Audio Transcription - courses and job info?

coolstorybro

I'm looking into Audio Transcription as a career option as I'm a good typist (70+ wpm) and have a higher than average grasp of the old grammar.

I have no A levels, but two grade Bs in English lang&lit GCSE. I've found courses run by Pitman, and would like to know if anyone has been on one and what their experience was like, plus the job prospects that follow. Any recommendations for other companies supplying courses would be much appreciated.

Also, are there any tips, or is there information that one really should know before going into the job?

Right now I'm a Sales Assistant and just want to escape from customer service :T

Thanks in advance!

RedSoleShoes

You can already type (70wpm is very good), so don't waste your money on a typing course. Most employers are not interested in certificates, they will test you if they want proof of your ability.

If you want to do a course, choose something to specialise in like medical or legal, you will find that much more a benefit in looking for work. It is also more interesting than studying typing!

If you have general office skills, look for a secretarial role rather than a typist as you will get a higher salary. If you need to brush up on this, then consider ECDL or some kind or Microsoft Office course, maybe through evening classes or something.

anamenottaken

Audio typing is a skill in itself. Not everyone who can copy type will be good at audio typing - which is why the OP has realised the need for a good grasp of grammar.

I don't know the Pitman course but it would, I expect, help the OP to get to know how to use the audio equipment - speed of playback, use of foot pedal and so on. However you would need to check that the course is not starting from scratch as it were. What the OP wants is a kind of "conversion" course - to learn the additional skills of audio typing.

Home_Alone_2

I work from home as a self-employed medical audio typist.

Audio typing really is an easy skill to pick up and you don't need a course. Providing your typing is 70 wpm (which is an excellent speed by the way), then it will be easy to learn how to audio type. What is more difficult is the skill involved with grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.

Why not get a temp job in an office and ask one of the secretaries if you could borrow their audio typing equipment and practice in your lunch hour. However a lot of audio typing is done digitally and cassette tapes aren't used.

Perhaps go to a temp agency and tell them your plans and ambitions. Any office job will be a step into gaining more experience. Audio typing is simple, and is simply a matter of co-ordination so your typing is continuous from the start to the end of a letter without breaks. The best aspect is when you have someone dictating who is not chewing his lunch, yawning, sighing, muttering etc., and he or she speaks slowly and clearly; then it is a doddle.

chocsessential

Transcription agencies will want to know what kind of experience you have. You could download Express Scribe onto your computer (free transcription software) and buy a compatible foot pedal. You may be able to get a footpedal on Ebay otherwise you can find out where to get them on the Express Scribe website. One thing to bear in mind is transcription is different to normal audio typing where you are listening to someone dictating letters. Transcription is about listening to a conversation between two or more people and taking down an accurate record of what they say. It is more complicated than basic audio typing and the sound quality is not always perfect. You need to build up your experience, and you can find free audio files online which you can download and practice with. What I normally do is type the whole interview once and then go back over it, filling in the gaps and correcting any mishears. The transcription agency will expect your work to be error-free and returned to them as quickly as possible because they have clients waiting. I never took any courses but I have 30 years' worth of office experience and have worked in medical and legal organisations.

Owain_Moneysaver

First time I was sent out by an agency to do audio typing no-one told me there were foot pedals ...

RedSoleShoes

anamenottaken wrote: »

Audio typing is a skill in itself. Not everyone who can copy type will be good at audio typing - which is why the OP has realised the need for a good grasp of grammar.

I would be worried if someone said they could copy type but not audio type.

Grammar should be second nature to anyone who wants to get into a secretarial or typing role.

coolstorybro

Thank you to everyone so far for your comments and insight.

I agree that I probably don't need to study the typing aspect of it. I took another test today and my wpm came back as 75 with 3 typos, and then after a second test 73 with 2 typos. Occasionally I slip onto a wrong key by mistake (hence the typos,) but it doesn't take two seconds to go back and fix and I know when I've slipped up - I sort of "feel" that I've hit the wrong key. You can't be 100% accurate all the time when you type very quickly, right? :S

My thoughts on training were with regards to layouts as well as equipment and the rest - how would one arrange medical notes in the word processor, for example, and how do you type up minutes from a meeting? Is it set out like a script? Just things like that that I wouldn't know - layouts and perhaps certain terminology, and how to mark that the audio is indecipherable at certain points, etc.,

chocsessential

You will find that every transcription agency has a different way of doing things, and they will tell how what they prefer. They will provide you with the templates you need, and will explain what to do about inaudibles. Some will ask you to put a time code in red, i.e. [20:04] while others will want you to use round brackets and the word inaudible, i.e. (inaudible 20:04) for example. You will be expected to do your own research a lot of the time, which means looking up the correct spellings for medicines, well known institutions, etc. I have never been asked to type up minutes from a meeting but I have transcribed meetings (which is different to minute taking). Like I said you will have templates to work on so the layout is already set out for you.

Owain_Moneysaver

You could borrow from your local library a couple of books on Advanced Typewriting Practice, Typing for the Medical Secretary, etc.

nuttyrockeress

I have just done a pitman audio course as part of my med sec course (med sec audio is my last part)

I have to say it's not my favourite thing to do - even more so as I only type around 45 wpm (I am getting better though as I used to type at 35wpm not by touch typing so I had to re learn to type)

The course is 6 units and I would say if you decide to do it full time you could get this done in 2/3 days

HTH