Some medical professionals, lawyers, executives, and other professional people opt to speak their records, notes, speeches, and so on, as an alternative to writing or typing them. Whenever these professionals require their records put into writing, it can make financial sense for them to outsource this undertaking to a competent transcribing provider for short-term jobs.
The Good
If you happen to be a fast typist and you don't hate the idea of investing many hours at the computer, you can expect to enjoy this work. There is a considerable assortment of potential clientele; even small communities possess medical doctors and attorneys, and government officials and councils commonly need transcriptions of their group meetings.
The Bad
You have to be prepared to work with various kinds of audio multimedia, including cassettes, microcassettes, CDs, other electronic storage devices, and so on. This might require that you get certain specialized equipment to start. You also have to know the jargon for various fields, including healthcare, legal, or scientific phrases. You can get dictionaries and spell-checkers to help you in these fields, but that is going to be an added initial purchase.
Schooling / Abilities Required
You'll need excellent hearing, a fast typing pace, along with a determination to stay at your laptop or computer for several hours. You also have to learn about the lingo in specialized domains, however there's computer software to help you with this issue. You need to have standard computer abilities, like expertise using word processors and sending documents between you and your clients.
Equipment / Resources Needed
You need a desktop PC or laptop with desktop publishing programs. Microsoft Word is one of the most prevalent word processors, but there are actually cost-free alternatives including OpenOffice and Google Docs, that will support documents in Microsoft Word's file format.
You'll also want to invest in a high-quality transcription machine. This is a machine that will play tapes or other electronic media and that can be operated using a pedal on the floor. Should you be transcribing digital media, including sound or movies on your personal computer, you might only have to acquire some computer software and a foot pedal. The foot pedal allows you to control playback (rewind, fast forward, etc) without removing your hands from the PC's keyboard, which helps your pace and effectiveness.
You might even consider speech recognition programs on your personal computer. Speech recognition software listens to sound and converts it to written text. The text is not even close to perfect, though, and still needs to be edited by a human being.
Locale
You'll be able to operate this small business from your home as long as you have a computer, word processing software, and access to the Internet.
Beginning Costs
If you currently have a desktop computer with access to the Internet in your home, you're in a good position. You will also need a word processor. If you prefer not to buy Microsoft Word, you'll be able to make do by using a no cost alternative like OpenOffice or Google Docs.
You need to invest some money and time advertising and marketing the services you provide. You may wish to produce fliers, mail correspondence, and construct an Internet site to market your business.
You ought to purchase a transcription system which includes a foot pedal to make the most productive use of your time and energy. A quick lookup reveals numerous machines designed to use audio cassettes or microcassettes for $300-500. It may be useful, however, to wait and discover precisely what your first couple of clients are utilizing to record their audio or video. If your customers are just using electronic media, such as audio or video files on a PC, you might just need to invest in a foot pedal for your computer and some software to accompany it.
According to who your customers are, you might also choose to purchase a clinical, legal, or technical dictionary or reference publications in order to get acquainted with the jargon they will be using. You can, however, find some free dictionaries on the Internet.
How to Begin
Contact your city hall to determine if they need transcriptions of government meetings. Get in touch with local chambers of commerce to see if they have any leads or post advertisements in their publications. Submit promotions in the local newspaper and put up fliers in community facilities. Call or deliver correspondence to medical practices, law firms, and businesses in the area.
Potential Clientele
As stated before, you might obtain work from physicians, legal professionals, business executives, or government officials. When you initially get going, get work from wherever you can find it. As you obtain more clients, you can specialize in just one discipline if you want to avoid studying the intricacies of various career fields.
Charges
Some transcribing jobs may compensate you with an hourly fee while others may pay you with a particular cost per letter or line. When you are beginning, you may only have the skills to earn $10-15 per hour, but as you grow more experienced, more knowledgeable about the terminology, and swifter, you can bring in a lot more. If you can find jobs that compensate per line of text, it is possible to bring in much more by working more hours or accelerating your keyboard skills.
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