| How are completed files sent to me? Completed documents are returned as e-mail file attachments. Another option is to download your files from our web site. By the way, your files are not placed on our web site unless you have made arrangements with us in advance. Are cassette tapes returned to me? Yes, they are. For larger projects, we will hold the tapes until we have enough to fill a shipping box. We return tapes via government priority mail. This is done to save money on your shipping expense. How should I send tapes to you? Your post office has sturdy boxes for priority mail, which is much less expensive than UPS or Federal Express. Priority mail is fairly fast; perhaps only a day behind UPS or Federal Express. How do I send digital audio voice files to you?
Please contact us before sending any digital files via e-mail. We can also download audio files from ftp sites. We also can record or rerecord web broadcasts. My digital audio files are too big to send through my e-mail; my ISP won't allow me to send large files. Very large audio files can be copied to CD and mailed to us. If you prefer to use e-mail, WinZip® 8.1 makes it easy to create Zip files that are split into smaller pieces to a size that you specify. Each piece is attached to a separate e-mail and sent to us and we will re-assemble the segments. This software is easy to use and inexpensive (price as of this writing was $29). Note that the freeware version of WinZip will not disassemble or reassemble files; you need the paid version to get this feature. Can you transcribe Sony files? Yes. Our response to this question applies to all brands of recording devices. We generally do not know what brand of recording device our customers use. Our concern is with the type of audio file that is produced. There are many types of digital audio formats, and even if a device produces a wave (.wav) audio file, it may not be be the same as a .wav audio file produced by another brand of recording device. Sometimes we convert those incompatible files to something that is compatible. Can you transcribe mp3 audio files? Yes. There are many types of mp3 audio formats. Some formats work very nicely with our digital transcribers. Others do not. All we can do is try playing the file and see if it works with our one of our digital transcribers. What is the turnaround time; when will it be done? To calculate a rough estimate of actual transcription labor time, multiply the recorded length (not the tape length) by four. For example, a 30-minute recording would take approximately 2 hours to transcribe. Transcription time varies depending on recording quality and factors such as the number of people on the tape (two people talking at once just make it harder to hear or understand what is said). For steaming audio files, please give us enough time to record the files. With files such as RealAudio, which cannot be downloaded by normal methods, we actually have to play the entire file before we can transcribe it; our software captures the audio portion as it plays over the internet. . We cannot begin transcribing until your recordings are received. Mail, UPS, and Federal Express deliveries are made in the afternoon here. We check our primary e-mail account at least five or more times each day. Did you receive my tapes? We notify customers via e-mail when their tapes arrive here. What is cheaper, the line rate or the hourly rate? Time studies were performed to obtain line rates, which were based on the hourly rate. Basically the rates are equivalent. Line rates are standard in medical transcription. Line rates are not commonly used in some forms of transcription particularly interviews, presentations, etc., because there are too many problems associated with those types of recordings that require more labor, more time, to transcribe. For example, if two people are talking at once on an interview, we usually have to listen several times to figure out what is being said and by who. Why is there a price difference between interviews with one guest and interviews with two or more guests? From our experience, the fewer people speaking on an audio recording, the quicker the transcript can be typed. Usually, two people talking at once is the main problem and does require additional time to listen repeatedly to that portion so we know who says what. Sometimes we have difficulty recognizing which person is saying what, particularly when the guests are not identified. There are two reasons for this. One is that in the early portion of the recording, we have not learned to recognize the differences in voices, but as the tape progresses, the transcriptionist will have enough clues to know which person is talking. Another reason for this is that we adjust our equipment to maximize audio quality, and this may distort a person's voice. How much will it cost? It is impossible to give an accurate estimate without a sample. Again, to obtain a very rough estimate of labor expense, multiply the actual recorded length by four. We keep work logs that report labor down to the minute. We use InstantText Pro to calculate line counts. The only other charges would be for returning raw materials to you (postage), printing, or items removed from this office such as CD's or floppies. Any taxes are already built into the rate. Can I do this myself? It surprises me that we have had customers ask for advice on how to get into the transcription business. Anyone with a computer and the appropriate skills and training could do this. Probably the most demanding aspect about this business is the high degree of technical knowledge required. This business demands speed and accuracy too. Medical transcription requires special training. Nobody has asked about these items but I thought you might want to know. There is no overtime charge. The rate remains the same for evenings, weekend, or holiday work. We can re-record via phone lines. That means if you provide an 800 phone number, we can dial in and download your recordings. I've been in business since 1989. I have been a secretary/transcriptionist/typist since 1965. My education includes a post high school secretarial course; an Associate Degree in business and psychology; additional college courses in psychology; technical college courses in various computer-related subjects; and a medical transcription diploma. My typing speed is over 72 and up to 85+ words per minute. Typing speed tests were performed while a student at MidState Technical College in Marshfield, Wisconsin and occurred at various points throughout the semester. Subcontractors may be used. The number depends on work load and availability. All work performed by subcontractors is proofed, of course. If you have sample documents, please feel free to send them particularly if the words/terminology are similar to what we will be transcribing. From those samples, my software can extract words and phrases to be used in my expander (InstantText Pro). Use of an expander can really speed up the typing process. If samples are not provided, in most cases I still will create a word phrase list as the typing of the document progresses (the expander is revised periodically). It takes less than a couple of minutes to create the initial database of words/terms/phrases and just a couple of seconds to update it. Projects are archived for relatively long periods of time. All work is considered confidential. Any completed documents can be encrypted. You do not need our encryption software to open the files; a password will be given to you so you can open and save your encrypted documents. Barb Krultz B. Krultz & Associates
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office services || transcription services || pkbk@badger.tds.net
