Canadian transcription services have been an asset to professionals of all fields for a long time. With most of the important information in the workplace being given orally, transcription makes sure that all the information is written down and saved for review when needed. Especially during recent times there has been a widespread demand for transcription and translation services given the virtual nature of most meetings and content.
Transcription involves listening to audio and putting the words on paper or typing them into a separate document. In other words, you transcribe audio to text. This service is useful for anyone and everyone. Those who want to understand what they are hearing on a deeper level, those who process oral information slowly and need something to refer back to, this can include deaf people, research specialists, and foreign language learners, just to name a few. Especially for foreign languages, transcription and translation is an immense asset for communication between groups of people.
The question becomes where to find the best transcription services. We have put together the best answer to this question by collecting the top 5 transcription companies and doing a full review of them. Keep scrolling to find the best transcription service for you.
How to Compare Transcription Services
There are 4 things to keep in mind when looking for the best online transcription services.
- Is confidentiality ensured?
- Is human translation the main focus of the company?
- Is the price openly stated? Where is its place in the current market? (Or: How does it compare with that of other companies?)
- What does the quality look like? What are other customers saying about their experience?
Each of these four things are imperative to helping you decide the best transcription service for you. Confidentiality can be found by means of reading the terms and conditions carefully. Not all companies require their employees to keep their transcription projects classified. Human translation is also generally the better bet when looking for transcription services in Canada. An over-reliance on software shows a lack of confidence in their experts and can oftentimes lead to more mistakes than human work.
Nothing compares to the real experiences of real people. Companies can put whatever they want on their websites to entice you to work with them, but the customer reviews and comments are what show what’s really behind the curtain. Make sure to read these and compare them before committing to any transcription service.
We know that searching for the best transcription service online can be daunting. That’s why we encourage you to look at more of our best translation services reviews to check out the best ones we found through our objective search process.
5 Best Transcription Services Online: 2023 Pick
When searching for the best 5 online transcription services, our primary goal is client satisfaction. By performing a number of tests to measure accuracy and delivery speed among others, we can ensure that these services are top quality and worthy of your trust.
1. Translate Hub
Pros:
- Years of solid experience
- Covers many different industries
- Has 170 languages available for transcribing
Cons:
- High price
TranslateHub.org provides the most precise transcription service available, and even though the price may be a bit out of budget, it is definitely worth it for the quality and product of their transcription. With 170 languages available for transcription and translation, customers can have their files transcribed in any common language, and even a few uncommon, should they be interested. Transperfect has almost 30 years of experience and have used that time to perfect their craft. They offer one-time deals and permanent contracts for their customers and are dedicated to meeting deadlines and making customers happy. They work with a variety of industries, professionals, and others with the intention of breaking down the barriers that some find when looking for Canadian transcription services.
2. The Word Point
Pros:
- Lots of processes and languages supported by software
- Best price for the services provided
Cons:
- Occasional minor communication issues with customer support representatives
TheWordPoint is the best professional transcription service on the market. Starting its operations in 2016, TheWordPoint has worked tirelessly to prove itself to its consumers and continues to strive for improvement and perfection. Its stuff undergo a lengthy process of testing to ensure quality control and professionalism before being put to work. TheWordPoint has about 100 languages available in their Canadian transcription services offering, all at an affordable and fair price. Their revisions are effective and should you be unsatisfied with their work a refund is guaranteed. Occasionally operators can be eager to help clients and provide too much extra information, but that is not always necessarily a bad thing when it comes to transcription.
3. Genius Translation
Pros:
- Unique approach to transcription
- Offers transcription and translation by means of a variety of software
Cons:
- Fairly high prices
- Quality differs depending on package choice
GeniusTranslation.com started up in 2014 and continues to focus its business on the provision of special translating software packages to its clients. It is exclusively a transcription audio to text service. Depending on the package, instant clicks on your screen will give you an out loud reading of the selected text. With support of 77 languages and plenty of different clientele spheres, they have packages for anything from technical needs to more creative ones. Their diversification is one of the main reasons they are listed in our top 5 best online transcription services. Clients can choose from solutions that best fit their needs including windows or mac, human or computerized voice, and human translation vs. computer translation. The drawbacks of Babylon Software are that the prices are high for the transcription industry and the quality depends on what package you select (software or human assistance). We recommend this software mainly for businesses who can afford the price and need specialized or diversified transcription services.
4. Aldus
Pros:
- Steady communication with the operators throughout the transcription
- Guaranteed high-quality revisions when needed
- Consistently high customer reviews
Cons:
- Price is higher than the market average
- Translator experience can diminish quality control
Online transcription is not the main focus of Aldus.ca. With 12 years of service under its belt there are plenty of customer reviews to prove that this company does what the consumer wants. Their communication with their clients is amazing and they have enough language diversity to please almost everyone. In all honesty, the price is a bit high for the current transcription market norm, but the revisions are always thorough to make up for mistakes in quality. Customer satisfaction is their number one priority, so you can be guaranteed to be happy with the final transcribed product.
5. ReWord
Pros:
- Great price for product
- Quick and efficient revisions
Cons:
- Limited channels of communication
- Limited languages supported
Reword has become one of the top online transcription services in Canada after only six years after start-up. Despite the mixed customer reviews, our experiences have been very positive. The prices really do reflect what you are getting with Reword.ca. There is a limited choice supported languages all of which are transcribed at a pleasing quality. When you request the need, Reword does revisions with no questions asked and they are always quick and efficient. The issue with Reword comes with a lack of a chat option for communication with the transcription team. Email is the only option and can sometimes require time and patience before getting a response.
Video Transcription
All of the companies that we have mentioned offer both audio and video transcription services. In this increasingly digital age video transcription is as important as audio transcriptions.
Video transcriptions are great for those who would like to see the person who is speaking. Body language is as communicative as the actual spoken words. Facial expressions, gestures, and other non-verbal communication can get meaning across better when combined with speaking, rather than just reading the transcription itself.
Video transcription services are more applicable in many contexts than audio translation. Video transcribers can do anything from a YouTube video to Zoom meetings and can be both human and AI technology. Many services also can offer a 24/7 video transcribers either human or AI, to be available whenever you have a meeting or transcription need.
Video transcription is most recommended for the general public, journalists, and businessmen.
Transcribe Audio to Text
Audio can be defined as any spoken word. It could be a live performance or speech, a company meeting, or a video that you are watching. However, it’s important to remember that the quality of transcription service that you receive heavily depends on the quality of audio or video that you have. (I am assuming that the main difference is that the words are not necessarily timed with the images of the video). Maybe you could highlight the difference between a video transcription and audio transcription of a video.
Canadian transcription services have recently seen a rise in the need for expedite transcription services. People need transcriptions and they need them fast to be able to successfully do their work. The good news is that expedite transcription services are available and can get transcriptions returned in as fast as under 12 hours.
Canadian transcription services serve a large population given the size of the country and the diversity in languages found there. Just a simple Google search can help turn up plenty of options, but make sure that you compare them as needed to get the best quality for the best price.