenient features such as:

• PerfectVoice: Supports 100 different languages
• AmiVoice: Speaker diarization (transcribes by speaker)

The transcription process is very simple; just upload your file from the top page, making it easy to use without confusion.

Furthermore, you can try it for free for up to 1 minute without registration, so you can test it out right away.

Why not experience AI transcription with "Mojiokoshi-san" first?

Combining multiple transcription results is also a recommended method.

When performing AI transcription, there's also a technique where you transcribe the same data with multiple tools and then only adopt the correct parts.

With services like "Mojiokoshi-san" that allow the use of multiple AIs, you can combine the strengths of each by transcribing with several AIs.

For this kind of work, an application called a "difference extraction tool (Diff)" is convenient.

• WinMerge
• FileMerge
• Text Comparison Tool

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

【STEP4】Fine-tuning and Correction

While AI transcription is highly accurate, you may still need to manually transcribe minor errors or sections that the AI missed.

When performing corrections, it's highly recommended to use a dedicated transcription player, which was common even before the advent of AI transcription.

Examples of such dedicated transcription software include:

• Okoshiyasu2
• Express Scribe
• CasualTranscriber

These specialized players offer various convenient features tailored for transcription, such as hotkey playback control, foot pedal support, and the ability to operate in the background without switching windows.

Utilizing these dedicated tools can significantly speed up your workflow, so be sure to incorporate them.

Some apps also include editors with features like cue points and timestamps.

Customizing your Japanese Input Method Editor (IME) is also recommended

To complete transcription faster, another effective method is to optimize your Japanese input.

By pre-registering frequently used words and phrases in your Japanese Input Method Editor (IME)'s dictionary tool, or by effectively utilizing the auto-conversion (live conversion) feature, you can reduce typing strokes and easily speed up text input.

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

• ATOK
• Google Japanese Input

These two are the most prominent. If you're interested, give them a try.

This article explains how to perform manual transcription using a keyboard. Please take a look.

7 Tips to Dramatically Improve Transcription Efficiency

【STEP 5】Cleaning up and Polishing the Text

A verbatim transcript (raw transcription), where every single word is written down exactly as spoken, might be necessary for record-keeping, but it's often impractical for actual work use.

If you need to quickly reference content later, compile it as a document, or publish it on a website or in print, you'll need to edit the text to make it more readable.

The two most common practices in the world of transcription are:

• "Kebatori" (Cleaning up): Removing meaningless words like "um," "uh," etc.
• "Seibun" (Polishing): Converting spoken language into written language.

When polishing the text, pay particular attention to the following points:

• Incorrect expressions or phrasing
• Supplementing missing parts (particles, demonstratives, etc.)
• Sentence breaks (punctuation)

Professional transcribers perform various other corrections, but even if you're transcribing yourself, these basic edits are essential.

※Be careful not to over-polish the text, as it might alter the speaker's original intent.

Utilizing a "grammar and spell checker" that automatically checks for typos and Japanese language errors is also a great way to speed up transcription.

highly recommended.

• Just Right! Pro
• Bun-ken
• enno

The three listed above are well-known. Some offer free trials, so feel free to try them for your daily writing tasks.

Human Transcription Services Are Also Recommended

If you absolutely cannot secure enough work time or urgently need clean transcription (text) data, using a professional transcription service is one option.

Service offerings vary widely, from "verbatim transcription only" to packages that include "kebatori" (removing filler words) and text refinement.

If you need the transcription results as quickly as possible, many services offer expedited delivery for an additional fee.

The costs are often very reasonable, and there are "per-character pricing plans" that make it easy to place one-off orders, allowing you to choose the most cost-effective service for your specific needs.

• Koelab
• Tokyo Hanyaku
• Voitex

The three listed above are prominent.

While you can also use crowdsourcing services to request transcription at a lower cost, be aware that it requires effort to vet the right person and, in some cases, conduct preliminary tests.

Balance the time and financial costs, compare with AI transcription, and use these services as appropriate.

How much does it cost to outsource audio transcription? (Tips for cheap requests explained)

Summary

This time, we explained tips, specific steps, and methods for transcribing quickly and efficiently.

As explained at the beginning, there are crucial points in transcription.

That is, dedicating enough time to set up your work environment and prepare thoroughly.

There are three reasons:

• Understanding the overall flow and methods allows you to think broadly during the work.
• It makes estimating work time easier. You can respond flexibly to unexpected situations.
• It helps identify areas for efficiency = places that might take time (bottlenecks).

Paying attention to these points, even if it feels like a detour, will ultimately allow you to complete the work in less time.

When performing any task, not just transcription, it's important to prepare rather than jumping straight into it.

Smart people plan meticulously, actively gather know-how and useful apps, and continuously boost their productivity.

Please try incorporating these mindsets, tools, and methods.

■ 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