Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is transcription?
  2. What is realtime transcription?
  3. What is realtime transcription with streaming?
  4. Why watch the realtime streaming?
  5. What is on-site transcription?
  6. What is remote transcription?
  7. Can I see the words on my computer at the same time they are spoken?
  8. Can I save the realtime streaming text electronically?
  9. Can I share/disseminate the transcript?
  10. Do you provide a hard copy of the transcript?
  11. Do you offer hyperlinked text, word index and concordance? (Preview | Download a working example)
  12. Do your transcripts use timecodes?
  13. How accurate is the transcript?
  14. How do I ensure that things are spelled right?
  15. Why is a transcript better than the audio recording?
  16. How can we tell who's speaking in the transcripts?
  17. Is realtime transcription expensive?
  18. Okay. So let's cut to the chase. How much does this cost?
  19. Can we schedule realtime transcription at the last minute?
  20. Is realtime transcription done with voice recognition? Is it a machine?
  21. Do you outsource your work?
  22. What about security and confidentiality?
  23. Do you destroy the data?
  24. Can realtime transcription services help us comply with Sarbanes-Oxley?
What is transcription?
Converting spoken words into written text.
What is realtime transcription?
Simultaneous transcription of spoken words. (Transcript delivered following the meeting.)
What is realtime transcription with streaming?
Simultaneous transcription of spoken words broadcast or streamed live to computers, the internet, large screen, etc. (Instant access to transcript)
Why watch the realtime streaming?
Streaming realtime transcription is interactive. You can scroll through the text as it is streaming. If you miss something, arrived late or are distracted during the meeting, you can scroll back and review the previous text on your computer without interrupting the meeting and asking for a repeat.

Improved comprehension:

  • For meeting participants who speak English but are native speakers of other languages, comprehension is improved if they can see the English text.
  • Captioning studies have shown that people comprehend and retain much more of what they read and hear than what they simply hear.
  • If an individual meeting participant has audio difficulties and their audio is cutting out or nonexistent, they can read along with the realtime to see what they're missing.
What is on-site transcription?
Transcriptionist is physically on location where the meeting is held.
What is remote transcription?
Transcriptionist is not on location but rather attending via internet or telephone.
Can I see the words on my computer at the same time they are spoken?
Yes, absolutely! That's what we do with our streaming realtime transcription. Amazing, but true.
Can I save the realtime streaming text electronically?
You may save the first draft immediately; however, we will provide a cleaner version of the file following the meeting.
Can I share/disseminate the transcript?
Of course. Transcript files can be shared by uploading to the internet or e-mailing. We provide the transcript file to the party you designate, and the distribution is up to you from there.
Do you provide a hard copy of the transcript?
We can deliver the transcript in a variety of electronic formats; i.e., .pdf, .doc or .txt. You may print or not print at your leisure and discretion.
Do you offer hyperlinked text, word index and concordance?
Yes. (Preview | Download a working example)
Do your transcripts use timecodes?
Yes. Although you don't typically see the time codes during our streaming realtime transcription, our software does use time codes to synchronize and link certain features in our transcripts. This can in turn be synchronized to the audio and presentation materials. While integrating keyword search capability, you can pinpoint a precise time in the meeting and jump right to that portion.
How accurate is the transcript?
Amazingly accurate! Our transcriptionists are highly skilled at providing verbatim transcripts in real time. After all, most were trained as court reporters and realtime captioners. We always strive for verbatim. However, there may be instances where we cannot interrupt and don't understand a word, or two or more speakers may overlap, for instance. The first draft may contain some minor mistakes that will be corrected as soon as the meeting is concluded. For the most part, our realtime transcripts are at least 98% verbatim.
How do I ensure that things are spelled right?
Great question. By giving us some prep materials when you schedule your meeting. We want to pre-program as many spellings and proper names as possible, as well as terms of art and products specific to your company or group. You can assist us by sending a copy of the meeting agenda, names of the attendees that are expected to speak, copies of any documents you may reference or read, PowerPoints or demonstratives, and any unusual spellings that may arise. If you have minutes from a prior meeting, those are helpful, too.
Why is a transcript better than the audio recording?
Time management. Many meetings have "down time" or "dead air" while people read documents, shuffle papers, take breaks, transition between topics or slides. Audio recordings capture these moments, while a transcript eliminates them. It takes less time to review a transcript than it does to listen to the audio.
Transcripts are documents with word search capability, so you can jump right to the section you need. Our transcripts can be hyperlinked to a word index or concordance, too! With an audio recording, you have to fast-forward or rewind trying to find the spot you needed, then make notes of what you are looking for.
Meeting minutes. Transcripts can be used to prepare accurate meeting minutes and eliminate the need for note-taking during the meeting. Your company secretary will love this service.
Information sharing. Transcripts can be sent to anyone who missed the meeting. The transcripts may be sent in their entirety or edited by the company for distribution to key people. Text documents can be edited, annotated, highlighted and supplemented as you see fit.
How can we tell who's speaking in the transcripts?
Speakers will be identified whenever possible. In larger meetings with multiple speakers, there has to be some order to the meeting anyway. Most people will either identify themselves or there will be a moderator. If there is a moderator and they are watching the streaming text, they can identify the person speaking or ask for the speaker to identify themselves.
If the transcriptionist doesn't know the name of the person speaking, they insert a generic "change of speaker" symbol, which looks like two chevrons: >>
Is realtime transcription expensive?
Not if it saves or makes you money. For instance, if the meeting is a brainstorming session of department heads or your sales team preparing to launch into a new, cutting-edge line of business, capturing the dialog and ideas flying around the meeting could prove to be invaluable. When you factor in the travel savings that are being realized by meeting remotely and the elimination of note-takers, the decision to use realtime transcription is a no-brainer.
Okay. So let's cut to the chase. How much does this cost?
Pricing varies depending on the turn-around time of the transcript, which ranges from instant realtime streaming down to 3-day delivery. We work with the customer to tailor turn-around time and pricing to their needs. Contact us for specific pricing information.
Can we schedule realtime transcription at the last minute?
We will do our best to accommodate last-minute scheduling. Generally we require 24-hour advanced notice.
Is realtime transcription done with voice recognition? Is it a machine?
No. Our realtime transcription is done by highly skilled and specially trained realtime captioners and realtime court reporters. While voice recognition is improving all the time, the accuracy level (especially with multiple speakers) is far inferior to the accuracy level we achieve consistently.
Do you outsource your work?
Never! 100% of the work is done in the U.S. by native English speakers.
What about security and confidentiality?
We have confidentiality agreements with our realtime personnel that require that they preserve the confidentiality and ensure the security of all information, and we maintain copies of their credentials and certifications on file. Secure login to the realtime stream is an option that we offer. If you have sensitive matters that require a higher level of security, please contact us to discuss special arrangements.
Do you destroy the data?
Whether the data is archived or destroyed is up to the client.
Can realtime transcription services help us comply with Sarbanes-Oxley?
Yes, as well as other reporting requirements that your company may have.