Last updated on October 20th, 2023
What are Transcription jobs? If you are looking for “online work-from-home jobs“, I bet you must have come across the word “Transcription Jobs” before.
In this post, I will explore more about what is transcription. What is a
What Are The Benefits of Remote Transcr iption Jobs?
I believe flexibility is what all work-from-home seekers are looking for. The ultimate goal is to have more time for your family and not spend all your time traveling and working in a
This in turn bring down stress level in their lives and gives them a healthier work-life balance.
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom, college student, or retiree, transcription jobs are one of the remote work that you can consider.
What Is A Transcriber/Transcriptionist?
According to vocabulary.com, the meaning of a transcriber/transcriptionist is:
A transcriber is someone who writes down what someone else is saying. In court, there’s always a transcriber who makes a record of the testimony.
What Is Transcription?
Transcription is the document made by copying down in writing something that you listen to, like audio tapes, an interview, or comments made during a meeting.
What Does the Transcriber Do?
Based on the above definition, you roughly have a basic understanding of what transcribers do.
Thus, as a transcriber, what you basically do is listen to a recorded audio or video file and convert it to text format according to what you hear.
What are the different types of transcription Jobs?
The types and topics that transcription jobs can cover are very wide.
Although all are doing the same thing that is typing out recorded audio or video files and converting it to a text file. Some transcription jobs are more difficult as you need to have specialized background knowledge. These are the types that pay higher than the rest.
Therefore, the harder the jobs the more the clients are willing to pay more.
There are three different types of transcription jobs in the market: General, Legal, and Medical.
As mentioned above, Legal and Medical are the more difficult transcription jobs that allow you to earn more money compared to General Transcription Jobs.
How much money can you make as a transcriptionist?
Based on Transcribeme.com, their pay starts from $15-$22 per audio hour, and top monthly earnings at $2,200 (average monthly earnings are $250). Transcriptionists with specialized backgrounds in Medical and Legal are paid a higher rate.
Do note that different transcription company’s pay rates are different, see below for details.
Which Type Of Transcription Jobs Is Suitable For Beginners?
As a beginner, I recommend you to start with General Transcription.
Under the general category, transcribers mainly cover the general type of audio/video files. These included interviews, podcasts, phone calls, simple dictation, lectures, video webinars, and many more.
Simply said, any audio/video types of files that do not belong to Legal or Medical transcriptions fall under this category.
Hence, for beginners, start with general transcription jobs. After you have gained a few years of experience, you can venture into Legal or Medical transcriptions jobs. This will help you to increase your earnings over time.
What Kind Of Basic Skills Do You Need To Become A Transcriptionist?
You do need to have a good command over the language you are using for transcribing.
For example, if you are using the English language for transcribing you need to have a good command of its grammar and punctuation. This is a must for all languages.
Besides having a good command of the language you are using, you do need to have the patience and the ability to sit for long periods of time.
On top of that, you also need to have an eye for detail and fast typing skills.
Are transcription jobs for everyone? Unfortunately, the answer is No.
To see whether you are suitable to become a transcriptionist, you can take this Free mini-course.
How to Become A Transcriptionist?
As I mentioned above, transcription jobs are not for everyone. So, my advice to you is to take this free mini-course. This is to have a better understanding of exactly what transcription is.
Once you have decided this is for you, then you can consider taking up a transcription training course in order to give you a head start over others in this competitive industry.
There
- Computer/Laptop
- Comfortable Headphone
Do note that when applying as a paid transcriptionist, you
Where To Find Transcription Jobs?
Not all available jobs are suitable for beginners. Thus, here I will list some online transcribing companies that welcome beginners to apply.
Transcribing Companies That Welcome Beginners To Apply
1. TranscribeM e
TranscribeMe was founded in 2011. It has over 50 employees worldwide and thousands of professional transcriptionists working for them.
They claim to have the best rate in the industries but you have to compare and decide for yourself ya. Earnings start at $15-$22 per audio hour and top monthly earnings at $2,200 (average monthly earnings are 250). Transcriptionists with specialized backgrounds in Medical and Legal are paid a higher rate.
It is free to join, no experience is needed. They accept international applications, and the minimum age requirement to register is 18 years old.
2. Rev Transcription
Established in the year 2010, their mission is to give more people the freedom to work from home.
Rev enables their freelancers to have the freedom to choose their work, set their own hours, and work where they want.
It is free to join and you can apply for Transcriptionist or/and Captioner.
The payment range for
Do you know a foreign language? If you do, you can sign up to translate subtitles. The pay range for translating subtitles is $1.50 – $3.00 per audio/video minute.
Rev will pay you weekly via PayPal for all work completed.
3. Daily T ranscription
Daily Transcription was established in the year 2005. The company has been in the market for 12 years.
They are looking for stay-at-home moms, dads, students, part-time teachers, writers, academics, or anyone who wants to make extra money at home. They welcome professionals, novices, and beginners to apply. Applicants must reside within the United States or Canada
Their starting rates are $0.75 -$0.85 per audio minute. Their top transcriptionist makes anywhere from $250- $950 per week.
4. Go Transcript
Go Transcript was founded in 2006 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.
They hired anyone worldwide. You do not need to have any experience, you just need to have good English skills.
You are not required to have fast typing speed as they give around 6 hours to transcribe 6 minutes of an audio or video file.
Go Transcript pays up to $0.60 per audio or video minute. Top monthly earnings at $1,215.00. They pay every Friday th
5. Scribie
Scribie was established in the year 2008.
They too accept worldwide applications. Currently, they have 28071 home-based freelancers from all over the world.
Their requirement is:
- Must have a good command of English
- Have the ability to interpret conversations
- Ability to apply context and identify mistakes
- A Verified PayPal account
- Laptop/desktop computer and internet connection
- Headphone/headset
- The latest version of Firefox, Chrome, or Safari web browser
Additionally, the core skill they look for is the ability to correct manual/automated transcripts. Scribie will not be a good fit if you are looking for typing-only jobs.
Scribie’s pay rate is $5 to $25 per audio hour. Do note that they pay by audio hour and not the actual hour spent working on it.
6. Casting Words
Casting Words was founded in the year 2005.
They only accept applicants who live in one of their support countries or states. You have to be at least 18 years of age. Their payment is through PayPal.
For transcription, the short answer is anywhere between 8.5 cents and a bit over one dollar per audio minute.
What Kind Of Transcription Courses Available?
Here are some transcription courses you can take a look into if you want a head start over others:
- General Transcription: Theory & Practice
- Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice
- Free General Transcription Mini-Course
- Free Legal Transcription Mini-Course
In Conclusion,
I hope after reading this post you will have a better understanding of what is transcription and how much to expect as a beginner transcriber.
There are some other works-from-home ideas that you can consider. Online surveys are also another great way to extra cash from home during your
