My First Gig As A Transcriber

Years ago, my ex-hubby and I had a medical transcription business. So, the world of transcribing is not exactly new to me. However, I have never actually transcribed a document before because we had people doing that for us. Yet, when I saw an opportunity for a transcription job posted in one of the Facebook groups I belong to, I readily applied for it. I’m always on the lookout for WAHM opportunities so that I can add to the family income. Being a transcriber seemed to be an easy enough job anyway. I mean, the most basic requirements are only hearing acuity and correct English grammar. Typing speed was an advantage. Easy peasy.

Well, I got to try it two days ago. I was free to choose from several files. I chose one of the shorter files, about 38 minutes long only. I figured it will only take me a few hours. I was wrong. It’s not that it was hard. Actually, the job itself is pretty easy. What made the job challenging was the topic of the voice file I chose. There were a lot of “technical” words that I’ve never heard of before. Good thing there’s Google. That helped me a lot.

Of course, you will need a computer to do a transcription job. Luckily, mine has a big screen so it was easy to type and have the software window alongside my Word document. The software that I was required to use was easy enough to master. However, it would have been easier to use if I had a foot pedal. A foot pedal is a gadget that transcribers use. Instead of using your mouse to click play, rewind, forward or pause, you do it with your foot using the foot pedal. It leaves your hands free to type without so much interruption. Since I didn’t have one, I had to use my mouse, which I think wasted precious time. I must buy one soon.

I also must buy a new headset. Mine was sliding off my head because it was my hubby’s and was too big for me. I also have to buy a new mouse. Mine conked out in the middle of doing the job. I also lost precious time trying to fix the problem. Fortunately, my father-in-law had an extra one at home and was kind enough to lend it to me, or else I would have been in big trouble.

Aside from those issues, though, I didn’t really encounter any other problems. I was able to finish the job in about 8 hours but not consecutively because I still had to do my mom and blogger duties in between. If you count the in between hours, I was only able to submit the transcribed file 40 hours after I started it, which was okay since I still met the deadline anyway. I only worked when Ziggy was asleep, which means mostly at night, plus a couple of hours during the day.

The pay, though, is not really that high. I will get paid per minute. So, actually, the longer the voice files I choose, the better. For a part-time gig, though, the pay is good enough. For some, it may be a boring job because it involves a lot of time spent just sitting down in front of your computer, listening to the voice files and typing. However, it’s a learning experience too. I actually learned a lot about health from the voice file I had. I’d definitely recommend it to other WAHMs looking for job opportunities.
Have you ever been a transcriber before? Do share any tips you may have for me.