Why You Need To Research When You Are Transcribing [TeamBynes]

EDITED January 28 2018

Being a transcriber requires skill, talent and a passion for this kind of work. Being able to type isn't the only skill involved in transcribing. And settling for little nuances like not being familiar with unusual words is no excuse.

Today, we're going to shed a little light on the Importance of researching. To deliver quality results, you will need to search the internet [or current reference books] for correct spelling of important or stand out names, and/or the names of group affiliations. 

It can't be avoided that you will encounter
certain words that may be foreign or new to you. The worst thing you can do is hand the client back the completed transcript without doing your due diligence. We call this move a career killer, a disaster waiting to happen. In other words, this practice of not searching for information for validation could end your career as a transcriber.

Clients DO NOT WANT to have to go behind you to correct errors they paid you to do. You can guarantee they'll never call you again. 

Freelancers with web research experience prior to transcribing can use this to their advantage. You already have the skill of 'looking' and you'd know where to look as opposed to someone who hasn't a clue of where to begin. It's highly recommended to learn as much as you can about the transcription industry. Another thing to do would be to practice, practice. We're not asking you to practice for speed. This will come later. You're being asked to practice to increase efficiency and productivity.

With Bynes Transcript and Typing Services, it's imperative for the freelancers we work with to be efficient and have a high accuracy rate. We expect this from every single team member in our organization. 

CONSIDER THIS A GOLDEN NUGGET FOR YOUR NEXT PROJECT: Look first, do your research, practice, practice and practice.

Recommendations: We strongly recommend anyone NOT to get into this type of work just for the money. This reason has the propensity to affect work quality. We need focused and highly passionate folks who love what they do.

Coming up....The Reasons Why People Transcribe and How This Can Affect the Quality of Your Work

Are You In Front of Your Potential Clients? [#teamBynes]

We just wanted to share some #freelancer inspiration!

 

  Every time you speak to someone about your business, you are involved in marketing.

• The more specific you are about whom your target clients are, the better.
• Networking is a powerful way to be seen, get known and build trust amongst those who might use your service or refer you to others who need what you have to offer.

Keep-in-Touch Marketing simply means any method to stay in front of clients and prospective clients so they do not forget you when they need your services.

Like beauty, performance is in the eye of the beholder. Doing a great job, providing quality service and delighting clients is a matter of understanding expectations and then exceeding them. ~Docstoc

#teamBynes wish you much success.
Join our Facebook group, The Perfect 'Transcriptionist' to link up with other freelancers.

Take Our Survey! Should Freelance Transcribers Be Paid for Submitting Poor Work? #TeamBynes

Let's talk 'quality' for a minute.

Hello Subscribers. Thank you for taking the time to follow our blog. We've been pretty busy in our back office and haven't been consistent with our writing. However, I just had to take the time to post this survey.

Some time ago, we blogged several reasons why some freelance transcribers should step away from this industry. Here is the post. I honestly cannot believe that there are people out there posing as a transcriber simply to earn money. What I mean by this is there are people scouring the internet agreeing to work as a transcriber; they get hired, they turn in poor work and expect to be paid for it.

If you've been keeping up with our blog, you know that we are serious about our work. We are serious about the quality of work we present to our clients. Some of our posts talk about work ethics, the importance of listening and doing research when transcribing.

Sadly, in the past year, we've worked with transcribers who've generated sloppy work, turned it in and expected to be equally paid. And when i say 'equally' paid, I mean they expected full compensation as if the work was accurate and acceptable. It is a belief in our company that there are several factors that can influence payment. Come on, why should your client pay you for badly presented work? It's a misrepresentation on your part and it's not fair to them.

Here are several factors that can influence payment.

1. The work is presented to us in poor condition i.e. the formatting is not what we requested. 
2. The file is filled with errors, which we may present to you to show proof of our corrections. 
3. Submitting half of the work you originally agreed to do. 
4. If you miss deadlines.

You are a service provider! And like walking into a store or in a restaurant and not getting what you ordered. Well, it's the same here with transcription. It's not all the time that you get what you pay for specifically after you test a transcriber and they pass. I think it's only fair to pay for what is received. If you do shoddy work, you should be paid a shoddy rate.

Bottom line, DON'T EXPECT BYNES TRANSCRIPT AND TYPING SERVICES TO PAY YOU FOR POOR AND SLOPPY WORK.  

Please take this time to take our survey! Tell us what you think. 

I've communicated with a few transcribers that do not agree with our logic. They actually believe that I should cut them a check for a file that I had to re-do simply because they transcribed it. They'll live. However, I will say this: TeamBynes will pay you. However, it will not be at the full rate or the agreed rate. And to back this up, we have a billing policy that we have all transcribers sign before starting to work with us.


More to come on this topic.

Post your comments below.

[New] Facebook Group for Freelance Transcribers [Join Today!]

Freelancers!

A new facebook group was created just for you! This year this blog will be focused more on posting additional information to help forward your career as a transcriber; the best one on the planet!
Speaking of planet, we are accepting registration so we can give our our FREE REPORT [How To Be The Best Transcriber on The Planet] Order now to get a copy!  Order here

The group is public so it's no hassle to join. To get the best out of the group, we also recommend you to SUBSCRIBE to this blog and received information straight in your inbox! In this group, we'll post freelancer tips, rules of the trade, things clients look for, templates and a whole lot more.

I've been doing this six or more years and have a lot of information to share. We ask that while in the group that you adhere to group guidelines.

• we ask that you not engage in spammy posts. these will be deleted and you will be deleted from the group
• we ask that you carry yourself in a professional manner 
• we are against the discrimination against race and religion. 
• you will be deleted from the group if you harass or stalk anyone and reported to Facebook officials

By joining this group, you agree to these group guidelines. Email us teambynes@groups.facebook.com
TeamBynes will not buy, sell or trade your personal information.

 JOIN GROUP!

WE'RE HIRING! We are looking for 1 or 2 transcribers to help process  mini Youtube videos. APPLY HERE

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU!

Tips for Producing Quality Transcriptions

[updated Jan 02 2015]

Are you always looking for ways to deliver a great transcript? Do you somehow wish you have all the answers in the palm of your hands? Do you want to be pro when it comes to transcribing?

If you answer yes to all of these questions, then read on further. Transcription is not just about typing what you hear and then proofreading it. Rather, it's sort of an art that should be mastered by skilled transcribers.

Here are some great tips that you can incorporate in your transcribing routine to ensure that they are of awesome quality.

• Correct visible errors the speaker may produce. Otherwise, process them if instructed to do so. Usually speakers don't have the best grammar or comprehension when they're speaking and this is not something formal as in writing especially for non-native English speakers. This may be common and you may be inclined to ignore that error. However, it's important that the transcript is understandable and readable. Clients will appreciate it if you correct the grammars in the transcript. 

• Adjust your accuracy. To have great accuracy in your transcript, it's a given you need to be totally skilled in pronunciation and grammar. Always make it a point to prioritize accuracy over speed. This saves you time when it comes to proofreading the transcript.

• Always read your work. It is vital to review and read your work to make sure that every sentence and every paragraph makes sense. This is another great way to identify any mistakes or errors you have missed in the beginning.

• Enjoy transcribing. Enjoy your work! If you don't enjoy it, you will surely have a hard time in this field. Chances are, you'll be prone to making mistakes since the focus won't necessarily be on accuracy, but rather waiting for the job to end. So definitely enjoy. Take breaks in between to rejuvenate yourself and get back to work feeling refreshed.

• Stick to a consistent template for your work. Consistency is key in having great transcriptions. This will make your work a lot easier and more uniform all throughout. 

We recommend following these tips to generate quality work and potentially increase your revenue.

Your turn. Do you have a tip to better streamline the transcription industry?

The Pros and Cons of Working as a Transcriber

Working in a transcription company can be a rewarding experience especially if you have the desire to pursue transcribing as a career. However, it's not all sunshine and daisies in this field. Just like any other job, transcription has its pros and cons.

Before you decide on working as a transcriber, be sure to weigh out the pros and cons. If you think that the pros outweigh the cons, then that's a positive signal for you to engage in this career. Here are some of the pros and cons of working in a transcription company:

Pros

• Can be therapeutic
• Not difficult once you know what you're doing
• Work at home in your own time
• You don't need to spend a lot to start working
• You can actually earn enough just by doing this kind of work
• You can learn a lot from the recordings you are asked to transcribe

Cons

• Can be tedious
• Have to possess self-discipline as you juggle home and work demands
• Deal with people who doesn't respect your work time
• Face the computer for a long period of time

The transcription job is not for everyone. Only those with passion for transcribing can survive in this career. This work can be a daunting task, but once you get used to it,  the rewards are fulfilling. You'll be able to enjoy it and become better in doing it.

Your turn

We'd like to hear from you! What are some pros and cons about working in the transcription industry? Leave your comments please.

Meet Our New Bookkeeper - Bynes Transcript and Typing Services

Hello guys! I hope everyone is having a good day. Here at The Perfect Transcriptionist, we only want to give

you useful and insightful information that can help you further your career in the transcription arena or we give you a snippet of what it's like working in a transcription company like Bynes Transcript & Typing Services.

So for this post, we'd like to introduce to you our new bookkeeper Roxanie and what role she plays in our company. First, we'll be defining what a bookkeeper is to give you a clue on what she does and how she impacts the overall success of the company.

A financial bookkeeper's main role is to keep an official track of the company spending so when it comes to filing accounts there is an accurate trail of all the outgoings. In order to perform better at this job, one must be highly organized and also great with numbers. 

So there you have it. An overall description of what a bookkeeper is. But what does she usually do? In our company, Roxanie is responsible for maintaining our financial records which includes but not limited to accounts receivables, accounts payables, bank reconciliation, and tax preparation for the company's accountants. Generally she performs general accounting duties. She maintains complete sets of financial records, keep track of accounts, and verify accuracy of procedures used for recording financial transactions.

To be a bookkeeper, one needs to be well-organized, thorough and careful since they deal with large sums of money. And we sure are fortunate to have a bookkeeper like Roxanie who passes all these criteria.   

Say hello to Roxanie
She's over on Yammer

Bynes Transcript and Typing Services is Accepting Applications forTranscribers

Hello everyone! I hope everyone is having a good day. We'll be making your good day even better with our good news! We are accepting applications for transcribers!

If you're someone who is looking to earn extra income and have experience in transcribing, we are looking for you. If you know someone who's looking for work and fit our criteria, give them our contact information.

 

As a company, we want to make sure that we have acquired the right kind of people. Hence, we require applicants to take a test to see if you are a good fit for the job. Newbies don't need to worry about this. If you can pass the test and you've done some practicing yourself, then you may just land a job here at Bynes Transcript & Typing Services. Applicants are required to have an odesk account. So feel free and don't hesitate to send us your applications at teammembers@bynestranscriptions.com and we'll make sure that the process will be seamless and smooth.

P.s. join us in our new collaborative site, Yammer. Ask for an invite. 

Dealing with Homophones Part II: Why It Is Important To Understand Their Meanings

On a previous post we had about Homophones, we mentioned that as a transcriptionist, you must consider the group of words surrounding a homophone as this can impact the whole transcript. You must also have a wide English vocabulary so that you can determine which is the correct word to use. It's important that you know their meanings so that the transcript will make sense.

If you don't know how to deal with homophones the right way, it can be a real fuss. Words can get mixed up and meanings of the sentences won't make sense at all.

Let me give you some examples on some homophones: the definitions of each words and how to identify which words to use.

"...will basically sell products..."

"...we'll basically sell products..."

Notice that both fragments make sense. "Will" is a verb expressing the future tense while "we'll" is a contraction of "we will". So which of the two should you use?

If you only heard these words without listening to the preceding one, you will definitely have a hard time figuring out which one to use. However, if you found out that the preceding word is "you", then you will know which one to use. It will be the first set of words. So it's not only important that you know what "will" and "we'll" are, it's also important that you determine the word/s before it.

Here's another example:

"...by that item..."

"...buy that item..."

It's hard to determine which word to use in this one. But if you know the preceding words are "when you", then you'll know which one to use exactly. If the words before that are "place a check mark", then you would choose the first one. Of course, this is assuming that you know their meanings already. "By" is a preposition identifying the agent performing an action while "buy" is to acquire in exchange for money or its equivalent.

Transcribing is not just listening intently to an audio or video recording. It's not just about typing what you heard. It's about understanding the material that you are transcribing especially in this context. It's about making sure that the sentences are coherent with each other and they make sense.

So whenever you encounter homophones, make sure to listen and understand the material you are transcribing. It will create a really big difference to your transcript and to the overall quality of your work.

Www.bynestranscriptions.com

What words are you having issues with? LEAVE A COMMENT IN THE SECTION BELOW

Dealing with Homophones: Words That Sound Alike But Have Different Spellings

In transcribing a recording, you may encounter words that can have different spellings and meanings. You may be wondering on what the correct spelling is and you may get confused as to what the word should be used. So how do you deal with these?

Words that sound alike but have different spellings and different meanings are called Homophones and to be a competent transcriber, one must carefully consider this group of words as this can make or break a transcription project. 

To be able to distinguish one word from another, you must be knowledgeable in the English vocabulary and you must know the meanings of each word so that you can take it into context and find out which one is the best suited word. 

Here are some of the words that one can get confused and are often misused when it comes to transcribing:

• There, They're and Their

You can notice that these three words are simple to read, but are often the most misused. Especially when you are listening to a recording, one can mistake a "There" for a "Their" or a "They're" for a "There". The best way to deal with this is to understand first and foremost the meaning of these words by stopping first at transcribing and looking them up in the dictionary. Once you have gotten a good grasp of their differences, listen to the recording once again and take each word into the context of what is being said. Then compare which one makes sense the most.

Other homophones that are often misused include the following:

• Right, Write
• His, He's
• To, Too, Two
• Hear, Here
• Weight, Wait

This are just a few of the many homophones that are commonly muddled. Be sure to improve your English vocabulary to decrease the chances of committing this mistake and consult your dictionary as a grammar or a spell checker may still accept a wrongly used homophone.

Proofreading and Transcribing Comes Hand In Hand

Working as a Transcriber

Working as a transcriber also requires you to proofread your transcription. It may not apply to all, but it's quite essential to proofread transcriptions as it enhances the quality of your work. Also, you get to avoid unnecessary grammatical errors, punctuations and typos just because you typed them by mistake in the first place. Mistakes like these can never be avoided when transcribing. That is why it is important to proofread after every transcription job. 

One of the main goals about transcription is to provide an accurate and lucid transcription to the client requesting for the transcript. Clients and customers who receive badly transcribed documents with typos and improper grammar would start to wonder if they have hired a professional transcriber. Being a professional transcriber takes time and effort. One cannot easily become a professional transcriber simply by knowing how to type and listen accordingly. It is a skill that is mastered with time and with conscious efforts to develop it. Proofreading is part of that skill.

Here are some guidelines to consider when proofreading a transcript:

• Always consider the clients'/customers' needs on his/her request to have a file transcribed. Clients have different needs and you must cater to them based on their instructions and how they want the outcome to look like. How they are going to use the transcript is also important to know so that you can customize based on their uses of it.

• Consistency. When proofreading, you should have consistency in mind so that your transcript can easily be understood. Double check the formatting, layout and style of your transcript to make sure that they are consistent all throughout the document.

• Completeness. Be sure to check that you have transcribed all the important sections of the file being transcribed and that you didn't miss anything. That's what constitutes completeness.

• Correctness. As you proofread the transcript you have just made, always check the correctness of the spelling, typography, layout, and grammar. This is where most transcribers get wrong as they transcribe the file away. Simple words can get their spelling scrambled up and it only takes a careful proofreading job to identify it. Make sure to consider the correctness of the whole document when proofreading.

In this ever-changing world where time is very valuable, people may overlook the little details just to accomplish a project, task, or job. Transcribers are no exception in this. Quality should not be compromised over quantity and if quality is not to be compromised, proofreading is as important as transcribing.

Do you proofread? Share your story in the comment section below

Hello, I'm Ruby with Bynes Transcript and Typing Services

New News

 New Office Assistant

Hey everyone! It's quite an honor working with Bynes Transcript and Typing Services and although I'm still quite new to the company, I can say a lot of good things already about them.Working with them is such a great experience.

Bynes Transcript and Typing Services

My name is Ruby  


By the way, I'm Ruby, the new clerical assistant and you'll be reading a lot from me from this blog. I'll make sure to bring you up-to-date and informative posts pertaining to everything you need to know about transcriptions and how to be an established and respected freelance transcribers.

As a clerical assistant of this wonderful company, I am in charge of delivering tasks and projects in a timely manner on a daily basis depending on the needs of the company.


It's quite an honor to be working with the Bynes Transcript and Typing Services Team and I am definitely looking forward to many more years with them.

Aside from that and from updating you with news and informative articles and helpful tips of being a freelance transcriber, I will also be the one to update you about the whereabouts of Bynes Transcript and Typing Services on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. This is to ensure that you get the information you need at the time you need them.

Well, these are just some of my responsibilities. I look forward to working with the Bynes Team and to give you read-worthy articles to help you with your Freelance Transcription career.

Say hello to Ruby

[In the comment box below, take this opportunity to welcome Ruby to the team!]

What's Been Happening Lately at Bynes Transcript and Typing Services

Follow ups and updates

Some time has passed since our last post. It's been about two months since our last post. And there is good reason for it.  +Frann Bynes and her team are working on a couple of projects - projects with deadlines.

• Income Taxes
• End of Fiscal Year approaching
• 8th Business Anniversary
• Training 
• Marketing and Anniversary promotion.

It seems like all of these events are due in March, no later than April.  Nevertheless, we are making it happen.

I was talking to a colleague about a product she is selling that was made specifically with transcribers in mind. 'Transcription Boot-Camp'. This is a program that will walk you through step by step in every area of the transcription industry from developing your skills, learning how to listen, marketing and so much more.
This program is perfect for the freelancer transcriber that wants to leap into this industry as a career.

Work with me. I will be uploading 'boot-camp' information soon. This product is really worth it and a smart investment. Invest in you, your business-your life.

Stop by our facebook page to wish us an 8th Anniversary. Yes, we've been taking care of you and your business for years.

  
To show our appreciation, we are taking off 15% on all transcription orders. To get started, click here.

Bynes Transcript & Typing Services is on Skype!

We want to hear from you!

Hey, we're on Skype now. Skype is another medium we use to communicate with team members and potential clients.

Our Skype ID: Clericalgeeks

We love using Skype, so much so that we've downloaded the app to our phone.  [Fabulous features: chat messages, file sending capabilities, phone and video]
Send us a text chat message and we will contact you


Team Community
To join our community, simply request an invite.

Why join?
Along side this blog, our community keeps everyone update with news and events. We hold our meetings there and collaborate on projects. Centralizing a location on the internet makes it simple to stay organized. Ask for an invite today!

Email address
The email to reach someone in our organization is:
teammembers@bynestranscriptions.com
Note: We are looking for bloggers to contribute to this blog. Contact us.

Bynes Transcript & Typing Services
BynesTranscriptions.com