Transcribing is a job that only takes a few short weeks to learn but can quickly start earning you a good amount of money.
For those who do not know, transcribing is the conversion of audio or video files into written texts. Transcription is now the act itself; the act of transcribing a client’s audio or video file into a written text.
Many clients pay good money for transcription services. Because of this, the pro transcribers earn up to eighty grand a year. In fact, I happen to know two guys who are now living the life because they decided to quit their 9-to-5 jobs to become transcribers about two years ago.
You too can quickly start making good money as a transcriber. Read the guide below to find out how.
- Enroll for a free or low-fee online transcription training course
Transcription jobs sound easy. And they are. In fact, easy. However, there are some technical aspects of the job that you will have to learn.
For instance, you will have to learn how to format what you have transcribed. You will also have to learn about different types of transcriptions, what to do when a text is inaudible, and what to do when there are false starts.
All these things can be learned on the job but learning about them beforehand by taking a course is better. I explain why in the next step.
- Sign up as a transcriber on a transcription services job site
There are thousands of transcription services companies around the world. Some of the most popular ones include rev.com, speakwrite.com, and transcribeme.com.
Some such as speechpad.com and upwork.com are perfect for beginners. You should be able to register easily on them to find transcription jobs. However, the pay on such sites is low because of the massive competition for jobs (they have many transcribers).
However, since you have trained for the job already, you are definitely not a beginner in the true sense of the word. So don’t waste time on sites like Upwork and go directly for the advanced and transcription-specific sites such as speakwrite.com and transcribeme.com.
Since you are already trained, you will, in all likelihood, pass any online transcription company’s entry tests and be accepted as a transcriber.
- Build your reputation and then specialize
When you get accepted as a transcriber, the next thing to do is to build your reputation. So take on jobs you can do and do them perfectly and diligently; no shortcuts.
If you do so for a couple of months, your rating as a transcriber will be high. You will be regarded as a pro and you can then charge customers more for your transcription services.
Once you have spent a couple of months as a general transcriber, you can decide to specialize for more money.
You can do this by learning another language formally e.g. Spanish to become a Spanish transcriber or by taking a legal course to qualify as a legal transcriber.
Specialized transcribers usually earn much more per month than general transcribers because there is low competition for the jobs they do.
Conclusion
As you can see in this guide, the journey to earning good money as a transcriber begins with taking a transcription course. The next step is to sign up as a transcriber on a general transcription website. And the last step is to work diligently and then to specialize. Doing all these things will put you in a great position to earn good money as a transcriber.
