What is transcription and why does it matter?

Why audio and video transcription are important tools for translation and beyond

By Olivia Caputo

What do transcription and translation have in common? (Besides starting with the same five letters.) Like translation, transcription services help people access content. But what exactly is transcription? In short, anything that gets you from speech to text. It can range from normal text documents to time-stamped summaries to something resembling a script.

It’s used in many different fields, too. There’s transcription for legal purposes, transcription for business, or transcription for media, to name a few. Keep reading to find out what makes this such a valuable tool.

What are transcriptions used for?

Legal, Medical, and Business

Legal transcription services might be the best-known example. Picture a court stenographer clacking away at a keyboard. But what about a three-hour Zoom meeting, a company-wide online training, or audio recordings for a study? Transcriptions for video conferences, webinars, and focus groups can help users find information faster. They can search the transcription for keywords. And, with time codes, they can skip right to the relevant section of audio.

Entertainment

If you’ve ever read a Q&A article, it’s thanks to transcription for interviews. And I work in audiovisual translation, so I use transcripts for subtitling. It acts as a source-language template, which I then translate for the target audience. Transcriptions are also the first step in creating scripts for dubbing.

Accessibility

Transcriptions for Deaf or ESL audiences are the basis for captioning and subtitles for the Deaf and hard of hearing (SDH). Thanks to podcasting’s recent popularity, transcriptions for podcasts are also increasingly common. It’s a way for those with hearing impairments to enjoy the content. It can be a great learning aid, too. Radio Ambulante is a Latin American podcast that has an app with transcriptions to help listeners improve their Spanish listening skills.

Transcription and AI

Transcription is also part of the artificial intelligence boom. Automated speech-to-text software uses audio input to make a time-coded, written document. Transcription can be a tedious task, so AI saves people time, money, and boredom.

But computers can’t replace humans just yet. AI is not always great at recognizing proper names, foreign dialects, and different speakers. Some mishears are downright funny, and others are potentially disastrous. So it’s good practice to always have a native speaker check for transcription accuracy.

Making transcriptions work for you

Looking for affordable transcription services? Here’s a breakdown of the best transcription services that use AI. It covers things like AI transcription pricing, features, and accuracy. And when it’s time for human proofreading, visit our recently updated Language Services Directory. You can search for a native speaker to check the transcription (and even someone to translate it once it’s ready).

About the Author

Olivia C. Caputo is a Spanish to English audiovisual translator. She works primarily in subtitling and multimedia accessibility, English copy editing for brands and marketing, and some literary translation on the side. She is also an active volunteer for the American Translators Association. The American Translators Association represents almost 9,000 translators and interpreters in more than 100 countries. To hire a translation or interpreting professional, please visit 50f4.bianlifan.com/directory.

Image attribution: flickr