Reasonably priced at $10.00 (free demo available) it’s a very convenient way to record phone interviews. You should however check if it works with your particular Android device because it’s not compatible with all phones.

Pros:

1. Records both sides of the conversation without having to use an external recorder or speaker phones.

2. Recordings can be emailed to your inbox or sent to Evernote. You can play them inside the app or using any standard audio

3. Allows you to record calls from or to specific numbers.

4. Has auto-start and auto-stop recording options.

5. Voice files can be saved in 4 different audio formats- 3GPP, MPEG4, AMR and WAV. The files can be played using the app or with any standard digital audio player.

Cons:

1. May not work with all Android devices (the app website suggests you try the demo version before making a purchase).

2. May not record calls on some devices if you’re using a bluetooth headset.

3. You may have to put the call on speakerphone if your device only records through an external microphone.

4. The recording may not playback within the app on some devices and must be exported before you can listen to it.

Overall it sounds like a great app for people who conduct phone interviews frequently. I’ve seen some negative reviews from those who couldn’t run the app on their devices (hence the suggestion to use the demo first) but predominantly the feedback looks great.

Do remember to check your local call recording laws though and always inform the interviewee that you’re recording the call. Here’s a short video to show you how the app works.

Happy Recording!

Decide the level of detail required

Do you want every word transcribed? Would you like some parts to be edited out – like speech habits, repetitions and incomplete sentences? Think over the editing requirements to avoid re-work on the transcript later.

The level of detail also affects turnaround time and cost. Read about transcription styles here.

Assess the accents involved

Does your recording have speakers with different accents? Accents can take 2-3 times longer to transcribe. Some accents require highly experienced transcribers and sometimes even native speakers to ensure accuracy. Check if your transcription service has experience working with the accents that are there on your recording.

Consider the complexity of content

If your recording involves technical terminology like names of software programs, medical procedures, etc., decide if you need the terms spelled correctly in the transcript. This  is not so important if you plan to edit the transcript yourself, but it’s crucial if you’re looking for a print-ready document that’s error-free.

Many transcription companies use online research for checking spellings, this is a good method. However, if your audio involves very complex terminology, it’s a good idea to hire a service that’s experienced in working with your subject. For e.g., choose transcription firm that specializes in medical transcription for medical recordings.

There are several other factors that go into planning a transcription project. You can find more information here.

Conducting a successful interview (that is both interesting and productive) requires expert execution without consciously/unconsciously influencing your subject’s ideas.

Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of the conversation:

The Beginning

1. Be on time

Don’t be late or nor too early (esp. if you’re interviewing the subject at their home). If you need to set up recording equipment  before starting the interview, make the appointment accordingly.

2. Introduce yourself

Start by introducing yourself and the college/company you represent. Tell the subject about your research and reiterate the reason why you want to interview them. If you are recording the interview, ask for their permission to record.

3. Establish rapport

Don’t jump straight into the questions. Begin with some casual conversation about their interests, their work, your own research etc. This would help both you and the subject to relax and get into the flow of the conversation.

The Body

4. Don’t follow the list

If you have a list of questions (which you probably will), don’t try to mechanically follow it. A good interview is a conversation not an interrogation, so don’t be afraid to drift away from your agenda. You will probably get much more information if you go with the flow and have fun. However, if the subjects starts rambling, you can gently bring them back to topic by saying something like ‘That’s great, and how about…’

5. Listen

Ask your question and then be quiet and listen. Give the subject time to think over the question. When they start speaking, you can nod your head and use occasional verbal nods like ‘um-hmm’ and ‘right’ but not to the point of distraction.

6. Probe

As the conversation progresses you can dig deeper for information by using probing questions like ‘Tell me more about that…’ or ‘How did you feel about that…’ etc.

7. Make notes, but sparingly

Make notes where necessary but don’t get too absorbed in the process because that can distract the subject. Instead, ask for the subject’s permission to record the interview (you should do this at the time of setting up the interview). See this post on how to choose the right voice recorder.

The Closing

8. Ask a general question

At the end of the interview ask a general question like ‘Is there anything else you’d like to add?’ or ‘Is there anything else you can think of that’s important to this topic?’ This will give the subject to add bonus information that you may not have thought of asking about. It will also help you ease towards closure of the interview.

9. Stick to time lines

Finish the interview on time. If you’re remembered as a disciplined person who did not impose on the subject’s time, you’ll be welcomed back the next time you want to talk to them.

10. Say thank you

Close the interview by thanking the subject for sharing their experience with you. Give them your contact information and ask them to contact you if they think of something later that might be relevant to your research.

After the interview

11. Make notes

Sit down to make notes while the conversation is still fresh in your memory. Making notes from a recording is never quite the same.

12. Transcribe the interview

Transcription is a great opportunity to re-listen to the interview. As you type, you will notice pieces of information you may have missed during the conversation, you may capture a change in tone as the subject talks about something they feel strongly about, or you may hear an unusually long pause indicating hesitation or emotion in the subject. The transcript will ultimately become a valuable resource for your write-up.

An evolving technology

“Isn’t there a simpler way of doing this?”  Transcription is a notoriously tedious process and almost everyone who’s ever tried it has asked this question at some point.

Unfortunately voice recognition is still an evolving technology and there aren’t perfect solutions available yet.

However, there are some applications that can make the process easier. These can be put into two categories –

1.  Voice Recognition Software that allow you dictate text into a computer or recording device.

2. Transcription Tools that help you manually transcribe audio and video recordings.

In this post we’ll discuss the features of a couple of products from both categories.

Voice Recognition Software

1. Dragon Naturally Speaking

Compatibility: Mac and PC

Price: Starts at $99

Description: DNS is the most popular speech-to-text software in the market. It’s highly accurate and comes with a bunch of features. All you have to do is put on a headset and start dictating – either to your computer or a portable voice recorder and it converts your words into text.

Like all voice recognition software, you do need to  ‘train’ it first to understand your style of speaking. Once trained, the text accuracy of this application can vary from 80-98% depending on how clearly you speak and the complexity of the subject (for e.g. technical terms may not come out very accurately).

The software is not suitable for audio with multiple speakers though. Also, you have to dictate real time, i.e. it does not come with the functionality to transcribe recordings. A work-around for this is to ‘re-speak’ a recording into a microphone in your own voice.

Got to website

2. Windows Speech Recognition

Compatibility: PC

Price: Bundled with Windows Vista and Windows 7

Description: If you’re looking for a free application, this is one of the best options you’ll find for a PC. The software converts your speech into text as you talk into a microphone.

Like Dragon Naturally Speaking, you have to train Windows Speech Recognition to understand your speech. The training system is quite extensive and works well for casual users.

The downside is that this application is quite slow and not very accurate. But if you speak slowly, pause for several seconds between sentences, and use simple vocabulary you should be fine. Again, you can’t transcribe recordings using this software, everything has to be dictated real-time.

Go to website

While these two are the most popular ones, there are several others available to choose from. You can find a good comparison of features here.

Transcription Tools

1. Express Scribe

Compatibility: PC & Mac

Price: The basic version is free and the pro version is for $19.99.

Description: This easy-to-use application allows you to playback recordings while you transcribe. It lets you play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward your audio and also let’s you add time codes using its in-built shortcut keys.

Express Scribe is fairly customizable in terms of hot keys (you can set your own if you’re not happy with the presets). It also lets you adjust the audio speed (slow it down or speed it up). Another good feature is that it lets you set the number of seconds to rewind or fast forward each time you press the appropriate key.

Developed by NCH, this is probably the most commonly used application for transcription and is a favorite with professional transcriptionists.

Go to website

2. InqScribe

Compatibility: PC & Mac

Price: Starts at $99

Description: Inqscribe is another simple transcription tool that you can download to your computer to transcribe audio and video recordings. One advantage with this app is that it lets you run a video alongside the transcription window. The playback can be controlled either with the mouse or keyboard shortcuts.

Inqscribe also comes with a decent subtitle creation functionality and can run most of the standard file formats.

Go to website

In summary, even though speech-to-text technology still has a long way to go,  there are some decent options available for dictation and manual transcription. With a little practice these options can save you a lot of time and frustration.  In the mean time, if you’re battling tough deadlines or need multi-speaker audio transcribed then a transcription service is still the way to go.

Here are some quick and effective methods to choose an effective interpreter for interviews.

State Commissions

The first place to begin your search is the State Commissions, with whom professional interpreters register immediately after earning their certification. Most states across the country maintain exhaustive certified interpreter’s lists and these are very useful sources. Alternatively, independent living centres, across the state could offer referral programs.

Local vocational training centers

Every local vocational training centre offering interpretation courses or translation courses could well support a database of students trained and certified from their centres. This will not only ensure you get qualified and trained interpreters, you can also find testimonials or recommendations from other research students/ PhD holders who have used the interpreters services.

Professional Interpreter organizations

Most professional interpreters register with trade bodies such as the national interpreter associations, state chapters of professional interpreters and even local community service providers.  Contacting the local interpreter organization should help in locating such professionals to help you coast through your interview.

Directories-Yellow Pages, Craiglist, Quikr

Of great help are the ranges of directory /classified services that provide substantial help in locating professional interpreters.

Online service providers

Google Places, and most social media today are the best and the most convenient format to locate local interpretation services. You will only have to select the category of interpreter you require for the interview and results will show location-based service providers.

You will have to use online search engines optimally to estimate the professional charges or rates on an hourly basis or a project-basis and use it leverage the best rates while hiring the interpreters.

Some tips to ensure you find the best interpreters

There are some ground rules you will have to follow, while trying to find the best interpreter for your interview. If it is a fresher you choose for interpreting during your research interview, the costs will be reasonable, however it would lack in professional finesse. On the other hand, professional interpreters provide consecutive interpretation and are ideal for student interviews.

However, you will have to determine the quality standards you want of the interpreter and hence hire accordingly. There are some professional interpreters who will expect to be paid in advance for their services and could sometimes have technical requirements such as seating or lighting and you will have to arrange for such requests.

1. Interviews

When recording an interview (for e.g., with an expert in your line of work), use a good digital voice recorder to get the best audio quality. If it’s a telephonic interview, use a telephone adapter to ensure both sides of the conversation are recorded clearly.

2. Teleconferences

If you are conducting a teleclass or a teleconference with multiple participants, try using a professional conference service like (GoToMeeting or WebEx). These services create professional recordings and also offer services to improve the overall execution of the event (such as chat functions, interactive presentations, etc.).

3.  Presentations

If you are going to present on a stage (for e.g. to make a speech or conduct a yoga session) don’t depend on a distant video camera to capture your voice, use a good lavalier microphone instead. It’s a tiny device that can be hidden within the folds of your shirt or dress and is ideal for recording speech.

Whether online or offline, clarity of audio is essential if you want your audience to derive maximum benefit from the recording… and absolutely crucial if you plan to get the recording transcribed.

Happy recording!

Visit our business transcription service.

Everyone’s heard of medical transcription, but what is business transcription? Quite simply it’s a service for people who record audio and video for business (or professional) use.

What are Business Recordings

Any audio or video recording that is used for commercial or professional purposes is a business recording. Some examples are interviews, webinars, seminars, teleseminars, teleclasses, presentations, workshops, personal notes, meeting notes, conferences and other such.

Business recordings are generally created for marketing, educational or writing purposes and contain easy-to-understand, non-technical to semi-technical content.

Who Creates Business Recordings

People create business recordings for all sorts of reasons.

Business coaches may record mastermind sessions for sharing with their clients.

Journalists may record interviews to use as raw material for articles.

Marketing professionals may create videos for advertising.

Writers may record notes for their next book.

Business owners may record conferences related to their line of business.

Trainers may record yoga sessions for their trainees.

Bloggers may record podcasts for their readers.

And the list goes on.

The 4 Steps of Business Transcription

Transcribing business recordings involves  4 steps:

1. Typing

First the transcriptionist listens to the audio and types it verbatim. While typing she may conduct online research for spellings of names, books, websites etc.

2. Proofreading

Next the transcriptionist checks the document of any spelling and punctuation errors. She listens to the audio all over again while proofreading.

3. Editing

Now an editor removes all the fillers (the ums, ahs, you knows, etc.), false starts (unfinished sentences) and repetitions from the transcript.

4. Formatting

Finally a word processing expert formats the transcript to create a neat, professional-looking document that is ready for business!

Business transcripts are different from other types of transcripts in that they are precise and professional-looking. That said, some people like to skip the editing and formatting and just use a ‘raw’ transcript for creating articles, blog posts, etc. Others prefer additional features like time codes that make it easy to locate a particular part of the text on a recording.

The process may sound a little cumbersome (and it is time consuming) but the good news is that you don’t have to do it yourself. There are a host of great transcription services that you can find on online who would be happy to convert your business audio and video to transcripts at very reasonable prices.

Check out our business transcription service.

Decide What Information You Need

Think of Patton’s 6 types of questions related to:

1. Behavior or experience.

2. Opinion or belief.

3. Feelings.

4. Knowledge.

5. Sensory.

6. Background or demographic.

Based on this list, write down the information you’d like to collect through the interview. Now frame your interview questions around this information. Also think of the possible answers you might get and prepare follow-up questions to ask.

Do Background Research on the Interviewee

A little research on the history and experiences of the person you’re going to interview can go a long way in helping you frame the right questions and predicting the answers you’d get.

Look up the person on Google, check where they’ve lived and worked, find out about their interests and activities, books they may have written, etc.

Use Open-ended Questions For Collecting General Information

If you want to collect descriptions, histories or general information, avoid using ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions. Instead, use open-ended questions that give the interviewee freedom to express their thoughts. Some examples of an open-ended question are:

“How do you feel about this situation?”

“What do you mean by [topic]?”

“Tell me more about your relationship with your peers”

Use Pointed Questions for Collecting Facts

If you want to collect facts or opinions, use more direct questions like “I would love to know your analysis of [topic]” or “In which year did that happen?”. If possible, let the interviewee know in advance that you would be asking these questions so that they can keep the requested information handy.

Keep the Wording Neutral

Word the questions so that they don’t influence the answer or sound judgmental such as “Don’t you think…” or “I think that may not have been the best approach for them to take, what do you think?”

Leave Room for a General Question in the End

The last question should allow the interviewee to share any thoughts or opinions that they might want to share, such as “Thank you for all that valuable information, is there anything else you’d like to add before we end?”

Carry your list of questions to the interview and use them for reference as the interview proceeds but don’t share the list with the interviewee because that would make the interview too formal.

You may have to digress from the list from time to time when a new idea or question comes to your mind but always return to the list to make sure you gather all the necessary information.

Oh and don’t forget to carry a good voice recorder!

A transcript can be annoyingly hard to read, intelligently edited, or very, very detailed depending on the transcription style used.

There are three basic styles of transcription:

Clean Read

The clean read style of transcription uses editing and paraphrasing to create an easy-to-read and ready-to-print transcript. For example:

“There are so many different requirements within each one of those different segments that if you can hone in on each one of those… and gosh there are a lot of needs within the 25 to 54! I mean, you’re getting families and…”

In this method the transcriptionist first transcribes the audio verbatim and then an editor conducts detailed editing to remove fillers, paraphrase or removed false starts (incomplete sentences), remove repetitions, corrects minor grammatical errors and presents the text in short, easy-to-read paragraphs.

This is the preferred style of transcription for business-related recordings and is also called business transcription.

Verbatim

Verbatim transcription is word-for-word transcription of the audio with light editing. For example:

“…’Cause I think there are so many different requirements within each one of those many and different segments that if you can hone in on each one of those segments… and gosh there’s a lot of needs within the 25 to 54 . I mean you’re getting families and…”

In this style an editor removes the fillers (the ums, ahs, you knows, etc.) to create a neater transcript but doesn’t paraphrase or correct grammatical errors.

This is the default style of transcription used by transcription services unless you ask for something different.

True Verbatim

True Verbatim is the most detailed account of a recording, including every word, sound and non-verbal communication (like laughter and pauses) on the recording. Here’s an example:

“…’Cause I mean…I think there are so many different needs er… different requirements within each one of those you know, those many and different segments that er… if you can hone in on each one of those segments um… and gosh there’s a lot of needs within the 25 to 54 [laughs]. I mean you know you’re getting families and…”

In this style the recording is transcribed without deleting or editing anything.

Verbatim transcription is used for research and analysis where every little detail counts.

Which one is best for you? Think of how you plan to use your transcript. The common practice is to use verbatim for market research or writing-related projects, true verbatim for PhD research and clean read for business.

It’s a good idea to let your transcription service know your preferred style of transcription so that you get the right level of detail in your transcripts.

Checkout transcription services based on these transcription styles.

From now on, you no longer have to send emails to check availability or inform us about new uploads. Just follow these 2 easy steps and we’ll take care of the rest:

Step 1: Book Hours.
Step 2: Upload recordings on the designated date.

You can provide new instructions at the time of booking hours if needed.

We’ll send you an acknowledgement & invoice on the day we receive the files and the transcript/s will be emailed on schedule, based on the turnaround time you requested at the time of booking hours (Regular/Rush).

If you have any questions/suggestions about this change, do leave a comment or write to info@indianscribes.com.

Look forward to hearing from you!