Why human transcription still works
“Hey Google, call Chloe.”
“Okay, calling Zoe.”
“Google stop call.”
How many times have you been frustrated using a voice assistant like Siri, Alexa or Google? Chances are, quite a few. In a statement to IBM, Julia Hirschberg, a professor and chair at the Department of Computer Science at Columbia University, explained why voice recognition software isn’t as accurate as some may think. Hirschberg says, “The ability to recognize speech as well as humans do is a continuing challenge, since human speech, especially during spontaneous conversation, is extremely complex.” The takeaway here; voice recognition software is still developing and isn’t as accurate as some it claims to be.
When it comes to transcribing a piece of audio, voice recognition software is NOT the answer. Relying on it can end up costing you tons of time fixing the softwares mistakes. A transcriptionist can do it quicker with a great deal more accuracy, saving you a lot of time and unneeded frustration. For those who think transcription is falling by the wayside, listen up. Here’s why there will always be a demand for transcription, especially for those who need 99%+ accurate transcripts.
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General transcription and SEO
Vlogs, podcasts, and YouTubers are reaching out to transcription companies for help. Why? Search engine optimization (SEO). When first starting out, getting your vlog or podcast to come up in an organic search is difficult. By posting a transcript of your vlog or podcast you make it possible for search engines to find and index your content. To those who don’t have time to watch the entire video they can read the transcript much faster. Brad Nevin, Editor-in-Chief, Global Communications Website Platforms at Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., expressed his gratitude for websites that post transcripts of audio or video files. “It’s putting everything in place on one page,” Nevin says. “You get everything you want very easily and quickly.” Having audio or video transcribed makes the content of your recordings indexable by search engines.
Accuracy of medical transcription requires human touch
The idea of investing in speech recognition software is enticing to many, especially those in the medical field. Still, physicians need that 99.9% accuracy rate in their documents. Speech recognition software is still fairly new and can’t promise that amount of accuracy. Microsoft recently released a statement that their software has reached a 5.1% error rate. Even though this sounds like good news, it still means that a physician would have to double check their work. Some doctors have said that it takes them two to three hours or more a day to do so!
An experienced transcriptionist knows how to check for homonyms, document pauses, punctuation, and grammar. With the assistance of a transcriptionist, health practitioners have more time to focus on the patients, not a pile of paperwork they aren’t trained to do.
A time saver for those in the legal industry
Being a lawyer and preparing documents takes a long time, especially if you have to take notes from recorded depositions or court hearings. Lawyers, court employees and clerks hire transcriptionist companies like us so that they get a well-formatted and accurate transcript. It benefits a lawyer to know that they have the evidence ready to present in a clear and easy to search format. They have the information at their fingertips and don’t have to listen to the recording over and over. The attorneys can also show the opposing counsel and judge exactly what they want from a transcript by referencing a specific page and line.
When it comes to transcription, nothing works better than a well-trained ear. Hiring a transcriptionist cuts down on the amount of work in some of the most demanding industries out there. Best of all, skilled transcriptionists provide an accuracy level that no voice recognition software can beat, and that’s why transcription still works.
