5 Useful Transcription Tools Every Journalist Needs – 2024 Guide

Being a journalist involves having numerous interviews and usually returning to the office to type everything that you’ve recorded. This can be tiring and can take a lot of your time, which is sometimes very limited. Time management is crucial for doing a job well. With numerous apps and programs, every task can be done much easier and faster, which is truly great. Use the technology to your advantage and simply help your team and yourself to be more efficient.

Sometimes people overlook all the possibilities that can be used to make our job simpler. If you have been looking for transcription tools that can make you more efficient, then you have come to the right place. We have found a few transcription tools that we believe will be very helpful to you and your team. Take a look at the list we have made and see for yourself which option is the best one for you.

  1. Transcribear

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This software is very useful for journalists, but also podcasters, marketers, researchers, and students. The great thing about it is that it can automatically transcribe your interviews or the notes that you have recorded in a matter of minutes. The accuracy goes up to 95% which is truly impressive. There is a free trial that you can use to see if this tool is what you need for your work. If you like what you see, then you can start using the paid version. Transcribear is trusted by numerous people around the world and it is definitely worth the attention. It has an automatic, manual, and live transcription, so you can choose the one that you like the most. Its use is very simple, so you will easily catch up on the rules.

  1. oTranscribe

This software is free and it can be used immediately after you install it on your computer. It was created with the intention of helping journalists and all the people with the need for obtaining a tool like this. You will need to upload the file and then wait until it does the transcription for you. Since there is a need to check if the tool has transcribed everything, the user can press pause and then play when necessary. Editing is easy, so you can be fully satisfied with the work after you are done. One of the useful features is being able to write notes in case there is some part that is unclear, so you can come back to it later.

  1. Dictation.io

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If you mostly use Google Chrome, then you could find this tool useful. It is good for dictating text, even though it may not be fully precise, so you will need to check after it is done. It can also convert audio recordings, which is useful for journalists. There are also tutorials that can help you use it better. It is great for people who are simply tired of writing all day long. It can be tiring, but also time-consuming. There are no installations, you can instantly use it in the browser, which is pretty convenient. It is a good choice for testing the waters concerning the tools and finding out which requirements you actually need. There are 67 languages supported, so you can easily choose the one you need.

  1. Dragon by Nuance

If you are ready to pay for the dictation software, then Dragon must be on our list. There are several packages to choose from, so you can choose the one you are most comfortable with. There are Dragon Professional Individual, Dragon Legal Individual, Dragon Anywhere, and Dragon Anywhere Group, as well as few others. This software can transcribe the audio file that you upload, but it can also be used as a dictation tool. If you are simply sick of spending hours daily on typing, then the investment is well worth it. It allows the user to use the voice for any type of apps and dictation. It is fast and it is up to 99% accurate making it superior when compared to other programs and it should definitely be taken into consideration.

  1. Rev

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If you are simply not tech-savvy enough and you would rather pay someone to transcribe the recording for you, you can use Rev, which is a website that connects clients and freelancers who transcribe the recording in exchange for the fee. You will get your recording on your email, so you can do something else while the work is done. The turnaround is available usually between 24 and 48 hours. Of course, this is a good option for interviews that are not highly confidential, so outsourcing it won’t get you in trouble. If you’re not satisfied with the service, you can get your money back and simply look for another solution. However, this may also be time-consuming if you need the results quickly.

These were the tools that are helping journalists around the world to do their work more efficiently and save their time and energy for some other things. Typing is very tiring and it doesn’t have to be a task you dread every day. Simply choose the tool you like the most and speak up, so your hands can rest. There are so many good ways to make your job more efficient, it is just necessary to do a small research and think about the budget you have planned for it.

As previously mentioned, most of these tools are free, but some are paid versions that may be a good option for teams. However, if you’re looking for a tool just for yourself, you can start by using free versions and then start using the paid ones if you like the tool very much. One thing is for sure, your work will be much easier and you will have more energy to do some other things that you simply couldn’t do because of the many hours of typing. Use the tools available and simplify your work. Also, you can find more useful information on Ditto transcriptions.