Professional transcription services for your audiovisual content

The word transcription comes from the Latin transcribere, meaning “to rewrite”. Transcription is the representation of language in written form. For example, this could be a written transcription of an audio recording, a medical report or, in criminal proceedings, a report of a court hearing. Transcription is also very common in journalism, where interviews are transcribed. The needs and areas of application of transcription are very varied.

Transcription provides a written record of what was said. In particular, it offers three advantages:

• Accessibility: the transcription makes the information accessible to everyone, including the deaf and hard of hearing. The transcription can also be translated at a later date, making it accessible to non-speakers of the original language. Inclusion means that everyone can benefit from the content concerned.
• Accuracy: transcription helps to avoid misunderstandings, clarify key points and capture every detail with accuracy.
• Time saving: transcription allows you to take in information more quickly than by listening to it, in particular summarised transcription which offers a summary of the most important information.

High-quality transcription services for all types of projects

Turn your audiovisual recordings into written documents with Swisstranslate’s professional transcription service. Transcription of the files is in the form of digital dictation. To achieve this, our team has access to specialist tools, high-quality recording equipment and audio players, etc. They first listen to the recording in its entirety, so that they have all the context and background information, and then repeat the recording, writing the transcription as they listen.

Swisstranslate offers 4 types of transcription to suit your needs:

• Full transcription or literal transcription: the text is transcribed word for word. All the elements are indicated, for example hesitations, stuttering, repetitions, linguistic errors, onomatopoeia, laughter, etc. Nothing is removed or improved. This type of transcription, which is very tedious for the transcriber, is useful for finding out not only what was said, but also how it was said. Particularly in a legal context, literal transcription is essential, as deleting or improving the written text could lead to a subjective interpretation and therefore mask, for example, a state of nervousness with numerous repetitions and stuttering.
• Clean transcription: unlike a full transcription, linguistic errors are corrected and hesitations and repetitions are removed. It is therefore an improved version of the original, more comprehensible recording. This type of transcription concentrates on the content of what has been said, and is suitable, for example, for minutes of meetings or interviews, as errors and tics of language do not impinge the speaker and are not important for the intended purpose.
• Rephrased transcription: the text is adapted to the written style, including the use of the third person.
• Summarised transcription: only the essential elements of the speech are included. However, the chronological sequence of the original recording is respected. This type of transcription, for example, is very useful in university or research settings, where saving time is a very important criterion.

Do you need a transcription of your audio content?

Linguistic and technical expertise for high-quality transcriptions

Transcribing audio from a file in text format is a demanding and meticulous job, which is also very time-consuming. The job of transcriber is therefore a highly complex one, requiring a wide range of skills. That’s why, at Swisstranslate, we are professional and experienced transcribers.

Transcription requires rigour, concentration and patience. One hour of audio recording does not equal one hour of work. Transcribers need to be good listeners and versatile. The transcriber must have a high level of listening comprehension, as the words spoken must above all be understood. Our experts guarantee you a coherent transcription that perfectly matches the information heard, with no omissions or additions. Rely on Swisstranslate for a high-quality transcription that faithfully reflects your content.

What’s more, our experts are specialised in a particular field. As a result, they know all the technical vocabulary related to the field and the idiomatic jargon. This ensures that your transcription is technically accurate and precise.

Finally, perfect language skills are essential. Transcribers must have a thorough command of their working language, i.e. they must know the language and its spelling and grammatical rules by heart. That’s why at Swisstranslate, our transcribers are native speakers, so they know the target language inside out.