Kay's Virtual Office can transcribe many different audio files including:  business meeting minutes, interviews, conference calls, lectures, speeches, seminars, panel discussions, focus groups, podcasts, webcasts, personal memoirs, archival documents, author’s research notes, first drafts and more...

Audio Guidelines

Type 1 Audio - Audio recording in digital format consisting of 1-2 speakers with good quality audio sound.

Type 2 Audio - Audio recording in digital format consisting of 3 speakers; background noise; voices difficult to understand, poor quality recording, and soft voices.

Type 3 Audio - Audio recording in digital format consisting of 4 or more speakers; thick accents; highly scientific, technical or medical terminology; panel discussions; focus groups; seminars with multiple participants; and frequent interruptions.

Transcription Styles

Smooth Verbatim - This style consists of a full and accurate transcript that retains the overall style of the individual speaker while improving the overall readability of the document. Certain utterances are eliminated such as false starts, stutters, repetitions, distracting speech patterns, etc.  Paragraph and sentence structure are tidied up, transcript is grammatically corrected, and formatted into a final readable document.

Complete Verbatim - This style captures every spoken word of recorded audio including all sentences, stutters, false starts, repetitions, minimal responses, personal comments, interruptions, and emotions (where applicable).

Transcription Rates

Clients are charged at a flat rate per minute of audio—so clients know exactly what they are paying for upfront. 

Transcription projects and pricing include transcription of digital audio file, proofreading, editing, and formatting into a final readable document according to clients specifications.  This may also include spot checking against the original audio file as well as internet research to determine correct spelling and ensure a clear and accurate transcript.  Please keep in mind that poor sound quality and multiple speakers can affect the final outcome of a project. 

Time Standards

This chart is only an estimate of the amount of time it takes to complete a transcription project.  This chart is a guide to help clients better understand how pricing is determined.

Cost Savings Comparison

The following chart is a sample price comparison between an hourly rate of $25 vs. a per minute of audio rate of $1.50.

  Special Instructions for Transcription Services: 

• There is a one hour minimum charge of $25 for all transcription services.
• All transcripts are formatted to the following specifications:  Times New Roman, 12 pt, single space, margins 1”, or transcripts can also be formatted to client specifications.
• Turnaround time varies and will be determined before project begins.
• If you have an audio file too large to e-mail, you can send it via the following website www.yousendit.com for files up to 100MB.   Larger files may require a fee. 
• Please note that I take pride in my work and do my very best to provide clients with the highest quality service. In the unlikely circumstance there are any errors in a completed project, corrections will be made at no additional cost to the client.
• If you receive a finished transcript and are satisfied with it, but wish to rearrange the data, change the format, wording, or style--please note there will be a charge of $2.50 per page for this service.