Client Review: Roffey Park Institute

03:04 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Way With Words Transcription: Client Review

Carol Hatcher
Jonny Gifford
Roffey Park Institute
Research and Training

West Sussex and Singapore
Client of Way With Words Transcription since December 2009

Briefly describe your company. Roffey Park Institute is an executive training and research organisation, established 65 years, a charitable education institute with a commitment to research and promoting the health and well-being of individuals at work.
Why do you have audio files transcribed? Our research often involves interviews with one or more people, focus groups for example. Recording and transcribing these interviews and discussions allows the interviewer or facilitator to concentrate fully on the interview and not rely solely on notes made during the process.

How do you use these transcripts? The transcripts are used in qualitative data analysis. They are usually analysed on the screen using Atlas.ti, a data analysis tool.
How do transcripts add value to your business? Good transcripts provide an accurate record of the interview, which is absolutely essential for the integrity of our work.

Why do you use Way With Words Transcription for your transcription needs? Way With Words Transcription provides reliable turnarounds of recordings, accuracy, and rates that compare well with other transcription services.
How satisfied have you been with Way With Words’ transcripts over the years? Very satisfied, thank you.
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Way With Words Transcription: Giving to the Community

02:54 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Way With Words Transcription recently conducted one of their newest workshops, a workshop turning out to be quite popular: How To Start A Home-Based Transcription Service.

Perhaps because of the increasingly difficult job market. Perhaps because working from home is more and more frequently the creative choice to success for a parent.  Perhaps because of the lack of awareness of transcription as a career.  Perhaps because of misconceptions surrounding transcription as a professional industry. Perhaps because of the misunderstandings of transcription as merely ‘one of those little secretarial services’…
Well, perhaps it is up to Way With Words Transcription to set the transcription record straight, and in so doing, take transcription to the community.
And why is the community so receptive?

Clearly, South Africa, like much of the world, is in the grip of a recession. Businesses are closing down.  There are job losses on a frightening scale.  Millions of South Africans are unemployed and underemployed.  South Africa lags behind other developing countries in promoting the growth and sustainability of small businesses.  Eight in 100 adult South Africans owns a business that is less than 3.5 years old – significantly behind other low to middle income countries, where on average, 13 out of 100 adults are building new businesses.
For a variety of reasons, South Africa’s large businesses have not been creating jobs on the scale needed to lower the unemployment rate.  With unemployment as this country’s central and most salient problem, a top priority must be to grow small businesses and in particular, to provide appropriate support and a conducive environment for opportunity-driven entrepreneurs who want to establish a new business, whether out of necessity or because they recognise and seize the opportunity.
Small businesses are crucial for job creation and employment: 45 percent of all employed people in South Africa work in companies with fewer than 10 employees.

So, teaching peoples to transcribe and to establish their own home-based transcription service is a gift to the community from Way With Words Transcription.
It’s our way of driving economic growth, creating employment, and being a source of innovation and new ideas.

This particular workshop, starting a home-based transcription service, is designed to equip and prepare an attendee to offer transcription services from home, covering the business of transcription and the details about starting your own transcription service. Attendees receive individual and personalised attention. Not only do our facilitators have practical knowledge and professional experience in transcription, they are also experienced in facilitating adult learning.
Topics, helpful and practical, cover the skills and character attributes needed to be a transcriber, the required equipment, software suggestions, strategies for marketing one’s services, legal aspects to be aware of, security and confidentiality issues, rating audio, working out costs, drawing up client agreements, pitfalls and challenges to avoid, and tips for providing a superior professional service.

The question that keeps arising, however, is why?  If Way With Words Transcription is itself in the business of transcription, why offer to teach others in the community how to transcribe and start their own home-based transcription service?  Won’t we lose clients? Won’t we be undercut by smaller services with lower overhead and smaller staff who can therefore undercut in price as well?
But here’s precisely why Way With Words Transcription is eager and willing to offer this and other workshops surrounding transcription – because Way With Words Transcription isn’t small, isn’t engaged in any price wars, and isn’t looking for clients with low volumes of work.  Way With Words Transcription is targeting an entirely different market, entirely different clients, than a home-based transcription service will target.

Way With Words Transcription is global, with high end, high volume, high value clients like the Financial Times, the International Criminal Court, the Carnegie Endowment for World Peace, and we deliver high quality transcripts all over the world.  These clients don’t want or expect a price war--that’s not what’s important to them.  What is important is that transcripts get turnaround quickly: high volume, high capacity, high speed, never once compromising the high excellence of the transcript.
Because we have an exceptional capacity for volumes as compared to an individual service provider or small transcription business, training people in workshops is not training competitors; it is training co-professionals who will have small local transcription services.

We spoke briefly to two attendees of the recent workshop, who felt, like the others, that the workshop resonated with value.
What was particularly helpful about the workshop? The theory covered was helpful not just in getting started in industry, but how to go about various aspects of working from home. It provided insights and clarity into a field that I know now I can pursue.

Has the workshop equipped you the knowledge and confidence to enter the market as a transcriber?  Yes, it highlighted challenges, opportunities, and ‘possible pitfalls’ of the industry that I was unaware of prior to attending.
Way With Words Transcription is in full agree of one attendee who said: It would be good to have these workshops taken into the community as an extension of marketing the industry, as little is known about transcription in our communities.  This will really contribute to the well-being of our society.

Way With Words Transcription is looking to professionalize transcription, to educate the community about the service and what transcription requires, how to transcribe well, and how to earn money. Essentially, we are striving to set the gold standard in transcription, both locally and globally.
And Way With Words Transcription is right now taking this gold standard into the local community, educating, teaching, empowering, sharing transcription as a way to earn an income.  In an increasingly tough job market, Way With Words Transcription is happily spreading knowledge and opportunity to those who attend their workshops and commit themselves to such an endeavor.

To learn more about Way With Words’ upcoming workshops, please visit www.waywithwords.info.








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A day in the life of a transcriber

06:30 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post

Have you ever considered a part-time job for a bit of additional earnings?  Looking for a job where you can work from home?  Have you considered transcribing?  Here are some valuable insights and helpful tips from Sharon Dagnin, a professional and experienced transcriber with Way With Words Group.


What does your job entail?

I download audio files, which could be one-on-one interviews, focus groups, legal investigations, medical research, financial reports, TV material, anything, which I then transcribe into WORD documents and upload to the client.


How long have you been a transcriber?

I’ve been a transcriber for around seven years.


How did you start transcribing?

I wasn’t sure what a transcriber did when I first saw the job advertised, but the reference to excellent English and good typing skills caught my attention. I applied and passed the (rather sneaky) English test, and then a transcription test, and was accepted for training. Initially I worked awkward hours in a warehouse-type environment, so when I spotted an ad for home-based transcribers I switched, and am much happier working from home (although too close to the fridge)!


Describe a typical work day.

There isn’t really a typical day because I work according to deadlines and workflow, but generally I’ll start work somewhere between 7:00 – 9:00 am. If I don’t already have work, I’ll contact the office and request work. I work around 6-8 hours per day, and occasionally over weekends to top-up the kitty.


What is the best part of transcribing?

The work can be interesting, and I’ve learned a lot on a wide range of subjects. I never know what will pop up next. I enjoy legal work and political interviews most. Working from home is comfortable and convenient, and I do interact with office staff via Messenger, which stops me from feeling entirely alone.


        What is the worst part of transcribing?

When an audio is boring or of poor sound quality, I feel like I’ll never get to the end of it. I particularly dislike focus groups.


Can you offer any tips for other transcribers?

It can take a while to pick up speed and tune your ears in to a variety of accents and speech patterns, so be patient.  It’s a good idea to work for a company where you can be assured of a good workflow and also gain experience on a wide variety of work. The support and training from a company is invaluable to a newbie. You can always dip your toes into freelance later.  

Being home-based allows you freedom to decide the work hours that are best for you. Let friends and family know you’re unavailable during those hours except, of course, for emergencies. Your workspace at home should be treated as your office, and interruptions should be minimal. If you’re tempted to take time off without good reason, prop a few bills where you can see them to motivate you!


What makes a transcriber successful?

Flexibility: Make yourself available for rush work, put in early morning, late or even overnight hours if needed (doesn’t happen often), be prepared to learn new formats when new clients come on board. The more you know, the more you’re assured of work in leaner times.


Quality: Whether working completely freelance or as an independent contractor, be sure to give great value for money. Be your own quality controller. It’s far better to send off work you’re happy with, than to take a chance and perhaps have a client complain. Google special terms and place names.


Deadlines: Beat deadlines! Technology has a nasty habit of letting one down, so aim to get work in ahead of deadlines.


In general: have a good attitude, be reliable, enjoy the work as far as possible, and always remember you’re getting paid for a product.  


What do you enjoy most about working from home?

I enjoy working on a laptop.  That way I can move wherever it’s warmer, cooler, quieter or prettier.


Have you had a humorous experience which involves transcribing?

I was at Sooty the cat’s house, typing away on a rush job when I noticed this cat doing ominous prance and crouch movements.  Sure enough a mouse broke over, dashed towards me and hid under the desk.  I spent the next half hour in a sweat, trying to beat the deadline, half distracted by the cat-and-mouse chase and a hysterically giggling maid in the doorway.  I made it,- just- and needed a stiff cappuccino after that!


       To follow Sharon’s footsteps leading down the yellow-brick transcription path (though perhaps a little bit too close to the fridge!), you may apply online with Way With Words Group by visiting www.waywithwords.info




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Client Review: William Finlay from the University of Georgia

05:39 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Way With Words Transcription: Client Review

William Finlay
University of Georgia
Department of Sociology
Sociologist
 
United States of America

Client of Way With Words Transcription since July 2009

Briefly describe your company. I work for the University of Georgia, in the Department of Sociology.
Why do you have audio files transcribed? My research consists of interviews which need to be transcribed into a hard copy.

How do you use these transcripts? I code the interviews, which then become data for research presentations and publications.
How do transcripts add value to your business? Without the transcripts, I wouldn't have access to the interviews and the data they represent.

Do other similar companies also get audio files transcribed? I know that other sociologists conduct interviews that are then transcribed, yes.
Why do you use Way With Words Transcription for your transcription needs? I wanted to use a company that had an office in Cape Town, or at least in South Africa, because many of the people I have been interviewing are in the Cape.  While Way With Words has transcribers all around the world, I know they also have many excellent transcribers familiar with South African accents and place names.

How satisfied have you been with Way With Words’ transcripts over the years? Very satisfied.
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Client Review: Paul Green of Publicity Heaven

02:52 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post

Way With Words Transcription: Client Review

Paul Green of Publicity Heaven

Marketing/PR company

United Kingdom

Client of Way With Words Transcription since May 2009


Briefly describe your company.  We're a specialist marketing company, working in a number of sectors. We provide tools and support to help business owners grow their business.

Why do you have audio files transcribed? It's the fastest way to get things written. I can  spend half an hour talking into my computer, then send the recording off to Way With Words Transcription. A couple of days later, the transcript is back. All I have to do then is edit my ramblings and the work is done.  

How do you use these transcripts?  They are used to produce business growth manuals, new articles, and to give our clients more value, without generating huge amounts of work for us.

How do transcripts add value to your business?  They save me time. There are five of us in the business and we're all working to full capacity. Way With Words Transcription is another member of our team, saving us time and money.

Why do you use Way With Words Transcription for your transcription needs?  The work is delivered quickly; the transcripts are accurate; and the price gives me value for money. I know when I upload a file it's there and the work will just be done. No hassle and no worries for me.

How satisfied have you been with Way With Words’ transcripts over the years? Extremely! You're the only transcription company we recommend to our clients and I think that says it all!







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Way With Words Resellers: It's For You!

05:34 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
What does it mean to refer? To resell? To represent?  Definitions abound, so there is a bit of confusion.  Does refer mean to pass on information?  Does resell mean to purchase a service in advance and hope to find buyers later?  Does represent mean to serve as an official and authorised delegate or agent or spokesperson?

Let’s clear up some confusion and explain what these services mean for Way With Words Resellers, the #1 global commission payment service for transcription referrals.

Referring is for you if you merely want to refer people you may know who require transcription – the no fuss option.  Your clients will benefit from our discounted rates for their first job and you will earn yourself a once-off 10% commission on that first job.  No paperwork, no hassle. 

It’s easy! Transcription is a service which most companies require to protect their interests and to obtain information for future growth. This is a service you can refer quite easily just by informing or recommending individuals or companies to Way With Words Transcription.

It’s simple! All you need to do is apply, receive your unique Referrer Code from us, and you’re off! This code will secure your commission as only you will have this code to pass to clients whom you refer.

Getting the gist? A simple and easy, trouble-free way of earning a bit of money for recommending Way With Words Transcription.

Reselling is more suited to you if you have contacts requiring higher volumes of transcription. You may be in the media industry or the academic field, for instance, or perhaps know doctors requiring medical transcription.  When you apply to resell, we will send you our Reseller package with guidelines and helpful advice.  Your clients can take advantage of our discounted rate for three months, and you will earn 10% commission on every single job for that client in that time. And remember: ZERO admin on your part.  We do it all for you.

It’s rewarding! One client can generate extra income for you for 3 months! You will earn a generous 10% commission on net profit of all the transcription jobs booked in and paid for by the client.

It’s safe! Your commission is secure. Clients to whom you resell can only book work using your unique Reseller Code. And with that unique code, only you can receive the commission.

And here’s the best part: We provide the administration, support, and guidelines to help you get started and keep on going. We will also suggest leads for relevant industries in your territory.

Representing is the gold standard for reselling.  Ideally, you will have earned your stripes as either a Referrer or Reseller and you will be invited to join the Way With Words Representative league.  As a Representative you will earn 10% commission on all of your client’s jobs for a full 12 months.

As a sampling of Way With Words Referrers, we have welcomed:
Wendy from South Africa
Tim from the USA
Janet from the Philippines
Limakatso from Lesotho
Rebecca from Tennessee
April from Massachusetts
Kathryn from the Philippines
Devorick from South Africa

As a sampling of Way With Words Resellers, we have welcomed:
Dana from Australia
Glenn from Canada
Tito from the USA
Jean from Germany
Patricia from Canada
Marco from Mexico
Goldi from India
Sharon from China
Lindsay from Canada
Alexis from the United Kingdom
Jorge from Honduras
William from the USA

We hope to extend a warm welcome to YOU soon! Come join our Way With Words’ team of enthusiastic and dedicated Referrers, Resellers and Representatives.
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Client Review: Judith Stirling, Centre for Research & Implementation of Clinical Practice / International Lymphoedema Framework

00:59 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Judith Stirling, a researcher at the Centre for Research & Implementation of Clinical Practice / International Lymphoedema Framework in London, has been a client of Way With Words Transcription for several years now.                                          
Here, Judith speaks about her organisation, her need for transcription, and her satisfaction with Way With Words Transcription:

§  Briefly describe your company.   The Centre for Research & Implementation of Clinical Practice is a clinical research group working to improve the management and treatment of wounds and chronic oedema, including leg ulcers and lymphoedema.

§  Why do you have audio files transcribed?   We are a very small charity and do not have staff able to transcribe lengthy recordings of research interviews or health care professional discussion workshops.

§  How do you use these transcripts?  The information contained may be used to provide research data or as a basis for improving health care professionals’ understanding of wound management and treatment issues.  

§  How do transcripts add value to your business?   They enable a speedy turnaround of transcripts which would otherwise become bogged down and cause delay in passing the information to our research team.

§  Why do you use Way With Words Transcription for your transcription needs?   I found Way With Words Transcription via the internet when needing some urgent transcription.  Initial enquiries and contact were very positive, so I looked no further.

§  How satisfied have you been with Way With Words’ transcripts over the years?  The service provided is excellent, from the downloading to speed of return, always well within time limits.  The quality of the transcripts has been very good, especially as our recordings often include some medical terminology and the accents of participants vary considerably.  There is always a friendly, personal tone to email conversations and any queries have been handled quickly and helpfully. 

Way With Words Transcription aims for world-class partnerships, as we have with Judith Stirling of the Centre for Research & Implementation of Clinical Practice / International Lymphoedema Framework.
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Client Review: Petra De Koker, PREPARE, University of Cape Town, South Africa

00:54 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Client Review:  Petra De Koker, PREPARE, University of Cape Town, South Africa


Petra de Koker, a researcher at the University of Cape Town, involved in the PREPARE project, has been a client of Way With Words Transcription for quite some time now.

Here, Petra speaks about the University of Cape Town, her PREPARE project, her need for transcription, and her satisfaction with Way With Words Transcription.

§  Briefly describe your university.  UCT aspires to become a premier academic meeting point between South Africa, the rest of Africa and the world. Taking advantage of expanding global networks and our distinct vantage point in Africa, we are committed, through innovative research and scholarship, to grapple with the key issues of our natural and social worlds. We aim to produce graduates whose qualifications are internationally recognised and locally applicable, underpinned by values of engaged citizenship and social justice. UCT will promote diversity and transformation within our institution and beyond, including growing the next generation of academics.

Our project, PREPARE, is part of the Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health. The overall purpose of this research project is to develop interventions which are effective in reducing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV) and unwanted pregnancies by changing sexual and reproductive behaviours among adolescents in selected sites in Sub-Saharan Africa.  The main aim of the PREPARE project is to develop new and innovative programmes for the promotion of healthy sexual practices among adolescents in their early adolescence (in school grades corresponding to the age groups 12-14 years) using schools as a gateway to delivery.

§  Why do you have audio files transcribed? As part of our research we often conduct interviews and group discussions. In order to capture everything that has been said, we transcribe our audio files.

§  How do you use these transcripts? We code them manually and electronically (using data software), meaning that we search for themes and constructs. We also use direct quotes of various participants to state our findings. These quotes are captured in the transcripts.

§  How do transcripts add value to your business? They capture and enrich the data.

§  Why do you use Way With Words for your transcription needs? Way With Words Transcription is very professional, delivers on time and returns high quality transcripts.

§  How satisfied have you been with Way With Words transcripts over the years? Very.


Way With Words Transcription aims for world-class partnerships, as we have with Petra de Koker of the University of Cape Town PREPARE project.
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Transcription and Production: A World-Class Partnership

01:29 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Transcription and Production: A World-Class Partnership

Pete May runs May Productions, what he calls “a communications boutique” based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.  “I see ‘boutique’ as the opposite of the top-heavy, cookie-cutter communication ‘warehouse stores’ that seem to dominate nowadays.  We’re small by choice.  Being small makes us nimble and cost effective plus it insures every project will get our full attention.  It also keeps me on the front lines of production, not back at headquarters, bogged down in management.” 
Pete side-stepped from science into television 30 years ago.  “I don’t regret my years in engineering.  I call on that knowledge and experience every day.  TV just felt like a better fit!”  Since then he’s worked as a photographer, editor, graphic artist, set designer, producer, director, and writer on scores of projects, including more than 50 award-winning travel, industrial, and documentary programs.  He’s also dispenses advice as a writer.  His last book, The Essential Digital Video Handbook, has been a popular college textbook.  His articles and product reviews have appeared on various industry websites as well as in communication and engineering periodicals.  Recently his resume has broadened to include speechwriting.  “One day one of my favorite clients asked me if I was also a speechwriter.  I said, ‘I don’t know, let’s find out!’  Turns out the storytelling skills that have served me so well in video translate perfectly to speechwriting.  It’s the fastest growing area of our portfolio.” 
Pete May takes the success of his clients seriously.  “A big meeting opener or a sales video can represent a significant portion of a client’s annual communication budget and the whole company is probably watching!  Careers are built on the power of high profile projects.”  Pete understands that he often has just one shot at achieving the communication goals of his clients.  “Sure, there’s a formula,” Pete says, “You’ve got to listen to your client, design creative solutions, construct a realistic budget, plan perfectly and execute flawlessly.  Simple!”  Pete believes in hard work, honesty and putting in the hours.  “If it’s worth doing, it’s not only worth doing well, it’s worth doing it better than anyone else.” 
Way With Words Transcription embraces the same philosophy - providing world-class, top quality transcription executed by elite language professionals and delivered to the global market.  That’s why Pete May and Way With Words Transcription have enjoyed a decade-long working relationship.  “I respect Way With Words and the hard work they do.  Believe me, I have tested Way With Words and they have never failed me.”
Way With Words’ clients range from private individuals to large entities including the British Museum, the BBC, Microsoft Research, InterCall and the Financial Times in England; Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Bank of New York in the United States; the Welsh Assembly in Wales; the World Health Organization in Switzerland; the International Criminal Court at the Hague in the Netherlands; the ITER Organization in France; Sasol, Harith Fund Managers and Naspers in Africa; HSBC World Bank and IQPC in the Middle East; the Australian Institute of Criminology in Australia; Concordia University in Canada; to TV shows, market research companies, conference organizers and universities around the world.
In a brief interview, Pete shares about his work and the involvement of Way With Words Transcription in his world-class video productions.
Pete, briefly describe your company.
We’re a communications boutique, specializing in ‘not specializing.’  But core competency, our area of primary focus?  I’d say high-end video production and speechwriting for Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and anyone in between.
Why do you have audio files transcribed?
I collect facts and opinions for my written work by talking to people, interviewing people. Transcription puts the material that I collect into a readable, searchable, cut-and-pastable, emailable form. Another big reason is that I want to be able to pay attention to the person I’m interviewing, instead of worrying about taking notes. I can give that person 100% of my attention and assume that the transcript will be my notes. I’ve found in the past that if I’m trying to listen to someone and also get down accurate quotes, things they’re saying, it turns out to be a mess. So that’s a big reason that I have audio files transcribed.
Explain how you use transcripts?
Anyone can shoot video nowadays.  Anyone can edit.  There even seems to be an emphasis on looking “crowd sourced” and unprofessional!  One thing that doesn’t change and that’s the need to tell a good story and that’s how we we distinguish ourselves; by being superior storytellers.  We know how to assemble facts, descriptions, dialogue - complete with all the twists, turns and surprises - into an engaging, effective, evocative story.  I wouldn’t start assembling a bookcase from Ikea without having all the parts right there in front of me, and I can’t assemble a story until I have all the pieces gathered together.  To me, those pieces are my transcripts.
How do transcripts add value to your business?
We deliver are videos, speeches, scripts and articles: that’s our finished product. But we collect media all throughout the process of creating those products.  What we’ve started doing is giving those raw pieces as value-added material back to the clients.  Now, we usually shoot video of our interviews and I can certainly give the client a copy of the raw footage, but without editing and compression capabilities, video files are of limited use to the clients.  I can give clients a transcript of the interview and they’ve got a useful, editable, portable reference; something small enough to attach to an email.
And it’s also informative for a client to see what they say in print.  It helps them think more clearly about what they say - especially clients who find themselves quoted from time to time.  It’s very instructive for a client to see what they’ve offered the news media and maybe understand better why certain sound bites are chosen.
Do other similar companies also get audio files transcribed?
I don’t really know how other people do it.  I know that some people in my business, in the video business, don’t get transcriptions, and they do all their story assembly editing video clips together.  I think that’s a cumbersome, inefficient and expensive way to work.
In my business, there’s a difference between working online and offline.  Online is when I’m sitting with my editor who’s operating a top-of-the-line workstation, dragging and dropping real-time sound and video while we charge by the minute!  Off line is when I’m sitting at a coffeeshop, tapping away at a Word doc on my laptop, making big decisions “on paper.”  Guess which one is more cost effective for my client.
Why do you use Way With Words for your transcription needs?
Well, I use Way With Words for a number of reasons.
First of all, Way With Words seems to be a very scalable company: it doesn’t matter whether I send one interview to transcribe or a dozen, there doesn’t ever seem to be any problem handling the work, and that’s something I can’t really say about local transcription services I’ve tried in the past. Other transcription services I’ve tried in the past force me to work to their schedule.  It doesn’t matter if I want a quick turnaround.  They don’t have time!
Another big reason I use Way With Words is the turnaround: I can end a day of shooting at 7pm Central Standard Time in the United States, compress my audio files, and upload them to Way With Words that evening, and because of the time difference, Way With Words has been able to transcribe them overnight and have them waiting for me when I sit down at my desk the next morning.  That’s a tremendous advantage!  I never promise clients I’ll have the transcripts the next day.  I like to surprise them!  It’s become a little joke with some of my clients: I tell them that I have elves who wait for the last person to leave the office and turn out the lights, then they burst out in a Disney-style whirl of stardust and magically transcribe my interviews.  I get emails from my clients asking, “Are your elves free tonight?  I’ve got some tapes that need transcribing.”
The final, and probably most important, reason I use Way With Words is accuracy. It’s very embarrassing to hand a transcript to a client and have it full of errors.  In one case, another transcription service I tried actually spelled the name of the company and their product wrong.  C’mon!  Every hear of “Google!”  That made me nervous about the entire transcript.  I don’t have time to compare transcripts and recordings and check for accuracy.  I’ve sent transcripts to Way With Words containing very technical engineering discussions and they get it right.  I’ve sent them interviews regarding the history of vintners in France.  Words and names that I didn’t understand when I did the interview come back correctly transcribed.  Believe me, I’ve tested Way With Words and they’ve never failed me!
If you would like to find out more about how Way With Words Transcription can assist with your transcription needs, please visit www.waywithwordsgroup.com.
We aim for world-class partnerships, as we have with Pete May of May Productions.







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Asahi Shimbun: Transcription Loyalty

00:04 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Since its launch in 1879, the Asahi Shimbun (literally Morning Sun Newspaper) has established a track record in Japan as a leading newspaper; in fact, it is the second most circulated out of the five national papers in Japan: the Asahi Shimbun, Mainichi Shimbun, the Yomiuri Shimbun, Sankei Shimbun, and the Nikkei Shimbun. Its circulation, as of June 2010, was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition. Now, circulation has escalated to well over 8 million!
Asahi Shumbun has alliances with the International Herald Tribune, which is owned by the New York Times.  Together they publish International Herald Tribune/The Asahi Shimbun as their English edition.
In 1994, after conducting a survey, Le Monde considered Asahi Shimbun one of the eight biggest daily newspapers in the world, along with The New York Times (United States), Financial Times (United Kingdom), Izvestia (Russia), People’s Daily (China), Al Ahram (Egypt), El Espectador (Columbia), and Times of India.
Of these eight leading daily newspapers worldwide, Way With Words is the transcription service provider for two: Asahi Shimbun and the Financial Times.
Charlie Brown, an Assistant Reporter for Asahi Shimbun in its London office, shares why the newspaper requires transcription and why Asahi Shimbun uses the services of Way With Words Transcription, the global leader in English language transcription.
Briefly describe your company.
CB: The Asahi is a Japanese daily newspaper based in Japan but published around the world with a circulation of over 8 million copies. 
Why do you have audio files transcribed?
CB: Whenever we conduct an interview for a story, accuracy and attention to detail are, needless to say, extremely essential. So with an exact transcript in hand, we can ensure that we have a complete and trustworthy record of what an interviewee has said in full.
How do you use these transcripts?
CB: They will be used as a basis for news stories, and of course, to be quoted from within the article.
How do transcripts add value to your business?
CB: As mentioned above, accuracy and factual detail are essential foundations for news gathering. Without this, we instantly lose the trust of our readers.
Do other newspapers also get audio files transcribed?
CB: I believe it is common for media organisations to do so.
Why do you use Way With Words for your transcription needs?
CB: Often we have tight deadlines to work to and rather than waste a lot of time trying to transcribe interviews properly, it is much more efficient and speedy to rely upon a professional and fast service like that of Way With Words.
Does Way With Words do all your transcribing, or do you use more than one transcription service?
CB: We would only ever use Way With Words! We are a very loyal customer.
How satisfied have you been with Way With Words transcripts?
CB: Extremely satisfied. We are time and time again impressed by the fast, efficient and excellent customer service that we have always found in Way With Words. It has been since the very beginning an absolute pleasure to do business together. Thank you!
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And Way With Words would like to thank Charlie and others at Asahi Shimbun for being one of our valued clients. What we do, we do for you: high quality English language transcription for the global market.




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Way With Words Transcription - Sample Transcript

02:25 | Posted by Way With Words Group | | Edit Post
Way With Words Transcription
Speaker Key

AK          Adam Kossowski
LB           Laura Budler
RA          Rosalind Ashmore
JT           Jenni Townshend
MJ          Mags Jackson
SH          Sean Harper
SL           Stephanie Lloyd
MP         Miguel Pedro

AK          Way With Words Group is a professional English language transcription service. We operate globally. Our particular companies are registered in South Africa and the United Kingdom and we also have points of presence in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA.

LB           We’re a general transcription company. We do legal, financial, court transcription, police work, academic interviews, market research, production companies, anyone who needs something transcribed from an audio to a text. This is the Sales and Marketing division of Way With Words Group. We get the clients from around the world, we give them quotes, we share about our services with them, and then they come to us, upload their files. We get their job all set and then we pass their job on to Operations.

RA          We’re in Operations and we get the clients from Sales and we try and look after the clients and see that their work is done to the deadline and to the specifications that they ask for.

JT           In Operations, once the work is on our Operating Management System, we ensure that the correct transcriber gets the work, as we get accents from all around the world and some clients have very specific format instructions or detailing that they need in their documents. And we make sure it’s done.

MJ          Once the transcriber has returned the work to us, we make sure that it’s been done to the client’s specifications, then we return the work to the client, to their deadline.

AK          Way With Words Group is a little bit different to most companies in transcription. We’re an international group. We also focus not on the typist as a secretarial service, but as a professional language person, and we regard our particular persons who are recruited by us as transcribers and not typists. Also, in the world of transcription, we position ourselves in a new level of service industry.

MJ          Hi, I’m Mags. I’m Welsh.
SH          Hi, I’m Sean, from Grahamstown, South Africa.
JT           I’m from Zambia.
MP         Hi, I’m Miguel from South Africa.
LB           United States of America.
SL           South Africa.

Transcript for Way With Words Group You Tube video
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