Transcription – the procedure of converting audio content into written text – is a skill on demand. Academic institutions, law firms, hospitals, finance companies, and a wide range of other industries are always looking out for the best transcription services. This means there are some amazing opportunities for transcriptionists with good language skills.

What makes a Transcriptionist Successful?

The experts determining transcription rates per hour Australia said you could have a successful career in the transcription industry if you can cultivate the below-mentioned attributes:

  • Fast typing speed
  • Proficiency in English grammar
  • Good organisation skills
  • Good comprehension and listening skills
  • Well-read. You must be capable of recognizing, understanding, and contextualizing information.

Of the qualities stated above, proficiency in grammar is perhaps the most significant transcription skill. Whether you will succeed or fail as a transcriptionist will depend on your grammatical prowess.

 

 

Grammar Mistakes to Avoid

Incorrect Punctuation

Proper punctuation is a fundamental skill but can be quite challenging when doing transcription. You must be capable of telling when the speaker pauses, starts a new sentence and takes a different trajectory. It would help if you utilized verbal cues for punctuating the transcript. Punctuation mistakes can pave the way for sentence fragmentation or run-on sentences that can be tough to understand.

 

Spelling Mistakes

Companies that need professional transcription services would not tolerate spelling mistakes. You cannot ask the speaker to spell every word – technical jargon and excessively complex words are exceptions. There is no need to further elaborate on this point as it is quite obvious. If one cannot spell, he/she should not transcribe.

 

Contraction Mistakes

Transcriptionists always feel the urge to use contractions because then they can type faster. But, be careful when placing an apostrophe or about a contraction that can change the meaning. For instance, many people type the contraction ‘you’re’ instead of ‘your’, thinking they are the same. Other people type ‘it’s’ instead of ‘its’, hardly caring about the semantics.

 

Verb and Subject Mismatches

The experts working for an academic transcription company said writing verbs and subjects that seem incompatible with a sentence is a big grammatical mistake. Maintain consistency while transcribing verbs and subjects, both plural and singular. For instance, you cannot type ‘has’ when the subject is singular.

 

Replacing or Mistyping Words

When listening to a recording, it is quite easy to replace or mistype words with the same pronunciation. For example, homophones like effect/affect, principals/principles, bare/bear, check/cheque, etc. You must contextualize the information to know which words to use and how to use them.

 

Proper Nouns and Capitalization

You must find out proper nouns and capitalize them in the transcript. Some proper nouns such as pet names can be misinterpreted as common nouns. For instance, do not write, ‘Take spot for a walk.’ Write ‘Take Spot for a walk.’

Avoiding the mistakes stated above will help you gain prosperity as a transcriptionist. You can either be a freelancer dealing with clients on your own or become a part of any company.