How to Learn Transcription Independently: Tips & Services

This article explains how to self-study transcription, the process of converting audio from meetings, interviews, and other sources into text.

• I want to transcribe meetings and interviews myself.
• I want to learn transcription on my own to start a side hustle.

For those interested, we'll cover the basics of transcription and recommend useful tools.

We'll also discuss AI tools that can automatically transcribe audio into text.

Why not use this article as a guide to learn transcription independently?

Recommended AI Transcription Services for Meetings and Interviews

For those planning to transcribe meetings and interviews themselves, there's a highly recommended service!

It's the AI transcription service, "Mojiokoshi-san."

"Mojiokoshi-san" is a web service that uses the latest speech recognition AI to transcribe audio files and videos quickly and accurately.

Since AI automatically transcribes the audio, you can easily get transcriptions without having to learn the process yourself.

Furthermore, "Mojiokoshi-san" features a speaker diarization function that transcribes audio by individual speaker, making it easy to convert audio from meetings with multiple speakers into text.

It's also recommended if you only need a raw transcript and plan to do the editing yourself.

What's more, "Mojiokoshi-san" is free!

You can transcribe up to 1 minute of audio without registration or login, so if you're considering learning transcription on your own, why not try "Mojiokoshi-san" first?

Basic Knowledge for Self-Studying Transcription

First, let's cover the fundamental knowledge you should have when learning transcription on your own.

What is Transcription?

Transcription is the process of converting recorded audio from meetings, interviews, lectures, speeches, medical consultations, or counseling sessions into written text.

Audio files cannot be visually reviewed for content as they are.

It's also very inconvenient to find specific content within them.

By transcribing the content into text, it can be preserved as a record, used as a database, and utilized more conveniently.

For example, creating meeting minutes from recorded audio makes it much easier to review the meeting's content.

Transcription, Audio-to-Text, and Written Conversion

The process of converting recorded audio into text is called "transcription" because, in the past, cassette tapes and other tape media were used for recording.

While smartphones and IC recorders have replaced tapes today, the term "transcription" is still commonly used as a legacy term.

Additionally, converting recorded audio into text is also referred to as "audio-to-text conversion" or "written transcription."

• Transcription
• Audio-to-text conversion
• Written transcription

These terms can be considered to have the same meaning.

Types of Transcription

There are three main types of transcription:

• Verbatim transcription
• Clean verbatim
• Edited transcription

This knowledge is especially crucial if you're learning transcription for a side hustle.

1. Verbatim Transcription

Verbatim transcription involves transcribing the entire content of an audio file, including misspoken words, stutters, and other elements not directly related to the core meaning of the audio.

For example:

Um, we will now begin the meeting. Uh, so, the agenda for today, Tanaka-san, do you have the materials? Ah, yes. Here they are. This time, after you report on last month's new product sales, yes, we plan to discuss how to effectively, uh, promote it online.

This includes transcribing meaningless words like "um," "uh," and "yes" (when used as a filler).

*Meaningless words are also called "fillers."

While it may seem unnecessary at first glance, it's a very important process for strictly documenting content because it doesn't introduce the transcriber's subjective interpretation.

"Verbatim transcription" is a task that AI transcription services excel at.

For efficient transcription, it's recommended to use an AI transcription service for verbatim transcription and then manually perform the "clean verbatim" and "edited transcription" steps, which will be explained next.

2. Clean Verbatim

Clean verbatim involves removing meaningless words from the transcribed text to simplify and refine it.

We will now begin the meeting. The agenda for today, Tanaka-san, do you have the materials? Here they are. This time, after you report on last month's new product sales, we plan to discuss how to effectively promote it online.

As shown, meaningless words (fillers) like "um," "uh," and "yes" are removed, making it easier to read.

This method is very commonly used in transcription because it allows you to create easy-to-read text while maintaining the flow of the recorded content.

3. Edited Transcription

Edited transcription involves rewriting and editing the content of the transcribed text into a more readable expression without changing its meaning.

For example:

We will now begin the meeting. Tanaka-san, do you have the materials? Here they are. Today's agenda includes a report on last month's new product sales and effective online promotion methods.

As shown, while the recorded content remains the same, the text is further refined into a more readable format by converting it to a polite "desu/masu" style or removing unnecessary parts.

In some cases, transcribed text that has undergone edited transcription is kept as the final record.

How to Self-Study Transcription?

We'll explain the best ways to self-study transcription!

1. Develop Typing Skills

To transcribe smoothly, typing speed and accuracy are extremely important.

If you're not confident in your typing, start by developing your typing skills.

It's recommended to practice until you can touch-type, meaning you can type without looking at the keyboard.

There are free typing games available online, so be sure to try them out.

2. Practice by Listening to Audio

Once you've sufficiently developed your typing skills, start practicing transcription by actually listening to audio and typing it out.

Transcription practice is all about hands-on experience.

The more you practice, the more your transcription speed and accuracy will improve.

For self-study transcription materials, YouTube videos on topics you're interested in are ideal.

It's recommended to start with "raw transcription" where you transcribe every word, including filler words like "um" and "uh."

3. If You Can't Transcribe Well, Try Lowering the Playback Speed

If you can't keep up with typing while listening to the audio, try lowering the playback speed.

It's recommended to prioritize accurate transcription and start self-studying at a slower speed.

Lowering the playback speed is a technique often used when transcribing for actual work.

4. Practice "Kebatori" (Filler Word Removal)

If you're going to self-study transcription, it's recommended to learn not only raw transcription but also "kebatori" (removal of filler words and unnecessary sounds).

AI transcription services are increasingly being used for raw transcription.

By self-studying the know-how of "kebatori," you can acquire value-added skills beyond simply transcribing the content of the audio as is.

5. Daily Reading is Important for Self-Studying Text Refinement

If you're self-studying transcription, it's best to also be able to do text refinement.

However, unlike raw transcription and "kebatori," text refinement requires your own writing skills.

To self-study text refinement, it's important not only to transcribe by typing while listening to recorded audio, but also to expose yourself to various types of writing to expand your range of expression.

For example, if you're self-studying business-related transcription, it's recommended to read economic magazines, newspapers, websites, and news releases/press releases from various companies.

Copying text by hand while looking at it is also good training for self-improving your writing skills.

6. Research Tools for Convenient Transcription

In parallel with self-studying how to transcribe by typing yourself, it's also recommended to gather information about tools that make transcription more convenient and faster.

For example, the latest AI transcription service "Mojiokoshi-san" can transcribe long audio files in just 10 minutes.

The goal of transcription

The goal is not just to convert audio to text, but to make the audio content usable as data.

By learning about related tools and jobs, you can step up from being "someone who transcribes audio" to "someone who compiles interviews into articles" or "someone who edits meeting minutes," becoming an even more valuable asset!

Recommended AI Transcription Tools Essential for Modern Transcription

"Mojiokoshi-san" is an AI transcription tool that we highly recommend for anyone looking to learn transcription independently!

"Mojiokoshi-san" uses two types of cutting-edge AI to transcribe audio files with high accuracy and speed.

• PerfectVoice: Ultra-fast transcription of long files in just 10 minutes, supporting 100 languages.
• AmiVoice: Supports speaker diarization, fast transcription in about the same time as the audio file length.

These features significantly speed up transcription work that used to take hours!

If you're summarizing meetings or interviews into text, we recommend using "Mojiokoshi-san" from now on.

You can transcribe up to 1 minute of audio for free without registration or login, so why not experience free AI transcription with "Mojiokoshi-san" first?

Learning Transcription Independently? Consider AI Tools!

Summarizing meeting minutes and interviews into text is a widely sought-after skill that will continue to be in demand.

However, by not just transcribing audio, but by learning how to organize it into useful "information," you can significantly enhance your value and pursue a wider range of freelance opportunities.

For modern transcription, we recommend using AI transcription tools.

If you're considering self-studying transcription, why not also learn how to use AI transcription tools?

■ 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.