When making podcasts, audio transcription is a great way of engaging a wider audience without needing to create new content. This makes transcription a cost-effective solution for reaching more people. Let’s take a look at what podcasts and transcription are, and the benefits of bringing these two together.
What exactly is a podcast?
The word ‘podcast’ is a combination of the English words ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast’. Also known as on-demand audio, it is like an audio version of a blog post. This audio content can be posted at regular or irregular intervals on various platforms. People can listen to podcast episodes multiple times and have constant access regardless of when it was first broadcast.
While podcasts are traditionally in audio format, a new way of creating podcasts has emerged in recent years. Podcasts can now also refer to video files, and these are known as video podcasts or ‘vodcasts’.
What is transcription?
Audio and video transcription, or simply transcription, is the process of writing down what is said in audio or video recordings. This can be done for podcasts, but also interviews, conferences or meetings. As such, transcription is a technique that makes audio content accessible to a wider audience by changing the medium.
The different types of transcription include:
- Verbatim transcription
This involves converting the spoken content of an audio file into text, capturing every single word exactly how it is spoken. Since this is more time consuming, it is one of the most expensive types of transcription.
Verbatim transcription is often used when the speaker’s behaviour is equally as important as what they say, such as police investigations and court cases.
- Intelligent verbatim transcription
A variant of the verbatim transcription, the audio file is converted into text with any unnecessary noises cut out, such as laughter or hesitations. This process also includes light editing to correct grammar and is a popular style of transcription.
Intelligent verbatim transcription is usually used when the meaning is most important, such as medical diagnoses and research interviews.
The advantages of transcription
1. Greater accessibility
Transcription increases the accessibility of your content, giving your audience the choice between different formats that suit them. Not everyone can listen to audio all the time, and so by offering text as well, you can make sure your content is available at all times. This allows you to create entirely new user experiences, without needing to create new content.
2. Larger audience
This greater accessibility also allows you to attract new listeners, making your podcast accessible to an audience that would have otherwise been unreachable. Examples include those with hearing difficulties, as well as those who simply prefer reading or do not like listening to podcasts.
3. Improved search engine ranking
Search engines find it much easier to rank written content over audio and video. This means that transcribing your audio content makes your podcasts searchable, boosting your search engine rank for better visibility and more organic traffic. Transcriptions can even help with publicity and link building, making it easier for others to quote passages from your podcasts for social media promotion.
How do you transcribe podcasts?
There are several options when it comes to transcribing your podcast recordings, the most obvious being to do it manually by yourself. However, this is quite time consuming depending on the length, as well as the quality and clarity of the spoken language.
Alternatively, you can use specialised software with voice recognition for automated transcriptions. The downside here is that it requires specialist knowledge to use the programs, and can lead to errors depending on the quality of the audio.
There are also a number of agencies that specialise in audio and video transcription. These agencies combing sophisticated software and human experts for accurate transcriptions. They can also offer different types of transcription services depending on your needs.
The option you choose will depend entirely on your personal situation, the quality of the spoken language and the results you want to achieve. If you want to get the most from your transcription, then working with an agency will give you the best results suited to your needs.
Professional transcription services
At Intertranslations, we combine intelligent software with transcription specialists to make sure we offer the very best verbatim, intelligent verbatim and edited transcription services. By offering a range of solutions, we can find the right option for your audio or video content.
If you want to access a wider audience or improve your search engine rankings, contact one of our transcription specialists today.