Why this Content Expert Uses Transcriptionists (and Why You'll Always be in Demand)

Today's post in our ongoing People Who Use Transcriptionists series features Nathan Miloszewski, an online content marketer for Pitch + Pivot. Pitch + Pivot is an online marketing and sales firm that works with international telecom and healthcare clients.

This content expert uses transcriptionists for his business, but he's not the only one (by far!). So after you've read this post and are curious about others, be sure to check out all the other amazing interviews we've had.

One of the most common concerns we hear from transcriptionists is that technology is taking over the human aspect of transcribing. Nathan has some pretty interesting insight into that concern. Here's what he shared with us:

"We use a high-definition online audio conferencing service called ZipDX for our client conference calls. It provides two types of real-time transcription: Scribble and Scribe.

Scribble is a fully automated speech-to-text software tool. You can access the transcript immediately after the call. It's a great reference when you're reviewing notes from the meeting."

So Nathan uses ZipDX for conference calls with his clients, and then those calls are transcribed in real-time with speech-to-text software. This produces a transcript immediately for anyone who was late to join the call or had to miss the meeting.

But isn't that what most transcriptionists really distrust the most -- software that transcribes?

Well, Nathan puts that fear to rest immediately!

"The other option, Scribe, uses a professional transcriptionist to polish the speech-to-text transcript. Scribe is even more accurate than Scribble, but you have to allow a few days for the transcription to be processed."

The accuracy for the text-to-speech software is only around 80% under ideal conditions (like with native English speakers), so ZipDX also hires transcriptionists to go through the speech-to-text transcript and thoroughly edit and make corrections. This skyrockets the accuracy of the transcript up to 96-99%.

Pitch + Pivot also hosts multilingual international meetings, which adds another element of difficulty to the speech-to-text transcript. With so many different participants speaking a variety of languages, there is huge room for error with the speech software. And that's where quality HUMAN transcriptionists come in again! They can boost the accuracy level to almost perfect and provide Nathan with a polished transcript he can share with his clients.

Our Take

Humans STILL have the advantage over technology, and there will always be a need for quality transcriptionists. Nothing can beat a human being's critical thinking and comprehension skills.

Your Turn

Have you ever worried about technology taking over your job? Does this help ease any fears you might have? Let me know in the comments!