How to Transcribe Faster

I can type 53 wpm (words per minute) according to http://www.typingtest.com/ but it seems that I can only transcribe a difficult ten minute audio in approximately three hours. By 'difficult', I mean, there's mumbling or the speaker's volume is too low. I guess I try too hard to figure out what's being said before I go on and continue listening and encoding the rest of the recording.

What I found out about transcription is that the perspective's not on a per minute basis. It's because when you encode speech... it's on a per second basis! I guess that's why some clients prefer time stamps rather than speaker names on their transcripts.

I use Express Scribe where you can adjust the audio by volume, speed, background noise, etc. It's a great software plus it's free! It's just that I have to pause and hit 'f9' to play or 'f7' to rewind the recording and that takes away from the comfy position I had before while I was typing. (You can use MS word and ExpressScribe at the same time without changing browsers/windows.)

So that's why a foot pedal is a necessary equipment for transcribers. When you have one while you're working, it's just like driving a car where every limb is employed. And that undoubtedly helps one to transcribe faster.

My brother-in-law said he has cousins who work at home as medical transcribers and they've got the whole shebang -- software, footpedals, etc. Cool.

Obviously, I don't have a foot pedal. I'm still testing the waters on my freelance transcription gig to actually invest money on it.

Watching TV helps... lol! That's how I got used to understanding some of the different American accents, by the way. And there's quite a few of it - Southern, those from New York... etc. I can credit the proofreader's compliment of how well I did on my last paid transcription to that. Oh, they said I did a good job... for a beginner. Yey. And considering that it was on oral history, you can tell the speakers were...what's the word? Elderly, with their drawls and intonations.

I turned down a transcription project that was due in two days. It was an hour of audio and I knew I couldn't do it. I'm just too slow for that!!! I couldn't really put my client in an awkward position where I turnover a transcript on its due date and it's neither complete nor readable. They said it was okay... thank goodness. I hope the next one's deadline's a little longer/later than that.

Well, I'm still a slow (but good, hardly any editing needed!) transcriber as of now. But I can only get better from there. Here's to honing my transcription skills!!!