by Lina Martinez
As a transcriptionist, there are certain skill sets that become mandatory for you to develop in order to compete in the freelancing world. The freelancing world is vast, and the competition is insane.
Even before you would have applied for a project, there could be a hundred more applicants that would have already grab the opportunity and walked away. In order to keep yourself ahead of all the competition, it is mandatory to develop the skill sets that are mentioned in the below section of the article. You should know the ten most important skill sets that every freelance transcriptionist must have in order to get more of Freelance transcription jobs offered by dormzi or any other business.
1. Typing knowledge
The first and foremost requirement for every transcriptionist to develop is good typing knowledge. If you cannot transcribe more number of documents in a day, you will never be able to make more money like the other transcriptionists who can type better than you and also have complete knowledge on computer typing. Having a thorough knowledge of computer hardware, and software can be an added advantage along with the basic typing knowledge.
2. Knowledge of applications
A lot of freelance transcription is these days use certain applications in order to convert the audio files into text documents. If you want to start making more money in the transcription area, it is important that you get a hang and knowledge about all these applications that are being used in the market. Some of the applications that are widely used are MS word, Word processor, and other applications that support audio to text conversions.
3. Subject matter expertise
As a transcriptionist, you would be working on different kinds of subjects. Therefore, along with reading skills, you must also learn to identify the technical jargons that are used in that particular area in order to transcribe better.
For instance, if a doctor has worked for you, it is important that you get the names of the medicines and the diseases right. Likewise, if you are working on a transcribe work for a lawyer or an architect, it is essential to have complete knowledge of the technical terms that are used in that space.
4. Typing speed
It's not just about developing the knowledge on how the computer keyboard works; it is also about the speed of your typing that matters if you want to sustain in the transcription industry for a longer duration. The audio files are going to be huge, and the clients can be totally demanding. If you want to submit the assignment on time and bag more number of projects, it is important to have good typing speed.
5. Listening skills
As a transcriptionist, you would be listening to a lot of audio files that would be sent to you from various kinds of clients belonging to different sectors and regions. If you do not have good listening power, it becomes difficult for you to understand and convert the audio files into text files.
6. Language skills
When you launch yourself as a freelance transcriptionist, you must be aware of the industry, and this is one of those areas which require a tremendous amount of language skills to be developed. The clients that come to you are from various regions, and as a transcriptionist, you must be capable enough to understand the kind of accent and the vocabulary that is being used by the client in order to convert the files properly.
7. Good hold on grammar
Grammatical skills are going to play a key role when you start working as a transcriptionist. Some of the clients may have poor grammatical skills, and the same item got recorded in the audio files. When the files are sent to a transcriptionist, there expects everything to be corrected and formatted before you submit the assignment.
8. Error corrections
In continuation to the above point, audio files might not be complete at times. As a transcriptionist, it becomes your responsibility to detect and correct all those errors even before you submit the assignment. This is yet other important skills that you need to develop in order to become a better transcriptionist.
9. Observation skills
Unless and until you have good observation skills, you would never be able to transcribe any of the audio files. Along with listening skills, you need to observe the intonation, the tone of the voice, and also the emotions in which the words are being used. With proper observation, your punctuations will be apt, and the transcription is going to be fantabulous.
10. Time management skills
As a transcriptionist, it is mandatory that you stick to the proper time. When an assignment is given to you must certainly a deer to the time that is given by the client and submitted as mentioned in order to get more projects.
These are the ten most important skill sets that the transcription industry demands from every transcriptionist.