How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? (2024)

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The majority of people use computers on a daily basis. Though, just because you spend hours in front of the computer screen does not necessarily mean that you can type at lightning speed and with a high degree of accuracy.

If you are considering a career as a transcriptionist, the ability to type fast, without compromising the accuracy, is fundamental.

You will not be as competitive as your fellow transcribers if you take longer than the industry standard to convert an hour of audio to text.

At the end of the day, if you can transcribe faster, you can also make more money by taking on multiple transcriptions.

What Is The Average Transcription Speed?

To cut a long answer short, according to the industry standard, it takes more or less four hours of manual work to transcribe just one hour of audio.

In other words, to transcribe 15 minutes of audio, you will need about an hour (even if you work with foot pedals that help to free your hands so that you can type faster).

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? (1)

Though, if the audio recording is not that clear and not loud enough, it can take quite significantly longer.

As a matter of fact, it can even take double as long! So, spending an entire standard working day just to manually transcribe one hour of audio is not unheard of.

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? (2)

That being said, the reverse is also true. If the audio file has been recorded professionally and the speakers speak very slowly and clearly, it can take faster than four hours.

A 60-minute high-quality audio file could possibly be transcribed in three hours or even two! This works out to about one hour needed to transcribe 20-30 minutes for an hour of audio by a transcriber.

Taking all of this into consideration, a transcriptionist will then need anything between two hours to about nine hours to transcribe an hour of audio.

As transcribing an audio file can be quite a time-consuming task, it will make a lot more sense to opt for the automatic approach as opposed to completing it manually.

Fortunately, there is a couple of transcription software programs available that can cut the work (and time spent) in half. A software solution like Audext powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and transcribes the audio recording into text automatically.

Whereas transcribing it manually would take a couple of hours, Audext can complete it in just a couple of minutes. The process is really simple.

1. Login to your account (and get free minutes of transcription for trial)

2. Upload your audio recording in one of these formats.

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? (3)

You do not even need to add the names of the speakers after the transcription, as Audext offers you to complete that beforehand and add automatically to your transcription.

3. Enter the names of the speakers

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? (4)

The only thing that is left for a transcriptionist to do when using Audext is to format and edit the transcript that it has been generated. It can be easily done with the built-in editing feature that saves changes automatically.

4. Edit the transcript and download it in TXT or DOC format.

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? (5)

What Can Affect The Average Transcription Speed?

As mentioned earlier, the quality of the audio recording plays a major role in the transcription speed.

  • If there is any background noise, it can distract the transcriptionist from that what needs to be transcribed – the actual dialogue.
  • The number of speakers can also affect the average transcription speed. If there are more speakers, it becomes more challenging as you first need to identify which speaker is currently speaking

That is why if you know that there are going to be many speakers, it is good practice to ask the speakers just to say their name out loud before they speak further.

Also, if there are more speakers, there is also a greater risk that they will talk over each other which makes the job of the transcription a lot harder.

  • While still on the topic of speakers, accents can also affect transcription time. If one of the speakers has a very strong regional accent, it will take longer to transcribe.

And, if they speak rather quickly too, the transcription task at hand has become even more difficult.Not only do the speakers affect the transcription time, but also the actual content.

  • If the interview uses a lot of specialized terms and proper nouns, like the names of people and places, it will call for more research which translates to more time.
  • Lastly, the type of transcription required also plays a role. Specific instructions like true verbatim (when everything, in other words, every laugh, sneeze, or pause, needs to be transcribed exactly) and timestamps call for more work which also means more time.

In short, if there are more of these factors that the transcriber needs to consider, the transcription will take longer to complete.

Freelance Transcription Rates Per Audio Minute

Depending on the quality of the recording, the topic, and the number of speakers, it can cost anything between $2-10 per minute of audio recording.

In other words, transcribers usually do not charge per hour worked, but instead per audio hour that they need to transcribe.

The majority of professional transcribers will charge less for something such as a podcast. That kind of content usually does not have as many speakers and is recorded with professional recording equipment.

Meanwhile, transcribers will charge more for a conference call where speakers tend to interrupt the other participants and often do not finish their sentences before starting a new train of thought.

So How To Increase Your Transcription Speed?

When it comes to transcription, an hour of audio does not translate to an hour of work as there are a couple of factors that will affect how much time is needed to convert an hour of audio to text.

Factors like the typing speed in words per minute, the transcriptionist’s experience, specific requirements for the transcription, and the quality of the audio file can all play a significant role.

Though, even when you have a high-quality 60-minute audio recording with only two speakers discussing an easy-to-understand topic without industry-specific terms, it can take about two to four hours to complete.

Therefore, to complete transcription faster you can make use of automation tools and software, like Audext, that can complete the bulk of the work for you automatically in just a couple of minutes.

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? (2024)

FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe An Hour Of Audio? ›

The average person can transcribe one audio hour in about 4 hours. It takes most people about one hour to transcribe 15 minutes of a clear, slow audio file. If any of the factors we mentioned above change the quality of the recording, that time might go up.

How long does it take to transcribe 1 hour of audio? ›

When it comes to individual transcribers, the average time to transcribe one hour of audio is approximately four hours. But, some transcribers quote four hours as the minimum since it can easily reach 10 hours. Transcription time by audio hour varies so much mostly because each audio file is different.

How long does an audio take to transcribe? ›

Transcription speed for an average person

An amateur transcriber typically types between 40 and 60 words per minute. As a result, it takes the average person about four hours to transcribe one hour of audio. However, the complexity of the transcript can make this time estimate vary significantly.

How long does it take to transcribe 60 minutes of audio? ›

A 60-minute high-quality audio file could possibly be transcribed in three hours or even two! This works out to about one hour needed to transcribe 20-30 minutes for an hour of audio by a transcriber.

How long does it take to transcribe 4 hours of audio? ›

As a very broad rule of thumb, many transcribers say it takes four hours for every one hour of audio. Obviously, if you're wondering how long to transcribe 30 minutes of audio file, around two hours. However, because of the number of factors involved the four-hour time length can also be completely off.

How fast should a transcriber be? ›

While most transcriptionists can type at around 50 words per minute (WPM), make it your goal to type at least 60 WPM. By improving your typing speed, you can get more work done in less time, which seriously increases your earning potential!

How much do audio transcribers make? ›

A transcriptionist's salary is generally around $19.02, while an advanced transcriptionist earns around $25 to $30 per hour. With this rate, you can easily earn an average of $1141.2 every month if you work 2.5 hours per day for 24 days. According to PayScale, the median transcriptionist's salary is $16.59 per hour.

Does transcribing get easier? ›

Eventually, the more tunes that you learn by ear and the more solos that you transcribe, the easier it will get because your ears improve each time. The key is to get over that initial barrier and learn that first tune by ear.

How much do freelance transcriptionists charge per audio hour? ›

Standard rates for professional transcriptionists (especially those professionals from North America) range from $1.5 to $3 per audio minute or $90 to $180 per audio hour. If your project has extra requirements, such as a quick turnaround time, you may be forced to pay more to have the job done.

How hard is it to transcribe audio? ›

Transcription work sounds easy since it only involves listening to audio files and typing. In reality, however, transcription is quite complicated. It takes commitment and full involvement in the job to ensure that you produce excellent work.

How many lines can you transcribe per hour? ›

Manual Transcription Earning Potential

Manual transcriptionists are expected to average 150 lines per hour, as almost every national service vendor requires staff to deliver 1,200 lines per eight-hour shift to be considered a full-time employee.

How many words can be transcribed in an hour? ›

A person can speak around 150-170 words per minute—and an average of around 10,000 words per hour. A person speaks 7 times faster than he writes. A professional transcriptionist can type between 80 to 100 words per minute.

How much do transcribers make per audio minute? ›

Transcription rates per audio minute vary. The pay that someone would receive for transcribing one minute of audio can range anywhere from $0.50 - $3. The best way to figure out what rate you should pay is by looking at the type of transcription you will need.

How long do zoom audio transcripts take? ›

Zoom typically takes twice the duration of your meeting to process the transcript. For a 30-minute meeting, it can take up to 60 minutes to get the transcript. In some cases, Zoom might take additional time to process the transcript.

Is TranscribeMe worth it? ›

Overall, TranscribeMe is legit and can be a great addition to your existing income as a part-time job where you have a flexible work at home job. You probably would not be able to use TranscribeMe as a full-time job, though.

Can you make decent money transcribing? ›

Transcription jobs are lucrative ways to make extra money, especially if you speak and write in more than one language. Here are the best work-from-home transcription jobs. Transcriptionists are in high demand.

How much can a transcriptionist make in a day? ›

Average Daily Transcription Transcriptionist hourly pay in the United States is approximately $56.38, which is 224% above the national average.

How much can you make a week transcribing? ›

How Much Do Transcriptionist Jobs Pay per Week?
Annual SalaryWeekly Pay
Top Earners$45,500$875
75th Percentile$38,000$730
Average$33,773$649
25th Percentile$28,000$538

Is audio transcription a good side hustle? ›

This side hustle is well-suited for students, teachers, or anyone looking for a part-time or full-time gig. One trend is transcription services-which primarily consists of turning voice recordings into written format.

How do you pass a transcription test? ›

The 8 Simple Hacks to Pass Transcription Tests Online
  1. Listen Carefully. ...
  2. Understand Proper Punctuation. ...
  3. Brush Up on Grammar and Spelling. ...
  4. Learn Transcription Formatting. ...
  5. Use Critical Thinking. ...
  6. Invest in Transcription Tools. ...
  7. Free Resources and Practice Files to Polish Your Transcription Skills.
May 22, 2019

How much do remote transcriptionists make? ›

A Work From Home Transcriptionist in your area makes on average $18 per hour, or $0.72 (4%) more than the national average hourly salary of $17.43. ranks number 1 out of 50 states nationwide for Work From Home Transcriptionist salaries.

What are the cons of transcribing? ›

The Cons of Speech to Text Transcription
  1. Accuracy. One of the biggest drawbacks of voice transcription is accuracy. Voice recognition technology isn't perfect, so you might find that some of your words are misheard or misinterpreted. ...
  2. Cost. Another potential downside of voice transcription is cost. ...
  3. Learning Curve.
Jan 11, 2023

What are the three biggest challenges of being a transcriber? ›

Here are a few challenges that a transcriptionist needs to know in order to properly breeze through them whenever they occur.
  • Dealing with deadlines. ...
  • Adjusting to the latest technology. ...
  • Credibility. ...
  • Faulty audio. ...
  • Motivation.

Which transcription type is the most challenging? ›

The first kind is the verbatim transcription. This type of transcription is the most difficult, complicated and time-consuming.

How long should it take to transcribe 5 minutes of audio? ›

It depends on the quality of the audio, speed at which the speaker is talking or dictating. Roughly a 5 minute audio should take about 15–20 minutes to transcribe.

How much does Zoom transcription cost? ›

The average price for automatic Zoom captions is approximately $0.25 per audio minute (approximately £0.20), although you find some tools that are slightly higher or lower. If you have a lot of recordings to transcribe, you may prefer to opt for a monthly subscription plan.

How much is Zoom transcription? ›

Live Captions for Zoom is priced at $20 per host per month, while human-powered transcriptions and video captions are $1.25 per minute. Rev's human-powered transcriptions are claimed to be 99% accurate and are well-reviewed by users on G2 and Capterra.

What are the basic rules of transcribing audio? ›

Guidelines for Transcriptions
  • Transcripts should be at least 99% accurate.
  • Grammar and punctuation are important for providing maximum clarity.
  • Speaker identification helps users identify who is speaking.
  • Essential to communicate non-speech sounds.
  • Transcribe content as close to verbatim as possible.
Aug 21, 2018

Why is transcribing difficult? ›

Transcription is one of the most demanding and labor-intensive among all translation services. It requires high-skills from the transcriptionist, from listening to the audio or video file, researching the subject matter, understanding the context of the recording and typing the audio into readable text.

How long does it take to transcribe 1,000 words? ›

How long does it take to transcribe 1,000 words or more? An average typist can transcribe 1,000 words in about 25 minutes. However, a professional typist can achieve this same feat in less than 13 minutes with 99% accuracy.

How long does it take to transcribe 15 minutes of audio? ›

Transcription Speed for the Average Person

It takes most people about one hour to transcribe 15 minutes of a clear, slow audio file. If any of the factors we mentioned above change the quality of the recording, that time might go up.

Is there an app that will transcribe audio? ›

TranscribeMe offers an app that provides both human and ASR transcriptions. Similarly to Rev, TranscribeMe allows you to record high-quality audio within the app. The recording can then be transcribed into an unedited first draft of text, which comes at a baseline price of $0.79 USD (around 60p) per minute.

How many hours a day do transcriptionists work? ›

I typically transcribed for 2-3 hours a day. Rev allows you to work when you want; however, the work takes quite a long time. My work hours varied depending on how much time I had. Usually, I'd spend a minimum of six hours, two or three times a week transcribing.

How long does it take to transcribe 100 pages? ›

Writing 100 pages will take about 20.8 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 41.7 hours for handwriting.

How long to transcribe 20 minutes of audio? ›

That means you should expect any audio that is less than 15 minutes to be transcribed within an hour. Some experienced transcriptionists can transcribe files much faster. It's not unheard for experienced transcriptionists to transcribe 20 to 30 minutes of audio in one hour.

How long to transcribe 20,000 words? ›

Writing 20,000 words will take about 8.3 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 16.7 hours for handwriting.

What are the four major skills needed for transcription? ›

In order to transcribe audio or a conversation accurately, you need these skills:
  • Active listening. Active listening is the ability to focus on a speaker and hear everything they say. ...
  • Typing skills. ...
  • Communication. ...
  • Computer skills. ...
  • Research.
Mar 10, 2023

How long does an hour Zoom recording take to process? ›

Cloud recording processing times

Cloud recordings generally take about 2 times the duration recorded to process, but occasionally may take up to 24 hours due to higher processing loads at that time. For example, an hour long meeting with only 30 minutes recorded would typically take 30 to 60 minutes to process.

How accurate is Zoom audio transcription? ›

Zoom live auto caption service creates machine-generated transcriptions, most ASR transcription results in approximately 70-80% accuracy. The accuracy of Zoom's live transcription feature depends on many variables, including but not limited to: Background noise. Volume and clarity of the speaker's voice.

Does Zoom automatically transcribe recordings? ›

Audio transcription automatically transcribes the audio of a meeting or webinar that you record to the cloud. After this transcript is processed, it appears as a separate VTT file in the list of recorded meetings.

Is Scribie better than TranscribeMe? ›

TranscribeMe scored higher in 9 areas: Overall Rating, Culture & Values, Diversity & Inclusion, Work-life balance, Senior Management, Compensation & Benefits, Career Opportunities, Recommend to a friend and Positive Business Outlook. Scribie scored higher in 1 area: CEO Approval.

What is better than TranscribeMe? ›

In conclusion, if you are looking for transcription services, there are plenty of alternatives to TranscribeMe. Rev, Temi, and Reduct are top transcription providers you can consider based on your requirements.

Which transcription site pays the most? ›

Daily Transcription

Daily Transcription claims to pay higher rates than other companies, starting at $0.75 – $0.85 per audio minute. Their top transcriptionists make $250 – $950 per week. Payments are made weekly by check.

How many audio minutes can you transcribe in an hour? ›

For professional transcriptionist, the average time to transcribe one audio hour ranges from 2-3 hours. Some of the most qualified transcriptionists can transcribe up to 30 minutes of audio in an hour.

How long should a 30 minute transcript be? ›

For novice writers, it's best to shoot for 22-25 pages to get you under that 30-minute gauge.

What is the average transcribing speed? ›

A transcriptionist's typing speed is measured in either words or keystrokes per minute. On average, good scribes type 40-60 WPM, with the more experienced of them capable of scribing more than 80 words in 60 seconds! Court reporters and real-time transcriptionists are the fastest - they can type over 100 WPM!

How long is a 30 minute transcript? ›

Answer: At the normal speaking rate of 130 words per minute (wpm), a 30 minutes long speech will have about 3,900 words .

How long should it take to transcribe 20 minutes of audio? ›

That means you should expect any audio that is less than 15 minutes to be transcribed within an hour. Some experienced transcriptionists can transcribe files much faster. It's not unheard for experienced transcriptionists to transcribe 20 to 30 minutes of audio in one hour.

How do you transcribe poor quality audio? ›

When you cannot understand the audio at all, instead of guessing, you can mention [inaudible] or [unintelligible] in the transcriptions to indicate that part of the recording wasn't clear to transcribe. You could use symbols like '-' or '....' or write [several inaudible words] to indicate unclear sounds.

How do you know if you'd be a good transcriptionist? ›

What Skills Should a Transcriptionist Have?
  • Listening skills. Transcription is all about taking what you hear and putting it on a page, so good listening skills are a must.
  • Fast typing. ...
  • Attention to detail. ...
  • Written communication. ...
  • Independent work ethic. ...
  • Time management. ...
  • Research skills. ...
  • Meeting deadlines.
Jan 24, 2023

What are the qualities of a good transcriber? ›

In order to transcribe audio or a conversation accurately, you need these skills:
  • Active listening. Active listening is the ability to focus on a speaker and hear everything they say. ...
  • Typing skills. ...
  • Communication. ...
  • Computer skills. ...
  • Editing. ...
  • Multitasking. ...
  • Time management. ...
  • Attention to detail.
Mar 10, 2023

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