A career in transcription revolves around converting recorded audio into typed a typed text document. Consequently, there are several types of transcription performed, including medical and legal. In order to effectively perform this job, an individual must have five main types of transcription equipment. Some of the most common equipment includes a computer, headphones, a foot pedal, transcription software and word processing software.
Perhaps the most essential piece of transcription equipment is a computer with high speed Internet access. In order to transcribe audio files, it's first necessary to have either a desktop or laptop computer. In many cases, a transcriptionist will receive the files over the Internet from a client and send the text documents back to the client through email. In addition, the other transcription equipment will require a computer in order to function.
Another important piece of equipment is a quality set of headphones. When a transcriptionist is performing her job duties, she will need to hear the audio clearly before typing it out into a text document. Since some parts of audio files are difficult to understand, it's helpful to use headphones that provide quality sound and drown out background noise.
A foot pedal is a type of transcription equipment that is used to pause an audio file, rewind it backward or fast forward it. In most cases, it's plugged into a computer via the USB port and placed on the floor underneath the computer. As a transcriptionist types out the audio file, she will use her feet to stop and start the recording as needed. Consequently, using a foot pedal makes it easier to efficiently move through audio without the hassle of taking one's hands away from typing.
In order to use the audio, headphones and foot pedal, it's also necessary to have transcription software. Typically, transcription software is installed on a computer and synchronized with the headphones and foot pedal. Once set up, various audio files can be opened with the software and will be ready for transcribing. Since software types can differ, it's important to find transcription software that is capable of syncing up with other equipment.
An additional type of transcription equipment is word processing software. Since audio files must be converted into text, it's also essential to have a word processing program. In order to provide the highest quality text documents, it helps to have software that also catches spelling and grammatical errors.