Video Transcription Tips to Try Today

Rashida Beal
Nov 16, 2022
Video Transcription Tips to Try Today
Video Transcription Tips to Try Today

Whether you’re working with audio or video, video transcription is an important skill that can help you with note-taking, content creation for multiple channels, brand awareness, audience engagement, and more.

The reasons to transcribe audio and video files to text are endless, but the truth is that transcribing video content be a hassle.

In this post, we’ll share a few key video transcription tips that will make the job a bit easier.

Limit Background Noise

Background noise can drastically affect your transcription speed and accuracy. Whether it’s loud nearby traffic, family, or roommates, noise can interfere with transcription.

Do your best to limit background noise. Choose a space that’s as far away from other noise as possible. A closet can work well if options are limited because the clothes help dampen the sound.

In addition to picking a quiet area, try noise-canceling headphones. Noise cancellation headphones use white noise and other technology to reduce external noise. The best quality ones also emit great sound quality. Overall, they are a good tool for reducing background noise and focusing on your transcription.

Ergonomic Setup

If you’re uncomfortable while trying to transcribe, it’ll only take you longer. To help you transcribe text faster and more accurately, create an ergonomic setup.

Choose a chair that facilitates upright sitting and proper posture. Make sure your desk is at the proper height for typing. Place your screen at eye level. If using a laptop, try a laptop stand to ensure the proper height and position, or use an external monitor you can position properly.

Avoid transcribing in the dark, as this can strain your eyes. Instead, use a well-lit space. Adjust the lighting so that it’s not too bright, but helps your eyes.

Use High-Quality Audio

If you’re transcribing a professor’s lector or a video you did not record, then you may not have much control over the audio quality. However, if you are creating audio or video that you will later transcribe, be sure it’s high quality.

Recording quality clear, audio will make it easier when listening to the audio. Here are a few tips:

Control Audio Playback with a Foot Pedal

Transcribing videos and audio gets tricky since we can talk faster than we can type. Even those with a high typing speed may struggle to keep up with fast audio. Chances are, you’ll need to pause the audio as you transcribe so that you can type all of the information. Trying to just use your keyboard or mouse for this only adds complication and makes it harder to keep typing.

One helpful solution is to use a foot pedal to control the audio playback. The foot pedal has a few big buttons that you tap with your foot to pause, play, fast-forward, or rewind audio/video. This hands-free solution allows you to keep typing while you control playback. You’ll be able to pause or rewind without wasting time using the mouse or keyboard. For long transcription or when transcribing many pieces of content, these seconds add up quickly.

Practice Touch Typing

If you can type without looking at the keyboard, then you can touch type. Touch typing is imperative for fast typing and transcribing.

Like any skill, it’s one you can improve with some diligent practice. You could try covering your keyboard with a cardboard box so that you cannot see it. Focus on looking up as you type and paying more attention to the screen than the keys. The more you practice touch typing, the better you will get and the faster you’ll be able to transcribe.

Edit After

Editing while you type will slow you down. Every second makes a difference, and you don’t want to lose time on constant edits. Instead, plan to edit your transcription at the end. This will be much faster and easier, especially if you use the right editing tools.

One helpful editing tool is the autocorrect feature. You can turn this feature on in Microsoft Word. On Google Docs, head to “Tools” and then “Spelling and Grammar” for a document check once you’re done. You could also use grammar software like Grammarly to help speed up edits.

Transcription Software

The single best tip for transcribing audio and video files is to use transcription software. With AI-powered transcription software, you can automatically turn audio or video into text. Maestra Suite automatically transcribes audio/ video, saving you hours of time and a ton of stress on transcription.

Our audio-to-text converter is one of the best ways to transcribe faster with exceptional accuracy. You can upload any audio or video file type and get video transcripts organized with room for your notes in minutes. Instead of wasting time and effort listening to the audio, turn to our video transcription services!

Here’s how it works:

Our interactive text editor makes it simple to proofread your transcription and edit as you wish. However, you won’t need to worry about simple errors, because we provide an extremely high accuracy rate.

Transcribe Faster Today

While the tips above can help you manually transcribe faster, the truth is that there’s a physical limit to how much you can improve your typing speed.

Turn to Maestra’s industry-leading technology for video and audio transcription that's fast and accurate. Our software allows you to collaborate with your team and share right from our platform. You can use our solution to transcribe podcasts, YouTube videos, class lectures, or any other form of audio recording.

Try Maestra out! Get started by  booking your demo to learn more about our automatic transcription tool.

Rashida Beal
Nov 16, 2022

Keep reading

Even more stories from Maestra

View all
5 Easy Ways to Transcribe a YouTube Video to Text

5 Easy Ways to Transcribe a YouTube Video to Text

There can be a million ways why you do not want a watermark on your videos. Here is how you can download and share Tiktok videos without a watermark!

Rashida Beal Rashida Beal
The Best Online Transcriber Alternative in 2022

The Best Online Transcriber Alternative in 2022

If you are looking to convert audio to text, then you need a transcription service. For many, this “service” is a person in the form of a transcriber. The internet opens...

Rashida Beal Rashida Beal
How a Caption Generator can Make Your Work/Study Life Easier

How to Transcribe Audio to Text on Mac

Apple products have long been used by creatives in many industries and students. As of 2018, there were 100,000 Mac users, and numbers have only grown...

Rashida Beal Rashida Beal