Real-Time Transcription Jobs Overview
Transcription services, whether freelance, work from home or in an office for a specific company, is exploding. While much of the transcription that is done is pre-recorded, there is a certain section that is called real-time transcription as it takes place as people are talking.
The real-time transcriptionist types what is spoken as it is spoken from the person in real-time. There are a few different kinds of real-time transcriptionists including court reporters, CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation), real-time captioners and those internet and webinar reports giving real-time reports on meetings.
What skills are needed to become a real-time transcriptionist?
When researching this topic the number one skill that we found was typing speed and accuracy. Almost every job requires a typing speed of 200 wpm. While most other specialties require less speed, due to the fact that you are typing what is being said, as it is said means that you need to be able to keep up with the person talking. Accuracy is also extremely important because you really don’t get a chance to review, proofread and edit before it goes out to be read.
Another skill that is not required, but is very, very helpful is spelling or the ability to breakdown words for spelling rather quickly. Because you don’t have a chance to proofread your work before it goes out over the airwaves in some cases, you need to have a good grasp on spelling and English grammar rules- the i before e except after c and when sounding like a type of thing.
Is an education required to get real-time transcriptionist jobs?
There is no easy answer to this question. All transcriptionist jobs require at least a high school diploma or GED, but when it comes to the various types of real-time transcriptionist, many of specialties do require a certification or diploma in that particular area. This is true with court reporting. Now, the type we are talking about here with court reporting are the ones that type what is said into text on a computer screen so that notes can be made for later use by both sides of the issue i.e. prosecution & defense, plaintiff & respondent. But, many of these court reporters also work in open court rooms where real-time transcription is required.
What type of training will help you to get good real-time transcriptionist jobs?
This sub-specialty of transcription industry often requires certification in the particular area program, such as court reporting. If they don’t require a certification or college degree, then some of the training that will help you is typing and keyboarding skills. Because these jobs often require 200 wpm or more and the fact that you don’t have time to think about what you’re typing, having training to increase your typing speed and the general keyboarding strokes and short-cuts is almost a requirement.
You may also want some English grammar courses, legal terminology (for those going into the legal field), along with program formatting such as Word, or Excel.
How much do real-time transcriptionist jobs pay?
There is no real answer to this. Because of the differences in specialties and since most are hired by companies, it will depend on the exact nature of your work and specialty. It will also depend on the state that you live in as minimum wage in each state varies, but is always above the federal minimum wage. Generally, a real-time transcriptionist is paid by the working hour or by the project. For the working hour, you may make as much as $35.00 per hour, but you will only work when your skills are required. You may also work for a company that has you doing other things and will pay you varying rates, dependent on what job duties you are performing at the time.
What are the types of real-time transcription jobs available?
There are many different types of real-time transcription jobs available, but this is a list of the most common ones you’ll see while scouring the internet. Clicking on any of these items will give you greater detail about what they are.
Court Reporter Transcriptionist
Communication Access Real-time (CART) Transcriptionist
Real-time Captioner Transcriptionist
Where can I find real-time transcription jobs?
Most real-time transcription jobs are posted in a wide variety of areas. For those that want to explore all the different options out there, here are a few online sources for available positions.
TranscriptionJobsHQ.com: We have partnered with top companies to offer you a very easy-to-use job search engine that pulls all listings from Simply Hired, Monster, and Indeed to show you just about all of the legal transcription jobs that you can find on the internet. If you can’t find your job here feel free to keep searching elsewhere, but we are confident that our database has most of them.
Upwork.com: The transcription jobs on this website range from large to small. Once you create a profile, start out by charging a reasonable rate by audio/video minute and then build up your profile to eventually have a higher cost and repeated clients. It takes some time, but this can be a great way to get multiple clients coming back over and over again.
Rev.com: This is a great company to join if you'd like consistent transcription work provided to you. The problem with joining this company is that you'll be paid less per audio minute because they have to make money too, but they are very consistent with the work that they get.
Simplyhired.com: This is a job listing site that covers a wide range of industries. You can search by keywords such as transcription or corporate transcription. You will want to have a general cover letter that you can edit for each job and a relevant resume as you apply directly to the company itself. These jobs can be at home or in an office.
Careerbuilder.com: One of the largest of the job listing sites, careerbuilder.com has been around for well over 15 years. Again, you will want to upload a relevant resume and have a general cover letter that you can review and edit for specific companies. Since companies can also search the database for relevant workers, it is good to have a copy there as well.
Again, using key words, you will search the database for relevant jobs and apply per the specifics listed in the job details.
Monster.com: Another large job listing site, you can upload resumes, use the resume builder, develop cover letters, search the database for position and review job details. You will apply to each job per the instructions listed in the job details.
What is a Real-time Transcriptionist and Where Can I Find Jobs For Them?
Transcription services, whether freelance, work from home or in an office for a specific company, is exploding. While much of the transcription that is done is pre-recorded, there is a certain section that is called real-time transcription as it takes place as people are talking. But, you may be wondering, what is real-time transcription, what do I need to do to become a real-time transcriptionist and where can I find those jobs?
What is a real-time transcriptionist?
Before we get into exactly what a real-time transcriptionist is, we need to define what transcription is. Transcription is the act of writing down the spoken word. So, that means you take what is spoken and write it down, or in this case type it out. Now there are several different kinds of media that can be used for most transcription including audio (tape, mp3, mp4, CD), video (YouTube, DVD) and then there is real-time.
The real-time transcriptionist types what is spoken as it is spoken from the person in real-time. There are a few different kinds of real-time transcriptionists including court reporters, CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation), real-time captioners and those internet and webinar reports giving real-time reports on meetings.
While these are specialties within the real-time transcription, we will discuss each of these later in this series.
What skills are needed to become a real-time transcriptionist?
When researching this topic the number one skill that we found was typing speed and accuracy. Almost every job requires a typing speed of 200 wpm. While most other specialties require less speed, due to the fact that you are typing what is being said, as it is said means that you need to be able to keep up with the person talking. Accuracy is also extremely important because you really don’t get a chance to review, proofread and edit before it goes out to be read.
Another skill that is not required, but is very, very helpful is spelling or the ability to breakdown words for spelling rather quickly. Because you don’t have a chance to proofread your work before it goes out over the airwaves in some cases, you need to have a good grasp on spelling and English grammar rules- the i before e except after c and when sounding like a type of thing.
Is an education required to get real-time transcriptionist jobs?
There is no easy answer to this question. All transcriptionist jobs require at least a high school diploma or GED, but when it comes to the various types of real-time transcriptionist, many of specialties do require a certification or diploma in that particular area. This is true with court reporting. Now, the type we are talking about here with court reporting are the ones that type what is said into text on a computer screen so that notes can be made for later use by both sides of the issue i.e. prosecution & defense, plaintiff & respondent. But, many of these court reporters also work in open court rooms where real-time transcription is required.
What type of training will help you to get good real-time transcriptionist jobs?
This sub-specialty of transcription industry often requires certification in the particular area program, such as court reporting. If they don’t require a certification or college degree, then some of the training that will help you is typing and keyboarding skills. Because these jobs often require 200 wpm or more and the fact that you don’t have time to think about what you’re typing, having training to increase your typing speed and the general keyboarding strokes and short-cuts is almost a requirement.
You may also want some English grammar courses, legal terminology (for those going into the legal field), along with program formatting such as Word, or Excel.
How much do real-time transcriptionist jobs pay?
There is no real answer to this. Because of the differences in specialties and since most are hired by companies, it will depend on the exact nature of your work and specialty. It will also depend on the state that you live in as minimum wage in each state varies, but is always above the federal minimum wage. Generally, a real-time transcriptionist is paid by the working hour or by the project. For the working hour, you may make as much as $35.00 per hour, but you will only work when your skills are required. You may also work for a company that has you doing other things and will pay you varying rates, dependent on what job duties you are performing at the time.
What are the types of real-time transcription jobs available?
There are many different types of real-time transcription jobs available, but this is a list of the most common ones you’ll see while scouring the internet. Clicking on any of these items will give you greater detail about what they are.
Court Reporter Transcriptionist
Communication Access Real-time (CART) Transcriptionist
Real-time Captioner Transcriptionist
Where can I find real-time transcription jobs?
Most real-time transcription jobs are posted in a wide variety of areas. For those that want to explore all the different options out there, here are a few online sources for available positions.
Elance: This is a free to join freelance site. While there are not many real-time transcriptionist jobs listed here, it does give some great general, medical and legal transcription jobs to fill in when you’re looking for work. You will need to develop a profile, select your membership level (they range from free to $60.00 per month) and research the jobs.
oDesk: Just like Elance, it is a freelance site that lets you work at home. Free to join, it also doesn’t have much in the way of real—time transcriptionist work, but there are a lot of other types of transcription work to help fill in the those hours. Also, these are great sources for extra income.
*Note: You will need to have a PayPal Account and all taxes are your responsibility.
Simplyhired.com: This is a large job posting site that list thousands of jobs across the whole range of industries. You can search by keyword, location or industry. You will want to develop a profile and upload a resume. Each job will have its own details that include the company, location, rate of pay and application process.
Careerbuilder.com: One the largest and oldest of the online job posting sites, Careerbuilder allows you to upload a resume, develop cover letters, search for jobs and find other employment news. Again, the job details will give you all the particulars on a specific job.
Monster.com: Another of the large job posting site, it works similarly to Simplyhired and Careerbuilder. They also have tests to show proficiencies and allow you to upload certifications.
Real-time transcriptionists are the elite of the transcription world. Transcribing as the person is actually speaking, many companies require certification. Used for live TV shows, to help the hearing impaired communicate in real-time and court reporting, understanding the intricacies and requirements will help you to decide if this is a career you would like to pursue.
