What is Transcription?
Transcription is the process of conversion of an audio file or video file into a text format. The transcript can be either the exact word-to-word typed document or certain parts of the speech like ‘ahh,’ ‘ooh,’ ‘umm,’ etc., that are heard but are not essential for the document is omitted. They can be done manually by a transcriptionist or through an API/AI app or website.
Transcription makes an audio file searchable on search engines. It helps more people discover the audio file’s content through organic search methods with easy-to-use transcription software. If an audio or video is transcribed, Google bots can read the transcripted document to know what it is about.
Some companies and websites have humans as transcriptionists to manually type and transcribe audio files to text format for clients. They are usually very accurate but can be quite expensive. New AI (Artificial Intelligence) apps and AI-based websites are cheaper, but if you don’t want to spend your money, all you need is Google docs and a pair of headphones! Podcasts and videos can be transcribed for free in Google docs so that you can republish the content on the internet in text format, and you are covered no matter what your budget is!
Google doc is a free cloud-based app with a pre-installed transcription software called Voice Typing and needs no extra plugins, unlike other transcription apps. It has been designed and programmed so that the tool listens to your voice and automatically converts what you say into a text format in Google Docs when you speak.
Here’s how it works!
- Put your headphones on and find the file you want to transcribe.
- Open a new Google document and click on the icon voice record found under the “Tools” drop-down menu.
- You can choose your desired language from a list of 1500+ options. In addition, you can select your preferred language by clicking on the drop-down menu on the recording button.
- Play your audio file or record and repeat whatever you hear. The microphone icon on the left will turn red to indicate that the tool is working and recording properties. Listen to your audio file recording through your headphones and speak along. The Voice Tool in Google docs will transcribe your voice into text form as you talk.
Google voice picks up human speaking only. So it won’t work if you play the audio file or record over a speaker. However, if you speak loud and clear at the average speed, it relatively gets everything accurately. Bloggers and researchers worldwide have tested this tool with many languages, and the output was fast and entirely accurate.
If you are not willing to read out the audio file aloud, there is another alternative available that can automatically transcribe the audio file into text format within minutes.
Vocalmatic is an online transcription website where you can automatically transcribe your audio files into text format for free.
Here’s how it works!
- Visit Vocalmatic.com and register for an account on Vocalmatic. You can sign in with your registered email-id, Google, or LinkedIn account.
- After successfully signing up, you will get 30 minutes free to transcribe your audio files.
- A “New Transcription” page will open in your browser. Vocalmatic allows various types of audio file copying. First, select the sort of audio file you want to upload, for example, mp3, wave, FLAC, etc. You can upload files that are up to 2GB in size!
- Hit the rectangular cloud icon on the left to select and upload an audio file from your computer.
- Select the language that your audio file is in and the language you can put it into. Vocalmatic supports over 100+ words from all over the world.
- Choose the output formatting that you want your document in. Vocalmatic can convert files to the default form and (SubRip Subtitle) SRT form.
- After successfully uploading the audio file from your computer and setting the language and output format, hit the submit button below.
- After you confirm the submission of the audio file, sit back and relax! The audio file will be sent to the Vocalmatic servers to automatically transcribe into text form in your preferred language without any manual help.
- Once the audio file’s transcription has finished, you will receive a confirmation message that your automatic transcription has been completed in your registered email address.
- Once you receive the finished transcribed audio, you can edit the document and make changes to increase the transcribed document’s accuracy and perfection.
With the advancement of technologies, speech recognition technology has improved rapidly in recent years. So it’s no wonder that many companies have taken this opportunity to release automated transcription software to help faster and more accurate transcription for free.
