I’ll be honest – I’m not the fastest typer around. My typing speed is actually below average, and transcribing audio into text feels like a never-ending task. It used to take me nearly eight minutes just to transcribe a minute-long video.
That’s why I decided to explore various transcription services. When I stumbled upon GoTranscript, I was skeptical, especially after reading mixed reviews on TrustPilot. Some users praised it, while others recommended alternatives.
After using GoTranscript to convert several videos into blog posts, I’m ready to share my candid thoughts. I’ll delve into my experiences with the platform and whether I believe it’s a valuable investment of your time and money.
What is GoTranscript?
GoTranscript has established itself as a premier online transcription service, prioritizing precise and cost-effective human-generated transcriptions over the years. With a targeted approach, it caters to various sectors including legal, education, and medical fields, making it ideal for specialized transcription needs. While recently introducing machine-generated transcriptions, they do not match the quality of those produced by their human workforce.
For automated transcriptions, which are budget-friendly and quicker, Otter is recommended. However, for human-generated transcriptions, GoTranscript stands out as our top choice. For a combination of high-quality human and automated results, Rev is worth considering.
How Does GoTranscript Work?
GoTranscript stands out for its global approach to transcription services, unlike many American counterparts that typically emphasize employing region-specific talent. With a network of 20,000 transcribers worldwide, GoTranscript operates from its headquarters in Scotland.
For English transcriptions, the majority of transcribers are native speakers based in either the United Kingdom or the United States.
Upon uploading audio files through their website, the content is segmented for distribution among different transcriptionists. GoTranscript accepts various file formats including mp3, wav, wma, and more. Additionally, they offer mobile applications for both Android and Apple devices.
Once transcriptions are completed, they undergo rigorous quality assurance checks before being proofread to ensure an accuracy rate of 99%. Payment can be made via major credit cards, debit cards, or PayPal, with transcribed work delivered to customers via email.
In cases where work exceeds the agreed timeframe, GoTranscript offers partial refunds, although specifics aren’t disclosed. However, it’s worth noting that deposited funds for transcription services are non-refundable, emphasizing the importance of evaluating the service before committing significant funds.
Customers dissatisfied with their transcriptions can reach out to customer service within seven days of receiving the materials.
Who Is GoTranscript For?
After putting GoTranscript through its paces, transcribing numerous videos and audio files, I’ve discovered its potential to enhance the productivity of various individuals, including:
- Professionals
- Writers
- Small businesses
1. Professionals
This transcription tool proves invaluable to professionals across diverse fields such as screenwriting, filmmaking, or any sector reliant on speech-to-text conversion.
For instance, imagine you’re a screenwriter tasked with subtitling a scene on short notice. With GoTranscript, even tight deadlines are manageable, with a turnaround time of six to 12 hours. This flexibility can be a lifesaver, ensuring you meet your deadlines and alleviate your workload.
2. Writers
Freelance writers and journalists grappling with transcribing interviews can rely on GoTranscript. It effortlessly converts interviews into text, handling conversations among multiple speakers adeptly. This feature is particularly useful for crafting press releases and articles.
3. Small businesses
Small business owners can leverage GoTranscript’s transcription services for content repurposing purposes.
Suppose you publish a video online that unexpectedly gains traction. By transcribing it through GoTranscript, you’ll receive an accurate transcript in your inbox within hours, facilitating content repurposing efforts.
Feel free to customize and refine this transcription to align with your blog’s style, then publish it on your website. Doing so not only attracts visitors but also enhances your search engine rankings without the need for fresh content creation.
How Much Does GoTranscript Cost?
Transcription services through GoTranscript come at a remarkably affordable price, even within the competitive landscape of this industry.
Though the pricing structure may seem somewhat complex, it remains relatively straightforward to navigate. The determining factor lies in the urgency of your transcription needs, with turnaround times ranging from 6 to 12 hours for the fastest service, followed by options for a business day, three days, and five days.
For basic English transcription, the rates are £1.92, £1.00, £0.85, and £0.69 per minute, which roughly converts to $2.50, $1.30, $1.11, and $0.90 based on the prevailing exchange rate at the time of assessment.
Additional charges may apply for full verbatim transcription, multiple speakers, poor audio quality, strong accents, video captioning, timestamping, or transcription in languages other than English.
Typically, challenging audio files or those with difficult accents incur an extra charge of $0.20 per minute, with assignments delegated to more seasoned transcribers.
Bulk discounts are available, reducing the cost of the five-day service to as low as £0.59 per minute for English transcription.
The GoTranscript website offers a transparent cost estimation service to prevent any surprises.
Interestingly, pricing for non-English transcription varies significantly depending on the language, with some languages costing the same as English while others, like Estonian, command a higher fee. Additionally, GoTranscript can handle transcription and translation concurrently if needed.
What sets GoTranscript apart is its capability to transcribe a wide array of languages, including but not limited to Albanian, Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Latvian, Lithuanian, Luxembourgish, Macedonian, Malay, Maltese, Nepali, Norwegian, Pashto, Persian (Dari), Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Shona, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tajik, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, and Vietnamese.
While some competitors may offer cheaper solutions with longer turnaround times, GoTranscript’s quoted price for fully human transcription represents excellent value, particularly for bulk orders.
In addition to standard transcription services, GoTranscript also provides specialized transcription for Focus Group recordings, Legal, Medical, Academic, and Research purposes, with pricing that remains competitive compared to more typical transcription work.
GoTranscript: Pros & Cons
Pros
- GoTranscript is cost-effective.
- It translates audio and video content into 60 different languages.
- The accuracy rate of its output is 99 percent.
- It’s beginner-friendly, making it easy to use.
- Additionally, it converts iPhone voice memos to text.
- The platform is capable of handling more intricate projects.
Cons
- Good audio quality is imperative for GoTranscript to function effectively.
- There is no free plan available, nor is there a money-back guarantee.
- The mobile app’s usability is somewhat clunky and may pose challenges for users.
- Turnaround times are generally slower compared to its competitor, Rev.
Final Thought
GoTranscript enables you to transcribe audio and video into text efficiently, typically delivering results within a few days. With human transcribers, the accuracy rate approaches nearly 100 percent. The process is straightforward: just upload your audio or video file or provide a link, select your desired plan, and receive your transcript in your inbox within five days. Notably cost-effective compared to its competitors, GoTranscript also offers translation services into numerous languages, including Mandarin Chinese. However, it’s worth noting that Rev, a similar service, boasts a quicker turnaround time (less than 24 hours). Additionally, the mobile application can be cumbersome to navigate and requires using the voice memo app for recording. In summary, for freelancers, journalists, or business owners seeking accurate transcription and translation services, GoTranscript presents an ideal solution. Offering comparable accuracy to Rev Transcription at a fraction of the cost ($1.50 per minute), it’s a budget-friendly option for precise content conversion.