Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of Zoom, Teams, Go-to Meetings, Google Meet, and a host of other online conferencing applications has skyrocketed. A powerful substitute for face-to-face meetings and effective way of receiving important information, many professionals and business executives record these meetings for note-taking purposes or just to have an official record of what was said, and by whom. Sometimes, a voice recording of the conversation suffices. Sometimes, a written transcript is required.
Typically, online meeting apps will offer video or audio files of recorded conversations. Some will even transcribe the audio file into an Excel or Word format. However, the transcript is only as good as current artificial intelligence technology allows. That means that it may be riddled with blanks, inaudible phrases, or other issues that render some specific sentences or even whole sections undecipherable. For those businesses involved in technical or simply unusual work, this is a major issue. Automated programs just don’t do a good job when the discussion is filled with “technospeak” or jargon familiar to only those speaking.
Another problem I’ve seen frequently crops up when the person speaking has a heavy regional or foreign accent. Here’s a practical example, combining both issues: I worked on a project several years ago, where I was asked to write a summary of an online medical discussion using recorded and transcribed interviews. Two French physicians, who spoke English rather well, were the main speakers. However, their heavy accents were nearly indecipherable to the transcribing software, forcing me to listen to the audio files and re-transcribing in full their conversation on future treatments for muscular dystrophy.
This is not an unusual case. And the need for accurate transcription or reporting is critical for the medical, legal, diplomatic, and journalism fields. Therefore, when an accurate written record is required, make sure that you have a backup to your online meeting apps to fill in those blanks.
At Revisions Communications & Editorial Services, transcription services is just one of our areas of editorial expertise. We provide full transcription services from a digital audio file, and we can help fill in those gaps in the written record from an existing transcript. We’re experienced in working with technical discussions as well as more general topics. Contact us today for information about this and other writing and editing services that can support your business and boost your revenue!
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