There are many ways to transcribe an interview. Putting a verbal interview into written form is smart because it can be used as a source for future articles, blog posts, or even books. There are a few different ways to transcribe an interview, and the best way to do it depends on the situation.
Transcription Software
One way to transcribe an interview is to use transcription software. This software will speed up the process by automatically converting the audio into text. However, this method can be inaccurate and might miss some words.
There are paid and free versions, so it may be helpful to try them out in order to see which method is most effective with an interview.
Temi is transcription software that charges by the minute to transcribe an uploaded file. You can upload a video or audio file.
Otter.ai
If you’re looking for transcription software that will allow you to annotate and highlight in real-time, Otter.ai is a great option. Otter Assistant automatically connects to your Zoom meetings, taking notes, and sharing them with meeting participants in real-time to help foster team collaboration.
Participants may follow along, scroll back, and read at their leisure using a live transcript rather than closed captioning.
Otter offers a Free 10-day trial.
Voice Recognition Software
The second option is to use voice recognition software. This software uses an algorithm to convert audio into text. However, this method can be costly since it requires the purchase of special equipment. Also, there are some problems associated with background noise or accents that can go unnoticed when using voice recognition software.
Dragon Naturally Speaking is an example of voice recognition software. There are varying degrees of software, so it may be necessary to try out all options before finding the best one for an interview.
Manual Transcription With Typing Skills
To transcribe an interview manually, find a quiet place and start typing what you hear in real-time so you can reference it later during proofreading. This method works well if the interviewer only has one person speaking for most of the interview because it limits background noise interference while recording and transcribing. If multiple people are participating in the recorded discussion, however, transcription will be slower
An Online Transcription Company
If you need your transcription done quickly, consider uploading your file to an online transcription company. There are a number of companies available that offer services ranging from $1-$2 per minute. The accuracy of their work can vary depending on the quality and volume of audio being used as a reference. It is important to note that even though there are computer programs that promise 100% accuracy, it is not common for them to operate at such a high rate.
Rev.com is an example of a service that will provide transcriptions.
It will be up to you to decide which method of transcribing an interview works best for your particular situation.
Use Built-In Resources On Your Computer
Don’t forget to use the resources available on your computer. Most computers today come with built-in speech recognition software, which can be used free of charge. Microsoft Word also has a transcription feature that will automatically type words dictated into its software.
However, this method works best in short amounts of time when there are minimal background noises or distractions. It is important to remember that even though these methods are helpful in transcribing an interview, they are not foolproof solutions due to inaccuracies and possible misconstrued meanings.
It may be necessary for you to try out different types of transcription before finding one that is best suited for your particular situation.
On a Mac, go to System Preferences > Dictation & Speech > Text to Speech tab and then hit the checkbox next to “Speak selected text when the key is pressed”.
On windows go into your control panel and search ‘speech’, and click on the ‘change speech properties’ first option that comes up. From there, you can disable any other options that may be reading out loud what you type or speaking certain things after a period of time.
