How to Start a Transcription Side Hustle: A Complete Guide

I want to start a transcription side hustle, but how do I go about it?

For you, this article explains how to start a transcription side hustle (or tape transcription).

Side hustles are becoming increasingly popular as a new way of working.

The appeal lies in the ability to work from home at your preferred times.

Among these, transcription (or tape transcription) is often in demand and easy to start, making it perfect for a first side job.

However, if you don't grasp the key points, you might encounter issues such as:

• Taking too much time for too little income
• Missing delivery deadlines

...and other problems.

Therefore, this article introduces how to find work, how to proceed, and recommended methods.

Why not use this as a reference to start your transcription or tape transcription side hustle?

What is a Transcription (Tape Transcription) Side Hustle?

First, what kind of work is transcription (tape transcription)?

We will also explain the benefits of choosing transcription for a side hustle.

What is Transcription (Tape Transcription)?

Transcription (or tape transcription) is the process of converting recorded "audio" content into "text".

By converting recorded audio from meetings or interviews into text, it becomes easy to handle, for example, as meeting minutes or interview articles.

Transcription has existed since the era of cassette tapes for recording, which is why it is still sometimes called "tape transcription."

Reasons Why Transcription is Recommended for a Side Hustle

Transcription (tape transcription) is one of the easiest side jobs to start.

Here are the reasons why transcription is suitable for a side hustle:

1. Easy to do from home

Transcription work is primarily remote work.

Communication with clients is done via email or web conferencing systems, and deliveries can be made online, allowing you to work without leaving your home.

It's ideal for those with a main job or those who find it difficult to leave home due to childcare or elder care.

2. Can start immediately with just a computer

The only tool you need for a transcription (tape transcription) side hustle is a computer.

There are free "transcription player" apps available for typing while listening to audio, so you can start your side hustle without buying specialized software.

This is a significant advantage, as other popular side hustles like "design" or "web development" often require expensive software like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

*However, investing a little money can make things more efficient. Recommended tools will be introduced later in this article.

Also, the computer you use for transcription doesn't need to be high-spec.

If your computer can run Word or Excel, it's perfectly fine for transcription work.

3. Can start without specialized knowledge

Unlike "writer" jobs, which many people choose for a side hustle, transcription (tape transcription) often doesn't require specialized knowledge.

For example, it would be difficult for someone unfamiliar with cars to be a writer about automobiles, but transcribing an interview is comparatively less challenging.

*However, for transcription in fields like medicine or law, where even minor errors are unacceptable,

There are cases where only experienced transcribers are sought. Conversely, for those with specialized knowledge in medicine or law, it's an excellent opportunity to find high-paying side gigs.

Types of Audio for Transcription

Here are common types of audio content frequently requested for transcription side jobs:

Meeting Minutes

Meeting minutes are a very common theme for transcription side jobs.

Many companies outsource the transcription of meeting discussions to external writers.

Since meetings are constantly held in companies of all sizes, there are frequent opportunities to take on such projects as a side hustle.

A key characteristic is that you often need to transcribe each speaker individually.

Interviews

Transcribing interview content is also a common task in transcription side jobs.

Often, there are only two speakers—the interviewer and the interviewee—making it relatively easy to identify who is speaking.

Videos from Video Sites like YouTube

In recent years, there's been an increasing demand for jobs involving watching videos on sites like YouTube and transcribing their content.

Most of these job postings come from YouTubers (video creators).

If they want to publish what they said in a video on a blog, it needs to be transcribed into text.

Additionally, if they want to add non-automatically generated subtitles to a video, they need the original text.

Many of these jobs involve transcribing videos that share expertise, offering the benefit of developing skills in summarizing information.

Besides these, various other transcription (or audio transcription) jobs are available.

You might find transcription work for audio in your area of expertise, so why not explore the freelance platforms mentioned next?

Recommended Ways to Find Transcription Side Jobs

So, how do you find transcription side jobs?

The answer is "crowdsourcing websites."

Specifically, these two sites are highly recommended:

1. Lancers

Lancers is one of Japan's most well-known crowdsourcing platforms.

It has a vast number of job postings, with over 14,000 listings in the "audio transcription, text transcription, and transcription" categories.

Registration is free, and a flat 16.5% system fee is applied to your earnings.

Lancers

2. CrowdWorks

CrowdWorks is another major crowdsourcing platform, comparable to Lancers.

It also lists a large number of transcription jobs, with over 3,000 postings in the "audio transcription and text transcription" category, and new ones are added daily.

Registration for CrowdWorks is also free. For jobs under 100,000 yen, a 20% system fee is applied to your earnings.

CrowdWorks

Workflow for Transcription Jobs

Here, we'll explain the typical workflow for transcription (audio transcription) side jobs.

1. Find Transcription Jobs

First, use crowdsourcing websites to find transcription (audio transcription) jobs.

find transcription (or tape transcription) jobs.

When looking for work, check the following:

• Length of the audio to be transcribed
• Delivery deadline
• Amount of compensation

The longer the audio, the more time transcription takes, so before accepting a job, consider whether you can complete the work by the deadline.

Also, especially when you're just starting out with transcription as a side hustle, make sure the compensation is fair by comparing it with similar jobs and market rates.

2. Accept the Job

Once you've decided on a job, accept it through the crowdsourcing site.

Jobs on crowdsourcing sites can be:

• Those where all applicants are guaranteed to get the job
• Those where you submit your profile, and the client selects a candidate

Sometimes, you might apply for a job and not be chosen.

However, transcription (and tape transcription) jobs are very abundant, so you'll quickly find other opportunities.

If you're not selected, don't get discouraged; it's recommended to look for the next job.

3. Receive Audio Files

Once you've accepted a job, you'll receive the audio files for transcription from the client.

Communication with the client usually takes place through the dedicated message form on the crowdsourcing site.

4. Transcription Work

Transcribe the received audio files.

When transcribing, it's highly recommended to use a dedicated "transcription player" app.

These apps allow for easy playback, pausing, and speed changes, making transcription much more efficient compared to general applications like "Notepad" or "Word."

Furthermore, to further streamline your transcription process, consider using an "AI transcription service."

We'll introduce transcription players and AI transcription services at the end of this article.

Please check them out.

5. Deliver the Transcribed Text

Once the transcription (or tape transcription) is complete, deliver it using the crowdsourcing site's system.

After delivery, the client will review the content, and if there are no issues, the delivery will be finalized.

This completes your transcription side job.

Tools to Boost Your Transcription Side Hustle Efficiency

Finally, we'll introduce tools that you should definitely use to perform your transcription side hustle efficiently.

Two types are highly recommended:

Transcription players
AI transcription services

Transcription Player Apps

A must-have app for your transcription side hustle is a transcription player.

These are text editing applications specifically designed for transcription, featuring functions like playback, pausing, and changing playback speed using keyboard shortcuts.

Here are some recommended apps:

Okoshiyasu2

"Okoshiyasu2" is a recommended transcription player app for transcribing on Windows PCs.

It comes with a full set of features, including shortcut keys for play, stop, fast-forward, and rewind, speed changes from 50% to 400%, and pitch adjustment.

Okoshiyasu2

CasualTranscriber

CasualTranscriber is a recommended transcription player app for Mac users.

It also includes basic features such as shortcut keys for play, stop, fast-forward, and rewind, and it even allows for transcription using Mac's built-in speech recognition feature.

CasualTranscriber

AI Transcription Services

To further streamline your transcription side hustle, you should definitely leverage "AI transcription services."

AI transcription services use AI speech recognition to transcribe audio.

Simply upload your audio file, and the AI will automatically transcribe it for you.

Compared to manual transcription using a keyboard, this significantly reduces both time and effort, so if you want to make your side hustle more efficient, using an AI transcription service is highly recommended.

Mojiokoshi-san

'Mojiokoshi-san' is an AI transcription tool that can be used for free.

Not only does it offer highly accurate transcription with two types of the latest AI, but it also supports transcribing individual speakers in meetings and transcribing foreign languages.

You can transcribe up to 1 minute for free without registration or login, so why not experience 'Mojiokoshi-san' first?

Ready to Start Your Transcription Side Hustle?

In this article, we've explained how to find transcription jobs and recommended methods for a transcription side hustle.

Transcription is one of the easiest side jobs to start, making it a suitable option for beginners.

It's also recommended for those new to remote work who are using crowdsourcing sites for the first time.

Once you start transcription work, using an AI transcription service can help you complete tasks even more efficiently.

Why not use convenient tools to efficiently advance your transcription side hustle?

■ 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