Since a long time, transcription has been done manually, by humans, where they listen to each word and type down. However, with the digital advancement in technology, automated transcription software has been introduced that uses AI to transcribe video and audio files at a much faster pace than when it is done manually. 

But is it really the better choice? Are automatic transcriptions better than manual due to their speed and efficiency? 

Manual Transcription and Automated Transcription both have their pros and cons. 

But which type of transcription should I choose? 

Without any further ado, dive in. You will find the answer to that in this article, where we compare the benefits and drawbacks of both automatic, and human transcriptions. 

What is Human Transcription?

Human Transcription typically involves hiring a professional for converting audiovisual file media to written text documentation. 

These professionals are highly skilled in writing down accurate transcripts of videos and audio files. They type efficiently and edit quickly to ensure the transcripts are accurate. Moreover, their natural ability to identify the tone of voice of the speakers makes them highly valuable.

Furthermore, due to the growing demand for audio transcription, it has become difficult to find highly-skilled and experienced human transcript writers. With a scarcity of human manual transcriptionists, automatic transcription is becoming more popular and a more cost-effective method of transcription. 

However, it may not be ideal for transcriptions where accuracy is of utmost importance, including legal audios, government audio visual files and certain business transcriptions. 

What is Automated Transcription?

Automated Transcription involves making use of cutting-edge AI technology to produce highly accurate and quick written texts from audio visual files. 

Automatic audio transcription is revolutionizing transcription industry with its highly unmatched precision, and faster turnaround times. Audio transcriptions rely on automatic speech recognition (ASR) tools that are tailored to achieve 98% accuracy. 

Not only Auto transcribe services reduce costs and also transcribe hour-long audio files within a few minutes. 

The main drawback of automated transcription is that it may not understand certain foreign accents, sound levels, background noises and some phrases, which may lead to an inaccurate transcript. This can be terrible for businesses, legal entities, and government bodies where accuracy of transcriptions is of utmost importance. 

Human Transcription vs. Automatic Transcription: Key Differences

Human Transcription involves human interpretation of the audio which makes it more reliable as human intelligence is far superior to Ai auto transcription. 

To add on, Manual transmission can also be a great way of learning new information and passing on it with great explanation. 

On the other hand, automated transcriptions offer an extremely quick, and efficient Transcription which gives it a big edge over Manual Transcriptions. 

Also because AI transcription services make use of sophisticated software, they can fulfill your needs with customization options. 

Let’s look at some of the key benefits that both of the transaction methods offer.

#1 Transcription Speed

Automated Transcription software can do wonders in seconds. With the help of Artificial intelligence, hour long audio and video files can be transcribed within mere minutes. 

Moreover, automatic transcription software can also be used as a quick search tool for recorded data and information which allows any content to be searched through keywords or phrases. 

Whereas, Manual transcription services take place in real-time, where a real human transcribes each word after careful listening. Thus it is often quite slow and can take hours for transcribing long audio files. 

Human Transcription: Humans take time to listen to each word and transcribe them carefully, and often take hours for transcribing a long audio file. 

Automatic Transcription: AI helps quicken the transcribing speed, where long audio and video files can be transcribed within a few minutes. 

#2 Accuracy and Reliability

Automated tools are programmed with state-of-the-art technology, however, nothing comes close to human accuracy and reliability when it comes to transcribing.  

Manual Transcription brings one of the greatest benefits is the ability to sense the detect various vocal tunes, and identify slang words and nuances which automatic transcription software may fail to detect. 

What makes them more reliable is that Manual Transcriptions involve human interpretation, which means they can recognize the voice fluency and toning so they can better note down in script in a more personal manner, making them essential for businesses, legal agencies, and goverment bodies that need highly accurate transcripts for record keeping.  

Human Transcription: Good quality transcriptionists can provide highly accurate transcriptions, making them reliable for certain industries where accuracy is of utmost importance. 

Automatic Transcription: Automated transcriptions is not as accurate as manual, as it cannot interpret certain vocal tunes, words, and sounds. 

#3 Identifying Foreign Accents and Background Noise

No matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, automated transcription will never be as accurate and error-free as human transcription. 

When compared to human transcriptionist who can understand foreign accents, AI transcription services fail to recognize non-native English speakers’ accents and slang phrases. 

In addition, human transcriptionists also have an edge in filtering background noise and other disturbances, making them ideal for transcribing highly important videos and audios. 

Human Transcription: Humans can identify and understand foreign accents and background noise, resulting in higher quality and more accurate transcripts. 

Automatic Transcription: AI is continually improving, yet it still does not match human understanding of foreign accents and background noise. 

#4 Security of Confidential Information

The greatest advantage human transcriptions have over automatic transcription is that they can preserve and secure confidential data. 

The best transcribing agencies, offer secure global transcription services that protect your confidential information through ISO standards and certifications and non-disclosure agreements. This ensures that your data’s strict confidentiality is maintained. 

Data privacy is the highest concern for banks and government corporations, where unlike automatic video transcription and audio transcription, good quality manual transcribers ensure that your critical data is protected. 

They also provide a safe and tailored project management portal to their clients to secure processing and storage of confidential audio, and video files as well as the transcribed text file, to ensure no sensitive data is leaked to unathorized third parties. 

However, it is also important to note that there is no significant risk of a data breach if the automated transcription is performed in a secure cloud using trusted software on an on-premises data center.  

Human Transcription: Manual transcription secures data confidentiality with NDA and ISO standards.

Automatic Transcription: Automated transcription is not secure and prone to data breach unless a secure cloud software is utilized. 

#5 Cost and Affordability

One of the reasons why AI transcriptions are now preferred over manual transcriptions is that they not only speed up transcriptions but are also significantly less expensive.

Professional human transcriptionists in the United States usually charge $65 to $220 per hour, whereas automated transcription significantly charges a lot less, between $5 to $10 per hour. 

Nevertheless, if quality is your top priority, Manual Transcription services should be your first choice because they provide high-quality, error-free, and accurate transcripts. 

So, if you opt for Automated Transcription for low-coat in the case when audio quality is ordinary or sluggish, the transcription may be inaccurate and if your business relies on accuracy, it could cost you more than if you were to choose a manual transcription service to avoid and errors.

Human Transcription: Manual transcription is costly, but essential to have high-quality, error-free transcriptions. 

Automatic Transcription: Automated transcription is affordable when compared to manual, but it may have errors.