Audio Transcription Services

Audio transcription

Audio transcription in any language, with translation if you need it

A transcript is only useful if you can rely on it: the right words, the right speaker, and nothing quietly tidied up. With among the highest precision rates in the industry, our audio transcriptions are 99% accurate or better, because every recording goes through our three-step process.

Our linguists can transcribe any language for any sector, from health and tourism to finance and business, and we offer a wide range of audio transcription services of exceptional quality.

Our three-step process

1. Transcription. An experienced transcriptionist listens to the audio and converts it into text.

2. Proofreading. A certified professional checks the transcript against the recording.

3. Final check. A quality supervisor proofreads the finished transcript before it is sent to you, in the format you need.

What we transcribe

We have earned a good reputation for audio transcription in and outside the UK, including:

• Police interviews
• Court recordings
• Client and solicitor meetings
• Research interviews and focus groups
• Meetings and conference calls
• Lectures, webinars and podcasts
• Voicemails and recorded phone calls
• Dictation and notes

Choosing the right style

Verbatim records everything: false starts, repetitions, "um" and "er", laughter and pauses. It is the style for evidence, where the way something was said can matter as much as what was said.

Intelligent verbatim, sometimes called clean verbatim, leaves out the fillers and false starts but keeps the speaker's own words and meaning. Most business and research transcripts are done this way.

Timestamps, at set intervals or at every change of speaker, make it quick to find a passage in the recording. Speaker labels can use names or roles, such as Interviewer and Participant 2; tell us which you want.

Recordings in other languages

When the recording is not in English, you usually need two things: a transcript in the original language and an English translation. We can set these out side by side, line by line, with the same timestamps, so anyone can check the English against what was actually said. For evidence that matters, because a court may need to look at the original words and not only the translation. Our translation services page covers the translation side.

Police interviews and court recordings

A recorded interview or a court recording is evidence, so the transcript has to show exactly what was said, in the order it was said. Nothing is corrected or smoothed over. A passage that cannot be heard is marked with its timestamp, such as [inaudible 00:14:32], rather than guessed at, and cross-talk is shown as cross-talk. Tell us when a transcript is for court, so it is prepared to that standard. Police forces and investigators should also see our police and investigations page.

Research transcription

University and market research projects often need transcripts anonymised, with names, places and other identifying details replaced by markers such as [Participant 3] or [town]. Tell us your project's conventions and your transcripts will follow them. Recordings often contain personal data, sometimes including health information, so if your ethics approval or data protection policy requires a data processing agreement, raise it before you send the files.

Getting the best from a recording

Put the recorder near the people speaking, not next to the air conditioning or the coffee machine. Ask people not to talk over each other, and record a short test before you start. On phone interviews, record both sides at the same level. Send the best-quality file you have: a WAV or a high-quality MP3 straight from the recorder is better than a file that has been converted or compressed again. We accept most audio formats, including MP3, WAV and M4A.

Questions about audio transcription

How accurate are your transcripts?

99% accurate or better, checked in three steps. Where a word genuinely cannot be heard, the transcript says so rather than guessing.

How is transcription priced?

By the length of the recording, the number of speakers, the sound quality, the language and how soon you need it. Translation, if you need it, is quoted alongside.

Can you transcribe video as well?

Yes. See our video transcription service, which also covers captions and subtitles.