What should I expect?

When you contact us, we will work with you to establish which style of transcript best suits your research objectives, budget and time constraints. If you have individual requirements which don’t fit out standard format, we will work with you to explore how we can accommodate these specifics. Once these initial parameters are established, you can rely on us to manage your project as if it were our own, ensuring you receive top-quality, accurate transcripts, well within your deadline. We can support you with managing your dataset and will give you regular progress updates.

I’ve found a cheaper service elsewhere. Can you beat it?

Our transparent pricing means that you can rest assured that you are getting our best price, and that you know the actual cost of our service from the outset. You may well find a cheaper service elsewhere. Be aware that although some companies headline cheaper prices, often additional costs appear when you receive a quote, for various factors including any background noise, strong accents, proof reading, VAT and so on.

You might also want to consider how they are achieving such a competitive price. It may be worth asking who is doing their transcription and what level of quality you might expect. At Word Bee, all transcriptionists are hand-picked and rigorously trained. Our transcriptionists are paid well above typical industry rates and are valued members of the team. Your transcripts go through a rigorous, two-stage quality check. If you are less concerned about accuracy, or it have the time and patience to correct any inaccuracies yourself, you may prefer to opt for one of the cheaper services on the market.

Can’t I just use an automated speech to text service?

The decision is entirely up to you. Voice recognition software tends to be most effective when used with the same speaker over time, enabling the software to recognise your speech patterns. This means that they tend to be less effective for one-off projects. Where there is more than one speaker, the accuracy is significantly impacted. Stronger accents and background noise impede the quality further still. Again, if you need to save money and have the time and patience to correct the inaccuracies yourself, this may well be the preferred option for you.

What’s the difference between full verbatim, intelligent verbatim and paraphrased transcription?

Full Verbatim transcripts capture every word spoken on the recording, including stutters, filler words, false starts, and minimal responses. They also include all noises and utterances, such as background noise, interruptions, throat clearing, coughs and sneezes.

Intelligent Verbatim transcripts are edited for clarity. The emphasis is on maintaining the cadence and meaning of the language, making it more readable. These exclude any stutters, false starts, repetitions, “ums” and “ahs” and any other unnecessary noises.

Paraphrased transcripts call on the transcriber to take some license, editing for grammar and streamlining it to make it sound more eloquent and concise. In addition, any grammatical errors are omitted, paragraphs are restructured and sentences edited or summarised for clarity. However, the objective is to keep the meaning and tone of the interview or recording fully intact. This option can be useful when having lectures or presentations transcribed.

Can you accommodate my specific transcriptions requirements?

Absolutely. We take pride in producing transcripts that are as functional to your needs as possible. We are responsive and flexible to individual requests and welcome a conversation with you about what these might be.

Do I need full verbatim transcription?

This depends very much on the focus of your analysis. In most instances, we find that intelligent verbatim is the preferred choice. Intelligent verbatim transcripts are significantly less time consuming to produce, and therefore they are least expensive option. Also, since they cut out all the fillers, leaving the rest of the dialogue exactly as it’s spoken, they tend to be more readable. On the other hand, if you plan to dissect micro level interactions, full verbatim transcription may be for you.

Can you offer a sample?

We understand what an important decision a good fit is when hiring a transcriptionist. We would be delighted to offer a free 10-minute sample.

How long will it take to transcribe my audio files?

Contact us. We will agree upon a timeline to accommodate your deadline.

Do you only handle large projects?

We specialise in the management of larger projects, but we will also undertake smaller, one-off jobs.

How do you deal with inaudibles and technical language?

We make every effort to hear and understand exactly what is said, with multiple people listening to any unclear parts of the audio multiple times and consulting our good friend Google. When these methods don’t work, we will take our best guess and enclose it in brackets along with a timestamp.

E.g. (hypogammaglobulinemic 00:04:52). In instances where we absolutely cannot make out the words at all, the unknown word or phrase is substituted with (________ 00:02:03).

Are your transcripts compatible with NVivo and MAXQDA?

Yes. All transcripts are completed in the latest version of MS Word (docx), which can be imported into both NVivo and MAXQDA.

What do you do about grammatical errors?

That depends on which transcription option you opt for. In full verbatim and intelligent verbatim transcription, we go with the flow of the speakers, meaning that there may well be grammatical errors since spoken dialogue rarely conforms to grammatical conventions. In paraphrased transcription, any grammatical errors are omitted, paragraphs restructured, and sentences edited or summarised for clarity.

What if I’m not happy with my transcript?

We strive to achieve 100% accuracy through our two-stage quality check. However, if you’re not 100% happy with any aspect of our service, let us know within 14 days and we will make it right.