Looking for a second income? Tips and Advice for Home-based transcribers

Transcribing from home is an excellent way to make money, either on a full-time basis or as a second income to fit around your existing commitments.

Transcription is by no means an easy job to do and it certainly does not suit everyone but with good advice, dedication and hard work, you can become successful in your chosen area of transcription. There are many types of transcription a transcriber can undertake; often quite specialist skills are needed for medical transcription, for example, or legal transcription.

A general transcriptionist, however, may transcribe material such as conferences, webinars,podcasts,lectures or research interviews in many field to name a few examples. It can be an ideal home-based role for those with the right skills. Working from home is not for everyone: some people prefer the hustle and bustle of the workplace, and may thrive with supervision, direction and interaction with others. While a home-based transcriber's role is mainly a solitary one, it does not mean it can't be fun and very satisfying. If you can work alone with minimum supervision and more importantly, work to tight deadlines, then it may be the role you have been searching for. Think you fit the bill? Then what else will you need?

What are the basic skills that are needed?

A transcriber must have:

Excellent listening skillsr
Excellent English grammar and punctuation knowledger
A fast typing speed – ideally be able to touch-typer
Attention to detailr
Pride in their workr
All these skills can be developed with time and practice. Take note of the following tips to become the best transcriber you can be:

Invest in some good quality headphones, you can buy specialist audio-typing headphones but any good quality headphones will do the jobr
Learn to touch-type. There are some great online courses out there that can help achieve this useful skillr
Invest in a foot-pedal – this will greatly assist with increasing typing speedr
Research, research… and research. Use all the tools at your disposal; never be without an online dictionary while transcribing, and use it! Google every term, even if you think you know it – always check!
Develop your ear! Listening skills are vitally important in transcription work. Use common sense to guess which word would fit, rewind the tape and listen again. Sometimes a word or phrase needs several rewinds before it comes in a lightbulb momentr
Always proofread your work. Check it as you are working and check again at the end.
A good, professional transcriber can make themselves indispensable. The best, most accurate and reliable typists are used over and over again by transcription companies and transcription services!