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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 know your FaceBook connections? Really?

Since many of us use Facebook as a true social media networking device, for professional and personal business, I tend to allow friend requests when I notice that many of my other connections have the same “friend”.

 

I was not always this way.  I use to research the connections, see if there was some kind of mutual interest, potential business opportunity, now or  in the future, or information I could share with other connections.  I laid off my pickiness in acceptance.  I mean so often we read blogs about using networking sites as a way to connect with everyone.  Everyone has a potential value for your business, etc.

 

Apparently this is not unnoticed by the bad guys, spammers, scammers, and even those lonely hearts.

 

Recently I was asked to be a friend by a male who upon checking out his profile I noticed he had 33 shared friends.  All 33 were business connections.  I readily accepted and then went back to check out his profile further.  In my business, many of my referrals come through social media outlets, so I wanted to get a gander at what he was working on and see if there was anything I could offer, anything I could share, comment on, etc.

 

Well, after noticing that he did not have a complete profile posted, no job, no activities, no publications, no nothing I knew something was wrong.  I sent him a message and asked him what he does.  I asked him how he knew me and /or my connections.  Was he a writer, journalist, publisher, transcriptionist, student, parent of a disabled/special needs child, parent, green enthusiast – anything that would be of interest to me?

 

I realized that he had connected to one person and then went down the list of that person’s connections to connect with others, and others readily connected thinking the same thought I had – he knows so-and-so, it is okay.

 

I credit my suspiciousness to another connection who let all of her connections know about another scammer who wanted to sell diamonds to a friend of hers, constant chat requests, and then pow – the scam begins.  This guy, after responding to my request for more information, said that I was suggested by Facebook and that he was a lonely heart.  (I bet).  Of course I was suggested.  He already had 33 of my friends, and was now up to 36 after an hour of connecting.

 

I disconnected our friendship, posted a status update to alert others.

 

I know my connections.  If not personally or professionally, I know my connections know them.  I know their profile and what they do and what they are into, and before I connected with them, I checked past status updates to be certain they have commonalities with me.  I refrained from this “knowing step” on this individual and it could have been disastrous for any one of my connections, or me.  At the very least, it would have been an inconvenience I nor my connections needed.

From now on, I will go back to my usual steps in evaluating my connections and friend requests and be a bit more cautious and not just assume that because they are connected to a “friend” that we are a good social media network match.

 

Some people may feel as if having tons of connections is networking and valuable.  I feel like having connections that have something significant to offer, to share, and who possibly even want to share my information is priceless.

 

 

http://www.clktranscription.com

Thinking about transcribing your own audio/video? Why not let us handle that for you and save you time and money?

When journalists, authors, doctors, etcetera, begin to think about having their audio/video transcribed, the first thought is probably cost. Many attempt to do the work themselves, or hire in-house staff to do the transcription.

When hiring an in-house staff, you have to consider hourly pay, benefits, and keeping that person busy with “busy work” when no transcription work is available for them to handle. They have to consider days off, sick time, vacation…not just the cost, but who handles the work when their “transcriptionist” is not around?

If you are handling the transcription task yourself, I have to ask you – how much is your time worth? How long does it take you to transcribe the audio? What does it breakdown to in terms of hourly wage? Are there other things you would rather be doing? Interviewing another person? Organizing the data for your article/book? Managing other tasks? Taking time out to do personal chores?

For those who hold weekly, monthly or annual meetings or conferences – having those events recorded and then transcribed allows you to share this information with more than those who have been able to attend the function personally. Sure you can share the video, but what happens when other’s busy schedule precludes them from sitting and watching a video?

Having the transcript allows them the freedom to move around and tackle their day, and you the knowledge that they have a true concept of what occurred and something they, and yourself, can refer back to when necessary. How many times have you wished you could replay a meeting for what was said?

For the educator, or those seeking higher levels of education – your class audio can be transcribed for sharing as well. Those interviews and other audio developed for your paper can be transcribed for reference.

CLK Transcription offers a discount for educators and students alike. We feel education is THE most important thing a person can have, and love the opportunity to help you reach your goals. We have been proud to handle transcripts for professors or students of UCLA, Bloomsburg University, Wilkes Barre University, King’s College, Illinois State University, Minnesota State University, Wisconsin State University, Harvard University, and others.

Having a transcription service handle your audio/video projects allows the freedom to do what it is you must do to meet your TAT. Freedom to continue your other work to bring the project together. Freedom to share information in a manner that fits everyone’s schedule. Freedom to develop the best end-result you possibly can, without the stress, time or money you may have been spending in the past.

A transcription service can be the cost-effective and cost-efficient tool that you are looking for to allow you more time to get your project done, to share important information, or just to get your personal chores tended to.

When using CLK Transcription Service, you only pay for the audio/video assigned. No sick time, no vacation time, and certainly no overtime or benefits. We have individuals who have special skills to research terms and information, skilled in listening and hearing the most difficult audio and transforming it into a quality transcript.

CLK Transcription can handle multiple audio, in varying lengths, and can meet or surpass your expected TAT in most, if not all, cases. We have transcriptionists all across the United States and we never offshore, EVER. We also never use speech recognition. We feel the nuances of your audio deserve the extra care given by a human ear and human hands.

CLK Transcription has been recommended by the best journalists and by many of the Universities in the country, as well as large publishing companies and other professional corporations – from the medical research industry to the business and finance industry. We also have handled many motivational and teaching seminars by many of the world’s most well-known speakers and coaches. We have handled files as large as multi-day conferences and seminars to the few minute audio of a journalist, on a wide variety of topics. Yes, we even do voice mail transcription giving you the freedom to step away and know your important calls will never be missed again. We have clients all over the world, and have transcribed many, many ESL audio as well. We love what we do and take the time to do it right – for YOU!

Check out our recommendations today at http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription and find out what CLK Transcription can do for you. Let us transcribe your next audio/video and show you what you have been missing. It may just be the time and money you have been looking for!

I believe we can be, so much so that I stake my name on it.

We also love to retweet our favorite journalists and organizations tweets to share your wonderful ideas and projects with others. Join us @CLK_Shortcake or on Facebook – look for CarolLee Streeter Kidd or CLK Transcription. Join us! We would love to have you as part of our team!

CarolLee Kidd

President/Owner

CLK Transcription, Inc.

Voice Recognition – Not For Me. I never speak in fluid sentences all the time without changing thoughts or ideas.

How often do you stutter, forget the question, start to say something and then find a better way to say it?

 

Using voice recognition may seem easy for many, but if you want clean, clear reports there is nothing that can replace a human ear listening to your words and knowing what you mean/meant to say.

 

Voice recognition may seem easy for many, but you have to train the software to your voice.  Are you saying PRN or pee are in?  Is your audio always clear enough to know the difference?

 

Do you ever speak slowly and clearly all the time for a person to understand all the time?  Imagine a program listening.

 

How many times have you heard ‘can you repeat that’?  How many times have you said ‘okay, okay, right, right, right” during an interview and if transcribed every time would make you appear as a valley girl?

 

Do you want your ers, uhms, and the multiple yeah, yeah, yeahs transcribed in your report?

 

Do you want to have to reread the report multiple times when finished so you can be sure to catch those potentially unprofessional comments from being left in your report?

 

When someone asks me how I feel about voice recognition I tell them this – I speak fast.  I change my thoughts mid sentence, I may even forget where I was for a moment.  I make strange noises when I get lost in thought.  I don’t say every word perfectly.

 

Your time and money is too precious to have a program type your words, just to spend more time correcting and perfecting them.

 

Let CLK Transcription show you how a human ear can be used to listen to your audio and human hands to type your report, cleaning it up where you decide it should be. Your time can be spent on that next interview while the transcription is done in a professional manner, fast and accurately.

 

So when thinking about voice recognition – why not try using a human to recognize your voice to give you the best quality transcripts possible for a cost you can afford?

 

We may not be professional bloggers, authors, journalists, or webinar hosts – but our clients are!  Find out why they say we rock!

 

http://www.clktranscription.com

CLK Transcription, Inc. is a USA-Based and Operated Transcription Company with expertise in all specialties of the medical profession.

Oncology          Orthopedics     Hematology     Pediatrics          Rheumatology     Infectious disease  Psychiatry          Physiatry     Radiology     Pathology          Dermatology     Cardiology     Pulmonary          Plastic Surgery     Ophthalmology     Chiropractic, Clinical and Acute Care, and more.

We assist professionals with their professional needs transcribing audio from:

v  CONFERENCES / SEMINARS v  TELEPHONE CONFERENCES v  BROCHURES v  STATIONARY DEVELOPMENT v    MEETING MINUTES     INTERVIEWS v   VOICE MAIL v ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE DEVELOPMENT, and more.

 

Welcome to the Wonderful World of CLK Transcription! Where your project is just as important to us, as it is to you!

CLK Transcription can transcribe your RadioBlog, Seminar, Webinar, Podcast, Interview, IEP, Conference, or Roundtable discussion on any topic – family, health, diet, financial, entertainment, educational, all medical specialties, even religious sermons, AND MORE – and we can start immediately.

We also offer transcription and delivery of voice mail, conversion of PDF to WORD doc / WORD doc to PDF, Spreadsheet / label development of your contact / project lists, electronic signature development,mailing list / label development.  In other words, if it can be spoken and / or typed – we can do that!

Also, we offer FTP hosting services for those who wish to have the security of a FTP program but do not want to purchase a complete hosting package.  We host it for you and you get all the security and abilities of you very own password protected FTP.

Contact CarolLee Kidd for details.  http://www.clktranscription.com

Organize Your Audios and Save Time and Money

When sending files to a transcriptionist, name the audio files so you know what is on them, and the transcriptionist can confirm the information supplied.  Many times clients will send a file named by the equipment they use (ex ws00001) with no information as to what is on them, or tell us “this is an interview with Joe Schmo”, when in fact, upon listening to it, we find that the interview is in fact with Jane Doe.  When this occurs, we here at CLK Transcription will verify that this it is the audio the client meant to send us.  It may add some time to the TAT, but in the end could potentially save you time and money.

 

Doing so will alleviate the cost of transcribing an audio that you either didn’t want to have transcribe or was already transcribed.  And saves you time by not having to wait for the wrong file to be transcribed in order to get the correct file completed.  When files are received and seen as named by the equipment, CLK will add the interviewee’s name to the completed report’s filename when possible for tracking purposes.

 

Oftentimes, clients send multiple files and we work them consecutively, so if a duplicate is sent even a day or so later, unless the same transcriptionist handles the file, we would not know it was a duplicate.  (We have even had files sent as duplicates months apart, and if and when we catch it, we inform the client.  Some companies may just pull the old report and send it along and then bill for something that was paid for months ago.)

 

Also, there are some instances when an interviewee is in fact interviewed several times, so we would not stop transcribing just because the name is the same.  It may not be the same interview.  This is particularly difficult with physicians.  When they send a potentially duplicate file, we have to transcribe it because unless confirmed as an exact duplicate, the difference of one word or phrase (medication, history or treatment for example) makes the entire report ‘new”.

 

The addition of a name for your audio is also important for organizing your files for future reference.  Here at CLK Transcription, we name your report the same as the audio file, and include the length of the audio in that name.  This is great because you can now match the audio to the report and even know if the entire audio was received or was there an error in the download.  Also, the addition of the length of audio allows CLK’s clients to track their expenses when paying by audio minute.

 

Many of my clients will use the name of their audio when discussing the topic elsewhere (e-mail, etc), allowing all information regarding that interview to be sorted and saved together, even setting up folders in your Word history to keep all documents for the same topic / interview together for easy reference later.

 

So, the next time you save an audio, consider giving it a name.  It could very well save you time and money.

 

Here at CLK Transcription, we know that saving YOU time and money allows us to do the same.

 

Check us out for more information.  We would love to add you to our team of clients.  http://www.clktranscription.com.  Mention/retweet this blog and save $5.00 off your next invoice of $50.00 or more.

Your regular project is just as important to us as it is to you! Don’t have your TAT pushed aside because someone else has a “priority”!

Here at CLK Transcription, we try to treat every client as our only client when it comes to meeting their turn around demands.  Many of our clients know each other and have referred each other to us, and we know keeping one happy, means keeps them all happy.

People have often said, “when someone likes you they will repeat it, but if they do not like you they will repeat it over and over again.”

We want to change all that.  We want to have CLK repeated over and over again because we assisted in your transcription needs and never missed a beat with another project on our plate.  We love hearing “you rock” when we give our clients with the quality they demand at a cost they can afford, all in a timely manner that lets them get their job done in a smooth manner.

The independent contractors I work with are just as important as the clients I have.  Without them doing their absolute best and being happy with me assigning them work, I could not offer the services I offer to the clients we handle audio for.

In working for other companies, I had heard many times “that project can wait” or “just load up that IC, she’s a workhorse” and I cringe when I think about a client’s TAT being brushed aside, or a IC being so overworked that she wears herself out.

In doing the best job possible, we all have our limits.  Clients cannot be overburdened with stress wondering if their work will be completed on time and the transcriptionist cannot be so overworked that she rushes or even worse, drops the ball all together and misses deadlines herself.

Many times we receive STAT or priority files from a client.  We handle them as we would any other, but we have some wonderful transcriptionists that are available just for those types of files, so that whether we received one or 20 files in a day, your priority is handled without pushing someone else aside, and without stressing the transcriptionist with an unreal deadline herself.  Every client’s files remain active.

Handling the work this way allows every file we receive today to be returned today or within 24 hours, meeting your TAT and allowing the transcriptionists time for their own personal responsibilities as well.

Yes, there are times when the larger projects come, multi-hour, multi-speaker interviews, conferences, and seminars that take us a bit longer, but even in those cases you can usually start seeing a return of part of the project within 24 hours and a completion within 3 days, depending on the size.

Unfortunately, we have had to turn away projects from some of our most prized clients because of their TAT and our workload when they contact us with a multi-hour project due in a few days, but even those clients come back.  Why?  Because I won’t add to their stress by saying I can handle it and then blow their TAT when I know I can’t.

Thankfully, those exceptions are few and far between.  My clients with those larger projects allow me time to plan and get ready for them by giving me a heads up to expect those files.  Most times a day’s notice is all it takes.

So when other companies say they can handle your large project, ask them not only if they have the transcriptionists on duty to handle it, but how much work gets pushed aside that belongs to your friends and colleagues in order to handle yours?  Because the next time they have a larger project, it could be you that’s pushed aside.

We love transcription. It’s not just what we do – it’s who we are!

CLK Transcription, Inc comes highly recommended by some of the most amazing journalists, ghost writers, authors, blog radio and webinar hosts, and corporate companies in the world.  Let us show you why.  Allow us to help you with your transcription needs and make you a part of our family too!

Check us out on:

Twitter = @CLK_Shortcake
Facebook = http://www.facebook.com/people/CarolLee-Streeter-Kidd/1234760098

and

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tobyhanna-PA/CLK-Transcription-Inc/100158850050342
LinkedIn = http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription

Proofreading 101

As a transcriptionist it is important to proof every word, punctuation mark and meaning intended in the words.

It is not just okay to type what you hear and press send to the client.  A proper spell check and grammar check must be run. A thorough proofreading is an absolute must.

You must then re-read the document to ensure those words that would never be found in a spell check if improperly used are caught.

Example:

The glasses are in the cup board. – OR – The glasses are in the cupboard.

It is because of that hat I have a headache.  – OR – It is because of that, that I have a headache.

You have to re-read the report to ensure that the sentences are punctuated properly.

Example:

Did you know that I was going to drive my car then I snapped.  My fingers in the car door.  – OR – Did you know I was going to drive my car, and then I snapped my fingers in the car door.

Also, you have to make sure that the sentence is structured properly.

Example:

All right well.  I will keep it quick. –  OR – All right.  Well, I will keep it quick.

That’s right you were talking about the Plavix.  Being a good drug for coagulation, Atenolol works for blood pressure too? – OR – That’s right.  You were talking about Plavix being a good drug for coagulation.  Atenolol works for blood pressure too?

You have to be sure the words you use are the words actually spoken.

Example:

The patient has hypotension.  – OR – The patient has hypertension.

There are a lot of cleaning sulfates bad for the environment.  – OR – There are a lot of cleaning solvents bad for the environment.

Some tips and tricks:

Type what you hear.

Once complete, re-read the finished product while listening to the audio again.

Re-read the document without listening to the audio.

Do the transcribed words make sense?  Does it read as smoothly as possible?

Some people find that reading the document backward will allow them to catch some errors.

Keep in mind, not everyone speaks with proper English, and unless your client wants you to clean it up, it should be transcribed as spoken.  In these cases, the only real proof will be re-listening while reading along.

The one thing to remember is to never, NEVER, never transcribe something you are unsure of.  Research is part of a transcriptionist’s responsibilities.  If in doubt, leave it out.  Let the client know where the inaudibles are.  They will appreciate the blanks more than a misused word or phrase.  Remember one misused word or phrase completely erases all credibility and faith in your returned product.

Errors happen.  No one is perfect.  When you make a mistake, learn from it.  Make notes.  Know what each of your client’s preferences are.  Most importantly, respect your client enough to admit to your error and work to be mistake-free in your proofing and grammar the next time.  When you have an unhappy client, sometimes it is important that you offer a monetary “apology” in order to have a “next time” to prove your value.

Remember, when someone likes your work they will repeat it.  When someone dislikes your work, they will repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it.

My favorite line to my transcriptionists is “Breathe. I don’t mind blanks.  I will fill in blanks as possible.  But be sure what you type is what was said and how it was said.  Proof, proof, proof.  Doing a thorough proof is the only way to get your ear.”  I am proud to say that CLK transcriptionists always give their best, and that is all I ask.

Speed is not as important as accuracy when transcribing.  I don’t care how fast you type if what you type is incorrect.  I can bet that your clients won’t care either.
WWW.CLKtranscription.com – Let us assist you with your transcription needs. We accept all forms of downloadable audio, tapes, CDs, DVDs, hardcopy conversion, and voice mail.  We also offer development of electronic signatures, PDF conversions, and audio conversion for easy playback.  We are proud to note many journalists, authors, ghost writers, doctors, universities, and corporations as clients.  We would love to add you to our “family”.

Three ways to save at CLK Transcription during the months of September/October:

Mention this blog when submitting audios to us for transcription and save $5.00 off your next invoice of $50.00 or more.

Refer a friend who generates an invoice of $50.00 or more and receive another $5.00 off your next invoice of $50.00 or more.

Retweet this blog, and receive yet another $5.00 off your next invoice of $50.00 or more.

That’s a potential savings of $15.00 off your next invoice of $50.00 or more.

We can begin any project immediately and look forward to hearing from you!

Carollee@clktranscription.com

Twitter = @CLK_Shortcake
Facebook = CarolLee Streeter Kidd
LinkedIn = http://www.linkedin.com/in/clktranscription

Some helpful programs for the transcription of audio files

As a transcriptionist I have the opportunity to see many different file types cross my desk.  I have also had the ability to really research the programs, free or not, that work best for me in converting the audio and playing the audio files.

First and foremost, ExpressScribe by www.NCH.com.au is a wonderful free player that works wonderfully with or without foot pedals.  You can adjust the audio and playback to make the job of transcribing the audio so much easier.

The upside to this audio player software program by NCH is that they also have a converter, Switch, one version is free and an upgrade for a nominal fee.  The free version is usually enough for the individual transcriptionist who may have file types that they would prefer to convert to mp3 or wav files.

Another great program for conversion of audio is X2X Audio converter which is also free – http://www.x2xsoft.com/productlist/audio.html.  This does additional file types and I have found it to actually be a bit faster in the conversion process.

In addition, when tapes are received and you would like to convert them to MP3 files, I absolutely love the polderbit sound recorder and editor, which is not free, but for anyone who works with tapes or even records to MP3/wav it is well worth the nominal fee for the program.  http://www.polderbits.com/recorder_uk.htm.  You will of course still need a tape player/record player/cd player and a male to male audio extension cord to go from the player to the sound card of your computer, but for me, this program is priceless.  It is not free, but allows the ability to clean up the audio while being recorded, which is an invaluable tool when handling tapes.

DVD’s are an animal all their own.  In order to extrapolate the audio from these creatures I use the iSofter program.  It is easy to use, is a bit slow, and there are some quirks to it sometimes, but the tech support is always right on.  Again, this program is not free, but well worth the cost.  http://dvdtoall.isofter.com/index.htm

Some other programs I use on a not so frequent basis, but are useful just the same

http://www.avs4you.com – AIFF files to mp3

www.PCDictate.com – to convert the newer DS2 files to mp3.

Now I agree, many of these do much of the same conversions, but each have a little special difference as well.  As someone who receives multiple files in multiple formats, I found having several makes my day go a bit easier.  When one doesn’t handle what I need, I have a backup.

Having the ability to handle all forms of audio, allows my clients to just worry about developing the audio, and not what format works for transcription.   That, in turn, allows me to assist them in saving time and money when I handle their audio for transcription and develop the quality reports they demand.

There are admittedly hundreds of programs to choose from, however for me, these are the ones I have trusted over the years.

So, if you find yourself in need of a player or converter, check them out.  You may find you like them too.

www.clktranscription.com

Sometimes going cheap is good. But sometimes going cheap can cost you your career!

Sometimes going cheap is good.  Getting cheaper soap at the grocery store is good.  Getting cheap concert tickets is great.  But sometimes going cheap can cost you your business, your career…your livelihood.

I admit I am in a profession in which the workload is easily sent off shore to complete.  I also admit that it can be done cheaper.  I also know that doing so puts our medical, personal, and professional information at risk.

You get what you pay for.

I have stated before and will state again, that when our personal information is sent off shore, you are opening up the residents of the USA to identity theft, but you are also leaving the door wide open for other errors that can and do occur.  Things like hypoglycemic transcribed as hyperglycemic, known malignant transcribed as non-malignant, so many more…

Read more here http://wp.me/pLEiA-55 on how medical information is shared when transcribed over seas.  Is this where you want your information?  Even your insurance carrier may off shore their Workman’s Comp and Disability Claim Files.  Could that be why you have been denied benefits?  Was there an error in the medical report due to a language barrier?

Another example is legal transcription.  Allow me to share the following story:

I had a lawyer relay this to me to show the importance of commas that he found only AFTER a will reading.  One little comma can change a settlement of a case dramatically.

A man dies.  He leaves his estate to his three kids, which for the purpose of this example we will call Jack, Jill, and Jane.

His estate is worth a million dollars and it is to be divided in equal shares to Jack, Jill and Jane.

Now would you appreciate that inheritance?  Or if you were Jane and Jill, would you rather that pesky little comma so that it reads:

His estate is worth a million dollars and it is to be divided in equal shares to Jack, Jill, and Jane.

Without the comma Jack gets half, while Jill and Jane share the other half.  With the comma, they all get equal thirds.  Do you think someone who has English as a second language would understand the importance of that comma?  Jill and Jane sure found out the importance of the comma.

Imagine your comma missing in your important document!

For the journalist, ghost writer, and author.

You work hard to do your interviews, composites, and drafts.  Would you want your story transcribed by someone who then sells your hard work to a high bidder, with no possible recourse?  Confidentiality statements mean nothing when there are no ramifications for a breach.  When you search for the lowest possible bid, you get the lowest possible certainty that your hard work is safe.  Pay pennies…lose big bucks.

And yet another example:

Ever have your voice mail transcribed by an off shore vendor?  If you have, maybe it ended up on the blogs found when Googling “Funniest Voice Mail Transcription Errors.”

Now let’s get into another fact of life:

Big corporate companies off shore their work:  Manufacturers, tech developers, etcetera.  Sure it is cheaper, and maybe you even see okay quality with some products.  But have you thought about how we must share our trade secrets with the companies that we now send our work to, who then are under no legal ramifications if they share that information?  If they take it and run with it, now putting your business in jeopardy of losing it all?  What are you going to do?  Fire them, set up in another country, and pray it doesn’t happen again?  What about the money these businesses lose?  How do they recoup?  By increasing their costs.  By going bankrupt?  By a US Government bailout?

Keep US information, jobs, and resources where it belongs.  In the USA.  Our citizens are trained, they take pride in their work, and they need work – which builds our economy.

I do not dislike the other parts of this great world we live in.  I am just very proud to say that I am an American.  I live and work in the USA.  I am a proud US owned and operated businesswoman.

Have your audio/video transcribed by a human, in the US, by US citizens, and be proud to say it was Made in America! We honor your confidentiality at all times.   Do your research.  There are many great US transcriptionists and transcription companies right here in your own backyard.  It may cost you a few cents more, but you will save on quality and so much more.  But do your research.  Many large transcription companies off shore their workloads yet lead you to believe they do it all right here in the USA!

http://www.clktranscription.com – we never off shore your work.  We never use voice recognition.  We always respect your time and your confidentiality, and we give you the quality you demand.  Find out why we come highly recommended.