4 Advantages of Using Audio and Video Transcription Services for Your Published Works
Producing audio and video content can be an expensive and time-consuming process. So why might it be worth taking the additional step of engaging a professional transcription service to provide transcriptions of your audio and video? This article seeks to answer such a question by considering the benefits of using professional transcriptions services for your published audio and video content.
Advantage One: Accessible Publishing
We have all seen podcasting grow in popularity over recent years. But for people affected by hearing loss, podcasting is not always an accessible media format. Commissioning high quality text transcriptions to accompany the original audio material is one way to address this problem because it gives your audience an opportunity to read content as an alternative to listening. Hence audio transcription can offer important advantages in this context: it helps makes published audio content more accessible and helps ensure that you are not excluding those members of your potential audience with hearing loss. In short, transcription services can help you take a more inclusive approach to publishing.
Advantage Two: Search Engine Optimisation
Let’s imagine you have invested time and effort in creating a polished sales webinar or promotional video, and now your new work is ready to be published to the internet. How do you expect online users to find this new content? Search engines are crucial in enabling users to navigate their way to relevant material, yet search engines rely on written text to index content and do not pick up on language that is voiced within a media clip. This problem can be solved by publication of accurate text transcriptions alongside your audio and video. In this way, text transcription functions as a way to convert your audio and video into a format that search engines can read. And this in turn can give users a new pathway to find your audio and video content.
Advantage Three: Effective Learning
Audio and video is a memorable and engaging way to deliver materials such as a lecture or a training webinar. But once the content has been delivered, learners might find it helpful to have access to an accurate text version of the learning content. Text can be a good format for reviewing information, so is well suited for those who wish to revisit and refresh their knowledge from time to time. Text documents are also easy to search electronically, so may be helpful for those who want to consult the learning materials for reference purposes. And finally, text – unlike audio or video – is a print-friendly option, and this may be a benefit for those who prefer to review a print copy. So in this context, text transcriptions can potentially improve the learner experience by supplementing the original media.
Advantage Four: Supporting English Learners
It is possible that your podcasts and videos appeal to people for whom English is not their first language. Some of these people may have an advanced command of English and will be perfectly comfortable with English language content that is pitched at native-level proficiency. But others may be less advanced in their English listening skills, and may struggle to comprehend the content in full. For example, some regional accents may be difficult to grasp, technical vocabulary may be unfamiliar, or perhaps the pace of delivery is simply too fast. For these users, an audio transcript will be invaluable in supporting their comprehension of the material. An accurate transcript will enable these people to check new vocabulary, study difficult passages and read the content at their own pace.
In Conclusion
If you want to maximise the value of your audio and video content, consider using a professional transcription service such as GoTranscript.com. Transcriptions services help grow your audience by widening accessibility and inclusivity, and can help in the critical task of getting audio and video content indexed on a search engine. A text transcript can provide a reference resource for those who want to review or reinforce their learning, and it can help support those for whom English is not their first language.
Or in other words, if you want more people to find and use your online audio and video, it is worth giving some thought to working with a professional transcriptions service.
