What is a Transcriptionist & What Does General Transcriptionist Do?

What is a Transcriptionist?

A transcriptionist is simply one who converts recorded audio files into text or document format. Although transcription services can be categorized into different areas, the most common are medical transcription and general transcription.

Generally, transcriptionists can take on any transcription work. However, those who want to work as medical or legal transcriptionists usually need to undergo special training on the jargon used in these industries.

What is a General Transcriptionist?

Transcription assignments that don’t fall in the medical or legal industries are referred to as general transcription. These transcription works may be in diverse industries. A transcriber that handles general transcription work is formally known as a general transcriptionist.

Categories That Fall Under General Transcription Services

Below is an overview of transcription assignments that are classified as "general transcription".

• Podcasts. Most podcasters want their shows transcribed to be repurposed into articles or used for their newsletter content.
• Journalists. Journalists usually need the information they have gathered through audio or video interviews transcribed for clarity and quick reference.
• Video Transcription. Small businesses that have a video marketing strategy may need their videos transcribed for content repurposing or SEO benefits.
• Video and Webcasts. Churches and businesses that hold webcasts may want to keep records of their presentations. These presentations may be transcribed and posted on their websites.
• Web conferences and teleseminars. Most businesses that hold web conferences need videos transcribed for marketing purposes. The transcribed content can be used for online lead generation.
• Legal transcription. While some legal transcription jobs require specialized training, many clients have recordings that can be transcribed by any transcriptionist. You are likely to sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) before being hired to work on a legal transcription project.
• Insurance industry. Insurance adjusters usually speak on recorders when examining accident scenes. These recordings are later transcribed for the purposes of determining claims.
• Course Creators: Course creation has become easier thanks to platforms like Teachable and Udemy. Experienced course creators may want their lessons transcribed to make it easy for non-English students to follow. Some creators may also want their lectures translated to different languages.
• Lectures. Professors, public speakers and students usually record lectures to be transcribed later. Depending on the client, the audio may be good or poor quality. You will need a good listening ear to handle such transcription jobs.
• Marketing Agencies. Marketing agencies may have various clients that need video marketing services and blog post creation. The clients may have instructional videos that can be transcribed into blog posts.
• Talk Radio Shows. Talk radio show hosts may want their shows transcribed for their audience, who may want to find out how the show went but may not be in a position to listen to the audio
• Foreign language transcription and translation. As businesses expand to foreign markets, the need to reach their target audiences in their native languages is apparent. The companies may need audio and video content translated and transcribed for the new markets. Spanish and Mandarin are two of the in-demand transcription languages on the market.

The above are the various categories of transcription work that fall under general transcription services.