Many people who are unfamiliar with general transcription ask where to find transcription training so they can start working at home as a general transcriptionist. Some people think you don’t need any training at all and it’s simply a matter of being able to type fast and listen well. And there are some people that are naturals; they learn quickly how to use the software and other tools and they start right in on picking up work within a few days.
And some others start in this business after learning and doing transcription on the job with a former employer. Since they have the skills already in place and have been doing transcription for a while, they simply need to adapt to being home-based and self employed.
But for many others, it’s not so simple and they really need to get back to the basics and learn additional skills before attempting to move into this business as a source of home-based employment or income because this isn’t just some “type from home and make money” scheme. This is a genuine business working with real people and real companies to earn real money.
And it’s up to you to use your best judgement and decide if paying for a transcription course is really necessary.
If you’re unfamiliar with what “general transcription” is, let me start by saying that in my opinion, there really is no way to “train” to do general transcription. There are no accredited or certified General Transcription courses and learning to use a transcription machine or software is often part of another course in business or a part of certified medical and legal transcription programs. But so far, you cannot become a Certified General Transcriptionist.
And why is that? Because general transcription fills in the gap; it is everything but medical and legal, so you can get transcription work from any industry and any individual. Unlike the medical and legal fields, there are no industry specific structured ways of typing information into specific templates.
You may do an academic transcript one day in one format on one subject, then do a podcast or general interview the next day in another format in a completely different subject. And since each client sets up their documents a different way depending on what they’re going to do with it, the same client may have several different formats they want you to use.
In fact, your clients may simply say, ‘Just set it up how you think is best,’ and you get to be creative. So you simply cannot learn to use only one or two different “one size fits all” templates. It’s much too varied.
So basically, if you decide you need hands-on training in a formal setting, you’re more than likely looking at having to take a medical transcription or legal transcription certificate program and then adapt what you’ve learned into the general transcription field. And that’s not really a bad thing because you can never have enough education.
Now if you already have a solid grasp of the English language, typing and you can learn software rather quickly, you may not need to take any professional courses to start in general transcription. But you may need to learn a little bit more about the business end of things, like what software you need and how to get clients. In this case, there are a few books and online resources you can buy.
You need to thoroughly check these resources out though to make sure you’re not wasting your money. So check for testimonials and even contact the authors. Make sure the course or book will provide a wide variety of sample document formats to use and how to set them up. This will help you learn your word processing program. But remember, these are just samples. You won’t know ahead of time what your specific clients may want, but if you get enough practice, you’ll be able to set up anything they require.
Good transcription training courses that are worth their money should also provide you with several sample digital audio files you can practice with, and where to find more samples online, such as business podcasts to download and practice with. It should also include a section that shows you how to record a webcast or podcast from the Internet using digital audio recording software, and a brief section on how to convert a physical cassette tape to a digital file.
And finally, it should show you how to use AutoCorrect and other keyboard shortcuts that will help you with your typing speed.
So, while taking a formal course in transcription training can be costly without getting a college grant, finding a decent course online or simply learning by doing does not have to be expensive. With a little research and effort, you should be finished and on your way to working from home in as little as a few months time.
And remember, having the freedom to work at home with a business that is growing in demand will provide you with the means to enjoy your family, avoid the stress of the average workplace, and give you a sense of pride that you can only achieve from being your own boss.