Earful Edits

  I thought I would do a blog post that's just for fun and not work or transcription related. This blog post is about getting to know my readers! I know there's not many, but there may be a few out there who are reading this. And that's what matters!  So, here are the questions...  What is your favorite thing to do for Halloween?  What was your favorite costume as a kid?  If you still dress up for Halloween, what are you dressing up as this year?  What is your favorite candy?  Here are my answers: I love to go to the pumpkin patch with my family. I don't do it on Halloween, but it's my favorite thing to do around that time. My favorite costume was probably my Link costume from The Legend of Zelda. I am dressing up as a warnings label from a medicine bottle. My favorite candy is really any dark chocolate or Reese's peanut butter cups.  Excited to see what your answers are! 

  I am a small business owner, and I can safely say that it is not easy! I haven't owned a business for very long, but these are the steps I took to build what I have today: 1. Do your research and have a written plan. Before I did anything to make my business official, I did some research and wrote out a plan. Here are the things I researched:  Who are my competitors? What is trending in the transcription world? What are my competitor's rates? How do I create a website? What licenses will I need for my business?  After I researched these things, I wrote down a rough draft of my business plan and went from there. This will give you a better idea of what you're getting in to. 2. Get the licenses needed for your business. From your research, apply for and buy the necessary business licenses for your area. The licenses needed vary depending on your location and what kind of business you created. You will need this before you start anything because it is illegal to do business

  I have no experience with legal transcription, personally. However, I have done a little research on it and what I found was interesting! Take a look at this article to learn more about legal transcription:  Guide for Legal Transcriptionists

  Have you ever wondered how a general transcriptionist transcribes medical jargon? No prior schooling in the medical field. No degree. Well, I can say that it's not easy, but it does take a lot of research. Any time I run into a word that I don't understand, I look it up. That helps with spelling and making sure it's the correct word. Another thing to do is to listen very carefully. To see some more detailed information and tips, take a look at this article on how to transcribe medical dictations:  Medical Transcription

  Although I personally have not had any experience with transcribing podcasts, I do hope to transcribe one someday. I did a little research on how to transcribe podcasts and, surprisingly, nothing came up except for AI tools. AI is not always the best way to transcribe. It's almost never accurate. At my small business, Earful Edits, I do all of my transcribing manually with no AI assistance. So, if I ever have the privilege of transcribing a podcast, here is how I would go about doing it with no AI :   1. Download the audio to Express Scribe I use a transcription software called Express Scribe for all my transcripts. It's an easy way to transcribe by using a foot pedal to play and pause the audio hands-free. To see more about this transcription software, click on the following link:  Express Scribe 2. Transcribe the audio in my client's preferred way. There are a few different ways a transcript can be written:  Standard verbatim: Cleaned up -- omitting all uh's, um'

  Editing and proofreading are some great services that a transcriptionist could add to their business. But what is the difference between proofreading and editing? I used to think that these services were one and the same.  Proofreading is the final step in the writing process. You look for grammatical errors, punctuation errors, and incorrect spelling and you correct them. Editing is what happens before proofreading. This is a task that involves improving the quality of the written work. So, proofreading and editing are definitely different and very valuable services that you could add to your transcription services. To learn more about proofreading and editing, check out this article:  Proofreading and Editing  

  When we watch movies or tv shows, we often see audio indicators such as [laughs], [distant crashing], [gasps], etc. Have you ever wondered how transcriptionists know how to add these indicators and when? Or how they do it without obstructing the actual words being said?  Check out this article to learn more about breaking down the barriers for the deaf and hard of hearing:  Meeting the Needs of Deaf Clients

  One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten for transcribing is to research the topic that is being discussed. Research any words or terminology that you do not know. This goes for any transcript, but especially in academic transcription.  For tips on doing good research for your transcripts, especially academic transcripts, click on the following link:  4 Effective Research Tips

I haven't had a ton of experience with transcribing foreign accents; however, I have transcribed some audio where the gentleman speaking had a British accent. I can safely say, it was definitely a bit more difficult to transcribe. The way they talk is just different from the American accents I'm surrounded by. So how do we better listen to and accurately type a transcript where the speaker has a foreign accent?  Take a look at this article for advice and strategies:   9 Strategies for Transcribing Non-Native English Speakers in Audio Recordings - Escribr

  One way to get clients is to get out there and get to know people. Build a relationship with them so they know that you are indeed a person and not just another faceless business. As an introvert myself, I definitely have a hard time with this one.  If you're an introvert, click here:  Networking for Introverts If you are an extrovert, click here:  Networking for Extroverts For general advice for everyone, click here:  Beginner's Guide to Networking