As automated speech-to-text tools become more popular, you might question whether human transcription is still necessary. Today, we will help you understand human vs. AI transcription options and highlight the pros and cons of each.
What is AI Transcription, and How Does it Work?
Automated transcription uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to convert audio or video files into text. This automated speech-to-text technology has become very popular in recent years due to its speed and cost savings.
How exactly does AI transcription work?
Speech-to-text technologies use deep neural networks, like recurrent neural networks (RNNs), to learn patterns and relationships between audio features and corresponding text. This training exposes the model to vast datasets containing paired audio and text transcripts.
The trained model decodes and transcribes the speech into written text when presented with new audio input.
Pros of Automated AI transcription
- Most AI transcription tools will take just a few minutes to transcribe an hour-long audio or video. For instance, Notta, an automated transcription tool, will take only 5 minutes to transcribe two hours of audio.
- Automated tools are also more affordable when pitted against human transcription.
- Because automated tools are cheaper and provide faster results, it’s easier for your organization to handle large volumes of transcripts workload.
However, even though automated transcription has a lot of significant pros, there are a few cons to know about.
Cons of AI Transcription
- Many AI transcription tools, no matter how advanced, usually struggle with transcribing diverse accents and dialects.
- Using AI to transcribe audio with background noises yields subpar results that require a ton of human editing afterward.
- Identifying different speakers in a conversation can be challenging for AI tools.
- AI transcription tools may also struggle with understanding context, especially for medical and legal transcription sectors.
What is Human Transcription, and How Does it Work?
Human transcription involves a professional transcriptionist converting audio or video files into text format. This approach to transcription has been the preferred choice for years because it provides accurate and quality transcripts. Let’s look at the advantages of human transcription.
Pros of Human Transcription
- Professional transcriptionists often have a great understanding of the context. This results in high-quality transcripts that require minimal or no editing.
- Expert transcriptionists can understand a wide range of accents compared to automated tools.
- Most transcription companies have a built-in quality assurance process to guarantee you get accurate transcripts.
- Human transcribers can adjust their methods to match your preferences. This flexibility is valuable when specific formatting, notations, or style preferences are essential to meet your requirements.
What are the Cons of Human Transcription?
The two main drawbacks of human transcription are speed and cost. Human transcription is time-consuming. The manual listening, interpreting, and transcribing process can result in slower turnaround times.
For instance, it takes a skilled transcriptionist 4 hours to transcribe a one-hour video file. The time and expertise involved result in higher costs than an automated alternative.
Human Vs. AI Transcription: Which Should You Choose?
There’s no one-size-fit answer here. However, the following questions will help you decide which suits your project.
Is your audio or video file good quality?
Clear audio recordings are best suited for speech recognition software. However, a human transcription service will provide better and more accurate results if there’s a lot of background noise.
Does your audio file have multiple speakers?
Automated transcription works best for a single or, at most, two speakers. However, human transcription is the right solution if you’re transcribing a meeting with multiple speakers, a focus group study or a panel discussion.
What accuracy level are you looking for?
If accuracy is important, go with human transcription. Automated transcription tools have a lower accuracy level compared to human transcriptionists.
Do the speakers have regional accents?
AI transcription tools struggle with understanding regional accents. On the other hand, hiring the right transcriptionist will ensure you get back an accurate and contextual transcript.
What’s your target turnaround time?
If you want the transcript back quickly, choose AI transcription. However, faster turnaround time may also mean more time spent editing and proofreading the transcript yourself.
What’s your budget?
Human transcription is often more expensive compared to automated transcription. However, this cost is usually justifiable since you get the final document. With AI, you’ll have to pay with your time since the transcript will require edits.
Final Thoughts
The choice between human vs. AI transcription depends on various factors. If you have a recording with good quality, a single speaker, and no regional accents and need quick and cost-effective results, AI transcription is a suitable option.
However, if accuracy, confidentiality, and data security are crucial, or your content has multiple speakers and regional accents, human transcription services would be more reliable.
Are you looking for a reliable transcription service? Choose Transcribers Digest for quality, accurate, and budget-friendly solutions. Our team can deliver reliable transcription services tailored to your needs.Give us a call today.