For the translation of an audio or video file, the first step in the process is transcription. But first we must have an understanding of what to transcribe. It is simply the conversion of an audio or video file to a text file. Though this process sounds simple, it requires some time.
Audio files can come from different sources, for example:
* Recordings of meetings or conferences
* Oral statements
* Telephone conversations
* Lectures
* Interviews
* Focus groups
* And much more!
In general, the time required for a transcript varies according to the project, taking into account certain factors: length of the file, topic, people involved in the conversation, dialogue, background noise, among others. This means that transcribing a biology lecture given by a teacher in a school is quite different than transcribing a poorly taped conversation between two people with few linguistic resources or a declaration where words specific to the particular field are used, but crude or rude vocabulary could also be incorporated.
So if we take into account all these factors, how do you calculate the time required for a transcription? And another important question is how to charge for a transcription?
Roughly, it is estimated that four minutes of transcription are required for each minute of audio. That means that one hour of work is required to transcribe 15 minutes. It is also estimated that 1 minute of audio contains between 120 to 180 spoken words. That is, an average of 10,800 words per hour, provided that the speaker has a “normal” rate of speech. Always take into account the factors mentioned above to calculate the necessary time required for work as precisely as possible.
Once the transcriber is finished, the text is passed to the translator to do their job.
For more information on transcription services from Trusted Translations, visit Transcription Services.
(Spanish version: https://www.trustedtranslations.com/la-transcripcion-y-traduccion-de-archivos-de-audio-o-video-2010-08-23.html)
