What technologies are needed to develop an accurate online transcription service?

Transcribing audio or video content is one of the most mind-numbing tasks you can undertake, particularly if you are struggling to meet a deadline.

Transcription is commonly associated with the media industry, where journalists use the process to create news and features from interview content they have gathered.

In an age where ‘fake news’ has become increasingly prevalent, online transcription services help media outlets demonstrate greater levels of transparency.

Content transcription is also undertaken in numerous other sectors including healthcare, the legal profession, marketing, academia and many more.

Inaccurate medical transcriptions can be particularly problematic, as these can lead to patients being misdiagnosed or issued with incorrect medications.

Lawyers rely heavily on transcription during the course of their duties, and accuracy is essential if they are to deliver positive outcomes for their clients.

It is a similar story in academia, where educators are required to deliver learning content that students can decipher without any issues.

This is especially imperative where students have disabilities, as inaccuracies can lead to them not enjoying the same educational experience as their non-disabled counterparts.

Manual transcription has been the go-to method in these sectors for many years, but advancements in technology have transformed the process in the recent times.

There are now numerous online transcription services available, each of which promise to reduce the labour-intensive nature of transcribing content.

Automated transcription software boosts transparency, as it provides users with factual content rather than allowing for human interpretation of what has been said.

Transcriptions are also useful in helping to make video content visible to search engine bots, which serves to fire it further up the rankings.

This functionality also extends to elements such as podcasts, giving the content increased visibility and helping to boost audience size.

Read on as we take a closer look at online transcription before assessing some of the technologies that support the process.

Introducing online transcription

As mentioned earlier, online transcription software takes the hassle out of transcribing audio and video content in various industries.

For instance, a journalist who records a 30-minute audio interview with someone will likely require several hours to accurately transcribe the content.

By contrast, automated online transcription services can power through multimedia files in a matter of minutes, thus making the process more efficient.

Another major benefit of transcribing content online is the stringent security protocols they incorporate to keep information private.

Transcribing audio or video files in this manner ensures it is not shared with any other third parties, thus giving the user greater control over the content.

The technology behind online transcription

The best online services use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to facilitate efficient processing of content which needs to be transcribed.

Seamless software integrations with communication platforms allow for the swift sharing of the transcribed content if required.

The primary tool behind online transcription is automatic speech recognition technology (ASR), which is revolutionising how content is transcribed.

ASR is software that process human speech and converts it into text. The technology dates back to the 1950s, but has only recently started to deliver what it was first thought capable of.

AI & ML are delivering positive outcomes for users of online transcription services – Image via Pexels

The software incorporates Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology, which captures spoken word and uses machine intelligence to turn them into text.

When a person speaks, ASR detects what has been said and creates a file of the words it hears. The tech eliminates background noise and normalises the volume.

The file is sequenced before a statistical probability is applied to determine the words and organise them into structured sentences.

While some systems are only 80 percent accurate, more precise results can be achieved by adding human transcribers into the mix.

To use a food analogy, the software effectively assembles the cake while humans put the icing and cherries on top.

Utilising this methodology offers near 100 percent accuracy and is significantly more efficient than manual transcription alone.

How online transcription technology is evolving

A key area for concern relating to online transcription services is data security, and many people remain wary about using them for precisely this reason.

Ensuring that sensitive data stays secure is crucial, particularly in sectors such as journalism, government, academia, healthcare and the legal profession.

Cyberattacks are a common occurrence, but the risks can be mitigated by using online transcription services that take data security seriously.

The top providers in the sector have formal policies in place to keep users’ personal data safe and their transcription tasks completely secure.

All data elements are encrypted to ensure General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requirements are adhered to at all times.

Measures such as end-to-end network isolation, external and internal enforcement points and server hardening are also used to enhance security.

Penetration tests, application security, vulnerabilities management and stringent password policies are other elements utilised by leading online transcription services.

Online transcription technology – The final word

While technology has revolutionised how audio and video content is transcribed, we are yet to reach the peak of what will likely be possible in this area.

Not all online services are 100% accurate, with human input still needed to ensure that users get as close to this as possible.

However, the technology’s ‘smart’ nature effectively means it improves the more it is used, thus delivering increasingly better outcomes for users.

As further technological innovations hit the space, the day is unlikely to be too far away when online transcription services can deliver perfection without human intervention.