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Random thought of the day: Some words are overused. Here are some of my pet peeves.

I have watched and listened to many people over the last few days that has led me to form the opinion that certain words are overused, and used with no sincerity or knowledge of meaning behind them.

Innocent:  People use this word to describe others or their own actions.  If an action is questionable, which is the only reason someone would have to use ‘innocent’ to describe it, it is hardly innocent.  It may be harmless, asinine, thoughtless, or sometimes even more sinister – but hardly innocent.

Juvenile:  I am sorry but when someone over the age of 18 does something incredibly stupid, it is just that – incredibly stupid.  Many juveniles don’t act that way until they see adults being stupid.  let’s stop using a term to describe adolescents to describe adults behaving badly.

Handicapped:  Just because an individual has alternative ways of capably accomplishing something does not make them handicapped.   However, there are some who may be considered juvenile (see above) that are just incredibly stupid, which in my mind, makes them more handicapped than some who must use alternative ways to achieve a means to and end.

Difficult:  All things are difficult until you learn them.  We learned to sit, eat, walk and talk – we can learn just about anything.  It is the wanting to learn and do the best we can that is difficult.  Everything else is just work.

Income: I keep hearing this word, but have not seen an ‘income’ without the ‘outgo’ that goes with it, starting with a large percentage of my ‘income’ outgoing to the IRS.  We should probably call it, residuals.

Insurance:  Now here is a word that throws me.  It should really be called ‘assurance’, because if you don’t have it you are assured to feel screwed (especially with the new laws) when you need it, and if you have it, you can be assured that you will be more stressed than you were before you needed it for health, home, or vehicle reasons.  I believe big Pharma loves this mechanism that happens to keep our blood pressure raised and minds confused because it allows them more government funding for research.  Funding of course that comes out of our ‘residuals’ (see above).

Respect:  Some people say they deserve this, but have never earned it.  This is, in my mind, one right you are not born with.  Sometimes you can earn it quickly, but most times it takes work and if you have it, you should never get comfortable with it, because if you act juvenile (see above) you can lose it faster than you got it.  I also believe you must have it yourself ,for yourself before someone else can share theirs with you.

Employment:  I can’t tell you how many times I personally have heard people say they want a job, but then don’t ‘show up’ to do the job.  By showing up, I do mean physically and mentally showing up.  I have also personally heard people, even in this economy, say things like ‘that’s not my job’.  I believe, that if you want to work and you receive a paycheck for legitimate tasks, and you happen not to appreciate the tasks assigned to you, you have three basic choices.  Everyone does.  One – do it with a smile.  Two – do it and ask for a raise.  Three – move on and allow someone who appreciates the opportunity to earn a paycheck to earn it.  Sitting at your job, not doing your job, hurts everyone.  Not just you and your employer, not their clients, but also the person who could be there, earning a wage and taking responsibility for their lives.  So it is not employment, but work.  Employment is using your abilities to get the task done in your job, which you do get a paycheck to do.

Love:  This word most of all is over used.  People, especially the young, use the phrase ‘I Love You’ so easily and freely, they lose the whole idea behind the words.

I believe that when you love someone those words should come from the heart and from the knowing.    It comes from wanting to be with that person, caring for that person, being there in times of need for that person, and them there for you, yet being able to be apart without a suspicious thought rolling around your head when you are.  Loving someone for who they are, beyond that ‘honeymoon’ stage that young couples have.

An extension of  overuse of ‘I love you” is  ‘I want to share my life with you‘.  When in that honeymoon stage of ‘love”, people do not share lives, they share time.  They forget, or do not know, or do not realize that sharing a life together means sharing the work, the play, the bills, the responsibilities, the friends, and even the time alone, apart from each other.  When you can do that and still lose your breath when thinking about the other person, that is love.

 

I do believe that when you love someone, truly love someone, those words should come freely.  It should never be something that you can hold back.  It should just overwhelm you to where the words come out, at the most peculiar times.  I believe that if you love someone, it is the first thing you want to say in the morning and the last thing you say at night – just because, if you lose the next moment to say it, you are fully aware that they knew exactly how you felt.  But it should not be something that is given to every person you know so easily.  It takes away from the meaning.

 

These are just a few of my pet peeves of overused / misused words.  Do you have any?  Who knows, maybe others share them with you.  I would love to hear them.

 

www.clktranscription.com

 

 

 

 

Dear interviewer, you are a great interviewer but…a Transcriptionist’s point of view.

One of CLK Transcriptions independent contractors asked why we are never interviewed for a story.  Then she realized we are too busy transcribing your audio to stop.  She did however have some thoughts and suggestions on how to make transcribing your audio of other interviews a bit more transcription friendly – whether we transcribe your audio, someone else transcribes your audio – or even YOU transcribe your own audio.

 

Many of these I have mentioned before, but I had to share her comments as a worker bee trying to save you time and money.

 

 

Dear Interviewer:

 

Please check your equipment.  Growls, howls, static, etc, in your audio make accurate transcription difficult, but knowing ahead of time helps me to prepare.

Also, when interviewing outside, in a crowd, or say with an ambulance passing by during the discussion, understand that unless you repeat some of the conversation when that pesky ambulance drove by, there may be some blanks.  Try to consider better placement of your microphone in those situations.  The best place for the microphone is not next to the plate and glass, or even the paperwork that you will be moving around.  We hear the noise first.  It isn’t that we can’t do it; we love the challenge, but proper placement leads to better end product.  We understand it isn’t always possible, so again, just give us a heads up that you are aware the audio is difficult and that helps us prepare as well.  Also, you may want to be sure that you have the interview and not just your side of the conversation on the audio.  Listening to the audio yourself also helps when you think you are sending a recording thinking it is one thing and well, it isn’t.

 

Those words you spoke when yawning or belching, or coughing and sneezing, really are hard to decipher.  Could you repeat that please?  It is impolite to stop in the middle and speak to someone else – we do not know if you want that transcribed, unless you are ordering dinner.  And please, as busy as we know you are, please leave the chewing and bathroom breaks out of the audio.

Please allow your interviewees to finish a sentence without interruption whenever possible.  I can’t decipher his/her responses accurately if I can’t hear them fully – and we hate having a blank in your report.  And I always wonder whose part of the conversation is the most important and should be in the transcript when I can’t clearly hear both speakers and you ask me to clean it up for you.

Please call your interviewees by name early in the conversation so his/her name can be inserted during the article rather than “interviewee”.  A find-replace only takes a few seconds but keep in mind I’m paid by the audio minute and seconds matter.

When an interviewee is using a “unique” technical or medical term, please repeat the word – or send it with the audio in your e-mail.  Hearing it correctly will help me search for the correct spelling.  This would be especially helpful when you are interviewing someone whose accent is other than American English.  When possible, especially with those pesky obscure names, spelling it helps.  Spelling HABITAT doesn’t; we know how to spell that, but when you have a name like Nahuat, spelling helps.

Also, when possible, giving us a bit of a background – speakers names, websites, etc – on the topic of the discussion.  This helps us research words and phrases so you don’t have to.   We do not all watch every TV show produced, so even the title of the show so we can research names and characters, is a help.

Also verifying the length of the audio you are sending so we know there was no problem with the download.

Let us know if you need the file immediately.  It may mean a stat fee, but this is not always the case.  It helps us help you when we know your projected TAT for the audio.  Whether its needed later int he day or the next morning, even if a week away.  (Yes, we have clients who actually give us a week to turn around a document, but we haven’t ever taken advantage of that yet.)

Recording and transcribing chitchat is a waste of your money.  I understand the importance of the “break the ice” conversation at the beginning of an interview.  If this conversation is not necessary to the article you are writing, please let us know when to start transcribing and we will skip it and we both save time and money.

Take into consideration that to transcribe your audio is at minimum three times the length of the audio – total transcription time and proofing.  And that is with a clear audio.  If you have a stat/priority that is four hours long, don’t expect it by evening if sent at 1 p.m., especially if poor quality.  We take extra time with difficult audio to ensure we got everything possible.  Again, we sometimes work miracles, so it doesn’t hurt to ask, but the more time you allow us, the more relaxed we can be knowing we are giving you our best and not a rush job where something always suffers.  And sending that stat at midnight for return the next morning, even if only 10 minutes long, really is a difficult task for us.  We occasionally sleep too, but if you give us a heads up early in the day to expect it, guess what – we can do that!

 

Lastly, if you send a file and we do not confirm receipt within 15 minutes, there may have been a glitch in the e-mail.  We always confirm receipt – usually within 15 minutes.  If you don’t hear from us, verify receipt.  And when you send us a file today of less than an hour, if you do not have it by tomorrow – check with us.  We rarely have a file of an hour or less for more than 24 hours.  These things really bother us because we do not like you to think we aren’t doing our best to assist you meet your deadline.

 

Thank you for listening.  We just want to be able to get you your reports as quickly as possible with the quality you demand.  These little tips may help.

 

Signed me

Transcriptionist who loves what she does.

 

 

 

http://www.clktranscription.com

Do you get your voice mail transcribed free? Do you get what you pay for?

Many people come to me and say “why offer voice mail transcription?  Many people get it free through their telephone service provider.”

Here is my answer:

Those providers use either speech recognition software or an offshore, ESL, transcription company.  Either way, their messages are full of errors, mis-communcating what the message really conveyed, sometimes causing your clients unwanted stress!

There are hundreds of websites devoted to posting the errors people receive through these providers.  (Checkout http://technologizer.com/2010/08/22/worst-google-voice-transcription-errors/)

So, if the only reason you continue to use those services by those providers is so you can see what comes across next, do not use CLK Transcription.

At CLK Transcription, a human listens to the voice mail, a human types the voice mail and a human returns the transcript in an easy to read email.  You get the first 5 free every month through December 2010.  Our rates are nominal and you get quality service, fast.  So for a cost you can afford, you get better quality service.  You get more than you pay for.

When you pay nothing for everything, how do you expect anyone to take pride in the work you request?  Those providers simply cattle prod your work through because it is the phone service they care about.  Offering you the transcripts is what got you to them, and for most companies, getting you is all they care about.

CLK Transcription cares about every facet of a project and every client we receive.  There are no contracts, just a confidentiality agreement.  Whether it is a small project or a large project, a one time assist or a long time client, we take pride in the work we do.  Over 90 percent of our clients are referrals.  We do our best to keep them happy and when we don’t, we learn, understand, and make whatever changes are necessary to the service we provide.  Transcription is what we do. It’s not just what we do, it’s who we are!

So, if you get your voice mail for free, are you getting what you pay for?

http://www.clktranscription.com Find out how we can assist you with your transcription needs.