When you submit a
digital audio file for transcription to a
transcriptionist, you will first want to get an initial quote from the
transcription service. This will give the
transcriptionist a feel for the audio and allows them to determine the difficulty that may be involved in
transcribing the audio. This will generally determine the price per audio minute that you will pay to have the
transcripts completed.
There are a number of factors that will affect the cost per audio minute when it comes to having your audio files transcribed. Here are just a few of the barriers that you might face when trying to get inexpensive audio transcription work done:
Number of Speakers
It is a lot easier for a
transcriptionist to transcribe a one-on-one interview or a one person
podcast than it is an eight person
focus group. Also, you have to remember that if you have digital audio of, say, a university lecture, if there are people nearby talking, the
transcriptionist will have a little more difficulty
transcribing the lecturer because of the overtalk from nearby students. All of this is taken into consideration when a
transcription service gives you a quote for
audio transcription.
Fast and Slow Talkers
If your audio has a fast talker, it will be considerably difficult for a transcriptionist to transcribe the audio than if it is a slow talker speaking on the audio file. The faster the speaker talks, the more it will cost to have your transcription job completed.
Interruptions in Audio (Applause, Talk-over, Etc)
A speech at a local meeting may be a little more costly to transcribe if there is a lot of applause from the audience, or a lot of nearby talkover by other attendees. These kinds of situations will raise the price of your transcription, as it can sometimes be difficult for a transcriptionist to hear what is being said by the speaker when applause or the voices of other attendees is blocking the audio.
Quality of Audio
Of course, the more crisp and clear the audio is, the easier it will be to
transcribe. Clear audio of a speaker right at the microphone (like a
podcast) will be a lot cheaper to
transcribe than a community meeting with the speaker across the room and lots of attendees clapping and talking around the microphone. Be sure that when you are recording your audio, you get the recording device as close as possible to the speaker you want
transcribed. This will lower your overall cost of
transcription.
Expected Turnaround Time
If you needed the audio yesterday, you may end up paying a little more to have it
transcribed if you want it done as soon as possible. Of course, some
transcriptionists, like
Sara, work with individuals on an irregular basis and generally can
turn around audio within 24 hours. But of course, it depends on the workload of the
transcription provider. If the
transcriptionist has other files that they are working on, they will probably end up having to charge more if you want your
transcription returned as soon as possible. But if you are in no hurry, you will pay a lot less if the
transcriptionist is able to work on the file at their leisure.
These are just a few of the factors that affect the cost of your
audio transcriptions. It's best to
contact a transcription provider service and give them a snippet of the audio you are wanting
transcribed and get a direct quote with an expected
turnaround time. This way, you can shop around for the best service, and pay the
lowest price around!
If you're looking to have a digital audio file transcribed, contact Sara--she is generally able to provide turnaround times of less than 24 hours on most digital audio files. She is an individual that will work on your file--not a business outsourcing the work to oversea individuals, thus lessening the confidentiality of your files. 
