Document the Spoken Word

Is Your Brain On Digital Device Overload?

2011-09-16T09:11:00.002-05:00

So, you are on the treadmill at your local gym, or standing in line at Starbucks waiting for that yummy latte, and you decide to take a mental break by playing your favorite music video on your smartphone, hoping to relax and rest your mind. But are you really doing your brain any favors?

No, according to research scientists at the University of California, San Francisco.

Too Much Stimulation

In the special report for the N.Y. Times "Your Brain on Computers" , Matt Richtel reports that when people turn to digital devices for entertainment or to keep themselves occupied, they are forfeiting precious downtime that would allow them to learn and remember information, or be creative and come up with new ideas.

According to an interview that Richtel had with Loren Frank, assistant professor of physiology at UC-San Francisco, keeping the brain constantly stimulated with digital input subverts the brain's ability to turn experiences into long-term memories by not allowing for downtime needed by the brain to function properly.

A study held at the University of Michigan found that people, after taking a walk in nature, learned significantly better than those who had taken a walk in an urban setting barraged with noise and information.

On the subject of feeling entertained or relaxing using a digital device, Marc Berman, a University of Michigan scientist, stated that people think they are refreshing themselves when they are, in reality, overstimulating themselves.

The blog unraveled reports that Douglas Rushkoff, in his latest book Program or Be Programmed, discusses that humans operate in continuous time. Computers, conversely, do not operate in continuous time but in asynchronous time, meaning they wait on input from a human. Computer code is biased toward asynchronous time, as are the programs built on them, as are the human behaviors they encourage. As digital media becomes increasingly more integrated into our lives, we are much more likely to adopt an "always on" approach to media, often leaving us frazzled and exhausted.

Don't Always Be On

The solution, according to both Richtel of the N.Y. Times and Joshua Kaufmann of unraveled is: don't always be on. Turn off your devices for some cranial downtime.

Go out and exercise without using any devices to distract you. Do not use the micro moments when you are standing in line at Starbucks or sitting in the bathroom to play games or check email or Facebook. Give your brain a break so that it can process the information it has already acquired and can start afresh after some downtime.

For more information on digital overload, go to NPR's coverage of Matt Richtel's story, where you can read or listen to his interview...that is, after you have taken a moment to disconnect from your digital device.

Transcription Technology That Will Change Your Life

2011-08-23T14:49:00.004-05:00

Have you ever been sitting in traffic and have wished, "I really need something to write these thoughts down on."?

Or, have you sat in a meeting and wanted to record what was being said so that you can get a transcript of some very important information being conveyed?

Well, soon you will be able to do all that, and more.

You are just weeks away from being able to download transcription technology that will change your life.

Introducing the IdeaScribe app: software for your smartphone and tablet that will revolutionize the way you capture important ideas and conversations. With just a few presses of menu buttons on your iPhone, Android-phone or iPad, you will be able to record your thoughts, research, memos, letters, interviews and important conversations directly to your device, and then upload it to us for transcription. We will return a 99.5% accurate transcript directly to your email inbox.

And the best thing about it is that IdeaScribe will be as mobile as you are. No matter where you will be, IdeaScribe will be right there to capture the audio for you.

So wish no more for pen and paper when you need it most. Sign up for updates on IdeaScribe's release and you will be the first to know when it becomes available.

-> Yes, keep me updated <-

4 Ways to Enhance Your Dictation

2011-08-01T11:07:00.005-05:00

You would think that dictation is pretty straightforward: you speak into a recording device and your saved message is sent out for transcription. Often, though, when you receive your transcript back, you will find holes in the message your were trying to convey or the format is not as you intended. Here are some pointers to make sure that you include all the information you need:

1. Minimize Background Noise

Minimizing background noise is key to making a clear recording of your dictation. A clear recording helps the transcriptionist to capture every word accurately and keeps transcription costs down.

Be sure to silence cell phones and radios during dictation. You may also need to find a quieter environment away from the office or home when dictating.

2. Define Your Document

Are you dictating a legal brief, a memo or a letter? Be sure to state exactly the type of document you are desiring. If you need a copy mailed or emailed to a party, be sure to include this information, too.

3. Remember the 5 W's

Remember the 5 W's: Who, What, Where, When and Why. This may seem rudimentary to you, but these basic questions will ensure that you have included all of the information pertinent to your transcript.

4. Include Formatting Commands

Formatting commands helps the transcriptionist provide you with the most accurate document possible. At the end of a sentence, use "period" or "stop". Starting a new paragraph? Use "new paragraph".

If your document requires special formatting, such as a legal order or brief, be sure to state the formatting parameters.

Following these four simple pointers will help you to get the most out of your dictation and will ensure that you are satisfied with your transcribed document.

How To Use Transcription In a Law Practice

2011-05-09T21:15:00.007-05:00

Recently, many in the legal community have asked us for advice on using transcription services for a law practice. Here are some suggestions on ways to use transcription:

Witness Interviews - use a quality digital recorder or phone in using our dictation server and record the interview, then receive a transcript for use in litigation.
Depositions - you can have both legal teams present at a deposition and agree to have it digitally recorded and transcribed.
Dictate Pleadings and Case Notes - using IdeaScribe, you can dictate your pleadings and email the transcript to your paralegal for formatting, or have case notes transcribed and inserted into the client's file.
Conference Calls - have your digital recording of a conference call transcribed so that all the words of the call are captured on paper for reference.
Webcasts - have your webcasts transcribed so that all participants can receive a written detail of what was discussed for review.

In our next blog, we will discuss some best practices for dictating legal material to ensure that all of the information is clearly and concisely recorded for transcription.

How do you use transcription in a legal practice? Give us your ideas by commenting below.

How to Record and Transcribe Your SKYPE Conversations

2011-01-25T12:29:00.009-06:00

SKYPE, the popular and preeminent VoIP communications service, offers you a great solution to communicate with one or more individuals globally for free. What they do not offer directly is a way to record your important conversations and have them transcribed. So, how do you record and transcribe SKYPE conversations?

First, Choose a Third-Party Recording Application

There are several third-party applications that allow you to record your SKYPE conversations and save them as a digital file on your computer. Here are a few of the more popular ones:

IMcapture (formerly SkypeCap) - offers both PC and MAC users the ability to record either the audio, the video or both on both sides of the conversation. Allows you also to schedule recording conference calls if you have a conflict. ($49.95, free trial)
ecamm's Call Recorder - designed specifically for MAC OS/X, this application allows users to record the audio and the video and offers a couple of options for video capture. ($19.95)
PAMELA - offers PC users a free version to record audio only and a premium version to capture both audio and video. PAMELA Pro offers a multitude of options including call scheduling and automatic recording. (free or premium $29)

Next, Transfer Your Recording to Your Transcription Company Electronically

Now that you have captured your conversation and saved the file to your computer, your next step is to get the recording to your transcription company. Most transcription companies offer several ways to send a recording directly to them:

Email Attachment - send smaller files as an attachment directly via email
Large File Transfer Service - use a digital transfer service like YouSendIt, ShareFile or SendThisFile to transfer larger files to your transcription provider
FTP Transfer - transfer your file directly to the transcription company via their FTP server
Web Service - transfer your file through the transcription provider's website

TTE customers can email their files to:

transcriptionrequest@ttetranscripts.com

or upload their digital files directly to our FTP server here.

Was this helpful to you? Let us know if you have any insights on recording SKYPE calls.

Webcasting: To Transcribe or Not To Transcribe?

2010-09-06T16:54:00.005-05:00

Recently, I asked one of our clients why she uses transcription for all of her webcasts. Her response was one I did not expect: she has all of her webcasts transcribed to give her viewers another venue to learn all of the information. Many of her viewers approached her asking that she supply a transcript because they could not learn all of the information in a one-plus hour long web event by just watching it. They were better able to digest the information by reading over the contents after the event. Our client, who is a marketing professional, went on to say that many of her customers and prospects do not have the time to sit through an entire hour long webcast but do have the time to quickly read through a transcript. She feels that it is an important part of her marketing mix to use transcription to get her message out to the public.

So, armed with this information, I wanted to see if any other webcasting professionals had a similar take on the use of transcription. I posted a question on LinkedIn asking if anyone else had experienced viewers wanting alternatives to watching archived webcasts and what their thoughts were on offering transcripts. Here are some of the comments:

One point that may change your mind about the importance of including a transcript is the personal preference and personal learning style of your viewers. Some people would rather read and follow along while looking at any supporting slides than to listen to a speaker. The material is just as important to the viewer and will have a higher impact. I am a strong proponent of including a transcript, an MP3 audio file that can be downloaded for those who like to listen to a podcast and a full fledged interactive archive of all or our webcasts...David Pozerycki

I deliver e-learning training solutions in a train the trainer format and from feedback which I have gathered over time, recording webinars are extremely useful to reinforce the learning objectives. It allows participants to review key aspects of the webinar which are fundamental to the learning outcomes. I really don’t think a recorded webinar can reach the same learning outcomes as a live interactive webinar. With this in mind, I see the recording (or transcripts) as added support to learning rather then as the primary tool to reach the learning outcomes.

The recording can also save the participant endlessly scribing notes through out the webinar instead of paying attention to the presenter and seeing what is being show on the screen.

As from a Trainers point a view, I believe having material which limits needless note taking is only a positive. They still may require to make further notes, which are unique to the learner (as David above explains), however engagement to training content can be maximised with the key element already written down...Greg Watson

and finally,

...providing information in multiple formats absolutely bolsters different learning styles. It also increases inclusiveness of the content by making it accessible to people with disabilities: text for the Deaf and hard of hearing, audio for people who are blind or have a vision impairment. This means the content is being made available to a wider audience... Assistive Technology Consultant, Australia

One poster even commented that he hated being forced to sit through a "linear narrative" and would much rather just skim text until he found his answer. Other posters on the discussion thread agreed that offering multiple formats for getting the information to the audience is the best route to go. Many use a format combining video, audio and transcribed/written materials.

Do you think that transcription is a necessary part of your webcast? Please comment below and let us know your thoughts.

Using Transcription: Focus on Technical Writing

2010-08-25T21:14:00.004-05:00

Technical writers face many challenges in bringing their documents to completion, though the biggest, by and large, is the gathering and organization of accurate information. John Hewitt, in his posting "Eight Common Technical Documentation Writing Problems", lists the following hurdles in the process of turning raw information into worthwhile explanations: poor organization, inaccurate information, outdated information, irrelevant information, incomplete information, bad sentence structure, unexplained jargon and concepts, and poor word choice. Notice that five of the eight problems center around acquiring information and organizing it.

So, how do you get accurate and up-to-date information? You interview a subject matter expert. One of our technical writing clients suggested sending questions via email to the expert in advance of a telephone interview. This allows the expert time to formulate responses to adequately cover the subject. However, the amount of information on any given subject can be daunting and taking notes during an interview can cause the writer to miss important information. His solution? Use transcription. Record the interview either directly into a recorder or tie in to a dictation server and have every word the expert says transcribed.

Transcription is also a great tool for planning meetings between technical writers working on a project. Again, the amount of information exchanged at the meetings can be daunting, not only on subject matter issues but also schedules and production commitments. By recording the meeting and having the audio transcribed, each participant is free to exchange information without worrying about taking notes and missing important details. Within a few hours after the meeting, all of the participants receive a detailed transcript in their in-boxes and everyone is on the same page.

If you are in the business of turning raw data into worthwhile explanations, then transcription is a must-use to capture and organize all of your information.

Will Our Brains Survive the Digital Age?

2010-08-17T22:06:00.006-05:00

In a new series devoted to the effects of our reliance on digital devices in this modern world, the NY Times takes a serious look at the collateral damage in "Your Brain on Computers". Citing such cognitive calamities as memory loss, a weakening in our ability to focus, an increase in impatience, and fractured thinking, the expose draws on the expertise of psychologists, neuroscientists and communications specialists to warn us of the possible dangers of being too connected.

All of the digital technology available to us today: smartphones, e-readers, workstations, netbooks, and game players, to name a few, make us more prone to multitask. Several of the articles argue that multitasking, while in and of itself is very useful, can lead to sloppy work and an increase in mistakes made. Inundated by a plethora of information, the multitasker finds it hard to separate the vital details from the irrelevant ones. Many of the experts believe that the multitasker is less likely to be able to focus and is easily distracted, even after their tasks are completed.

Then there is the drug of that next ding indicating you have mail, luring you back to the screen and away from what you are currently working on. Or the flashing notice of a tweet. Or the buzzing of your smartphone with a new text. All of these invade your focus, fracturing your train of thought, and eliciting a dopamine response within your brain similar to the fight/flight adrenaline of our ancestors. These chemical responses create stress on your brain, causing shallow thinking, reduced creativity and weakened concentration.

One thing that most of the experts agree on is the necessity for technology users to impose a sort of digital detox on themselves. Living life unplugged for some portion of the day can increase the brain's ability to recover from the ravages of information overload. By concentrating on one thing, such as reading a book or immersing yourself in a hobby, the brain is given time to relax and break habits formed by constantly answering the siren call of a digital device.

Print For Marketing: A Comeback in 2011

2010-08-13T16:47:00.009-05:00

With the advent of digital print, many have predicted the demise of traditional print and a trend towards the digital experience. Not so, says Joe Pulizzi, founder of the content matching site Junta42. According to his latest blog posting, marketers and agencies are talking up print for 2011. Joe lists many opportunities for the marketer, as well as reasons that there might still be a role for print:

1. Getting Attention: The decrease in magazines and print newsletters means the quantity of your mail is shrinking. Since there is less mail, that means more attention is paid to each piece.

2. Customer Retention: Historically, the reason custom print magazines and newsletters were developed by brands was for customer retention purposes. Since marketers are all about customer retention when it comes to content marketing outside of basic brand awareness, you have a fit here.

3. No Audience Development Cost: Publishers have to spend huge amounts of time and money qualifying subscribers, marketers do not. If marketers want to distribute a magazine to their customers, they just use their customer mailing list.

4. What's Old is New Again: What excites marketers and media buyers is what is NOT being done. Since social media, online content and iPad apps are all part of the marketing mix today, reverting to print is "something new in the marketing mix."

5. Customers Still Need to Ask Questions: Joe says that "the print vehicle is still the best medium on the planet for thinking outside the box and asking yourself tough questions based on what you read. It's lean back versus lean forward. If you want to challenge customers, print is a viable option."

6. Print Still Excites People: Many people perceive the printed word as more credible than anything printed on the web.

7. Unplug: More and more people are choosing to disconnect themselves from digital media.

According to Shachar Meron, marketing guru and copywriter at BatesMeron Sweet Design, print as it pertains to marketing and communications will re-surge going forward, but will be permanently transformed. He posits that cheaply printed materials used primarily to convey information (newspapers, etc.) are on their way out and high-quality, high-impact marketing pieces are in. Since printed materials cost more to produce than digital items, there will be an increase in usage by high-value brands who take advantage of benefits unique to tangible pieces: special papers, sizes, formats, foldings, die-cuts and printing techniques.

This is seconded by Kassia Krozser, who says that user experience is - after the content of the book - the most important place for publishing types to focus attention.

Print for 2011 will be all about impact, quality and reach. As consumers tire of digital interruption in their lives, marketers will gravitate towards print again to grab their attention.

(photo courtesy of Spike Print Studio - Spike Island)

Using Transcription: Focus on Interviews

2010-07-09T15:11:00.009-05:00

Are you a human resources professional interviewing candidates for a job, performing an exit interview or disciplinary warning to an employee; a market researcher interviewing focus group participants; a news journalist interviewing interesting people about the latest news story? Whatever your industry background, interviews are important for gathering strategic information to help you make decisions. So, how do you get this information out to the decision makers within your organization? Have the interview transcribed.

Transcription offers you a word-for-word written account of what the interviewee said, allowing you to use the information in many ways. Do you have multiple managers in multiple departments spread throughout several offices? Just email each a transcript of the interview. Need to meet a story deadline? Just cut and paste parts of the transcribed interview into your story line.

Recently, a nursing association started using transcription when interviewing candidates for upcoming board memberships. Each current board member needed to interview several candidates. The problem: the current board members were spread throughout the country and could not meet with each candidate. The solution: each individual interview was transcribed and sent to all board members, allowing them to analyze each candidate's responses.

How can you best use transcription during your interview process?

Telepresence Systems Pay For Themselves Quickly

2010-06-25T15:23:00.003-05:00

A recently released study produced jointly by AT&T and the Carbon Disclosure Project found that telepresence systems pay for themselves in as little as 15 months as reported in a Light Reading posting. By using telepresence to replace travel, U.S. and U.K. businesses could save as much as $19 billion by 2020.

This study showed the results of 15 Global 500 companies (sales of $1bn or more) implementing four telepresence rooms. Over a one-year period, an individual company can cut over 874 business trips on average. Carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by approximately 2,300 metric tons over a five-year period, the equivalent of removing 434 passenger cars from the roads, according to the Green IT Report.

Is Speech Recognition Dead?

2010-05-13T21:34:00.002-05:00

In his recent blog post, "Rest in Peas: The Unrecognized Death of Speech Recognition," Robert Fortner posits that the accuracy of speech recognition software peaked in 2001 at 80% and, as of 2006, had still not progressed beyond that level. In contrast, a human can transcribe at an accuracy rate as high as 98%.

Many pundits in the speech recognition industry argue that their software currently has a 98% accuracy rate. If you take a closer look at those numbers, you will find that these accuracy rates are based on learned responses similar to those used in automated attendants. In over three decades of research, no parser of unrestricted text has been developed. No machine has established a fundamental understanding of our spoken language.

The bottom line is: to ensure that your speech is accurately transcribed, you need a human. Only humans can understand the nuances of the spoken language. Only humans can ensure that your transcription of conversational speech is 99% accurate or better. And, as an added bonus, you do not have to train a human to understand your voice - just record your speech and give the audio file to your transcription company.

May speech recognition software rest in peace.

The Power of Transcription: Making Your Past Speeches Work for You

2010-04-30T14:51:00.004-05:00

So, you have given many, many speeches and you have all these recordings stored on CD's or taking up space on your hard drive. How can they benefit you now?

You can put your speeches to good use by having them transcribed. Transcription not only allows you to have a written record of your presentation, but gives you the flexibility of editing redundant information or mistakes. Once you have edited the content in the transcript, you can copy the information and publish it as an e-book or a white paper. You can even make it a part of an online curriculum. Best of all, you can charge for your publication and create an additional revenue stream.

If you have given a number of speeches on various topics, you can publish the transcripts on your website as a bonus to event attendees who want more in-depth information or would like to read your thoughts on other matters. These readers may then quote you directly (and accurately), straight from your transcript, giving you even more exposure and a larger audience. As your popularity grows, so will your number of invitations to speak in other venues, and your business will continue to grow too.

Special Delivery: How to Get Your Audio to Us

2010-04-06T14:39:00.006-05:00

Have you ever wondered how to transfer your audio files to us? Many times we are asked how to best deliver audio files to us for transcription and if we can accept uploads or email attachments. The good news is: we can accept both, plus we have additional options for you.

Email Attachments:

If you have a small audio file, say around 5MB, you can attach it to an email and send it to our operations department at transcriptionrequest@ttetranscripts.com. Be sure to include your contact information, a descriptive title for your audio, and the turnaround time you are seeking. Your email and the attached audio file will be sent to our entire operations staff to ensure that your request receives timely attention.

File Uploads:

Any audio file you have can be uploaded to us via our ftp website. Just point your browser to www.tteintranet.com/customerupload.aspx and fill out the convenient form. Click on the "Choose File" button to locate your stored audio file and select the file you wish to upload. Once the form is completed, just click submit and your file is on it's way to us. Our system will automatically notify the operations manager that your file has been uploaded.

Direct Dictation:

You can have our digital dictation system record your conversation, meeting, conference or blog updates by dialing directly into our servers. Just add us as one of your participants in your conference call or dial our number from your conference phone or cell phone, enter your customer pin number and our system will immediately start recording your call. Once you release the call, our system will store your audio and submit it to our operations crew for transcription. We will complete your transcript within the turnaround time you set when you create your account. You can change your turnaround for any audio file by submitting an email to us at transcriptionrequest@ttetranscripts.com.

Snail Mail:

Do you have audio stored on dictation or regular cassette tapes? Just place them in an envelope and send them to our Huntley, IL office. Our mailing address is:

TTE Transcripts Worldwide

10317 Fair Lane

Huntley, IL 60142

If these solutions do not meet your specific audio file delivery needs, be sure to contact us at 847-592-6211. We have a solution for you.

Tips for Great Audio Recordings During Your Conference Call

2010-03-25T16:54:00.006-05:00

Poor audio quality on conference calls can seriously impact the quality and the cost of your transcription. Here are several tips to keep in mind when hosting a conference call that will result in the best possible audio for transcription:

Electronic devices (such as iPhones, Blackberries, cell phones, other hands-free devices and laptops) can interfere with line quality by adding static if located too close to the phone. Make sure that you place such items at some distance away from the phone you are using for the conference call.
If you are conducting a call using a conference room phone, microphone or speakerphone, be aware of its location at all times and speak directly into the device to ensure the best audio quality. When making an operator-assisted conference call using these devices, be sure to test the volume and line clarity with the operator prior to starting the call.
For optimum clarity, use a headset or telephone handset. Avoid using a speakerphone. Speakerphones should only be used in very quiet locations.
Be sure to avoid background sounds like music, coughing, eating typing or shuffling papers by using your mute button.
If you must leave your conference for a short duration, be sure to mute your line instead of placing it on hold. Any hold music or messages will play into your call if you place it on hold.
Avoid using three-way calling to add other participants to the bridge for it degrades line quality.
Be sure to ask your participants using mobile phones in airports, computer rooms or other noisy environments to mute their phones to stem background noise.
Use the "presenter mode" for larger calls to automatically mute all participants to ensure audio clarity.
For small conference calls (25 participants or less), simply ask that all participants mute their phones to improve audio quality.
Be sure to turn off call-waiting on your cell phone or home phone to avoid beeps or blaring signals from being recorded.

Update Your Blog on the Go

2009-12-31T10:05:00.004-06:00

In her latest post "7 Ways to Get More From Social Media in 2010", blogger Lisa Barone states that you must make time for social media and plan for it in order for it to be effective. However, many SMB owners and managers are too busy running with the day-to-day activities of their business to find the time to update their blog.

Let us lend you a hand. Use our IdeaScribe service to update your blog on the go. By simply dialing in and recording your thoughts, ideas, rants or praises onto our dictation servers, we can supply you with a written transcript in MS Word .doc format sent back to your email when you need it most. IdeaScribe is ideal for the busy businessperson on the go; whether sitting in traffic, traveling to a convention, or multitasking, you can now use our technology to keep your social media projects up-to-date. Try IdeaScribe and let us know what you think.

No Hidden Surprises with our Transcription Service

2009-11-18T13:37:00.005-06:00

Recently, one of my computers was infected with a virus. What was most surprising, even shocking, was that this computer had an up-to-date anti-virus program by one of the larger manufacturers. However, this program did absolutely nothing to stop the advance of the well-known "Anti-Virus System Pro Software" virus, which has been floating around for many months and produces scads of pop-ups with various distasteful windows and prompts one to buy their software. Not only did this anti-virus software from this company (Company 1) not have a recovery CD available to try and thwart the virus, but their customer support line urged that you purchase additional services to the tune of $79.95 to have their technicians actively cleanse your computer and rid it of the virus.

Enter another large manufacturer of anti-virus software, Company 2. For a little more than one-half the charge of Company 1's technical services, you could buy a 3-PC subscription CD at your local Sam's Club. After a very brief internet search on the virus and the download of a tool that kept the virus at bay, Company 2's software loaded up quickly, renewed its anti-virus definitions, and tackled the virus quickly and decisively. All for the price of the original software purchased. Company 2's software performed as promised, at the price promised, with no hidden charges.

We at TTE offer you the same peace of mind as that of the second software mentioned above. You will always know what you are being charged for your transcription in advance and we do our very utmost to deliver the finished product to your Inbox within the turnaround time we promised. Just like Company 2, our company is built on consistency, quality and dependability at a price that is competitive, all with no hidden surprises.

Parents: Kids and the Swine Flu, Your Job Need Not Suffer Too

2009-10-02T11:14:00.006-05:00

According to a recent AP article on swine flu school closings, more than 187 school dismissals have been related to the H1N1 swine flu, affecting almost 80,000 students. 80,000 students staying home means many parents having to stay at home from work. Staying home from work might mean missing that critical meeting or sales call.

Alas, all is not lost: with a plethora of technologies like web meetings and phone conferencing available to you, now you can keep those meetings on your schedule and stay on top of your job. And to make things even easier for you, do not worry about taking notes during your meeting. Just send the recorded audio to TTE and we will have a professional, publication-ready transcript in MS Word format sent directly to your in-box. You can then cut and paste the information to your heart's desire and put it in a report that will keep your boss happy, while retaining the original transcript in your records.

So, relax and stay home with your kids and don't let the swine flu get the best of you, or your job. Use technology to your benefit by conferencing in your meeting participants and having the audio transcribed by TTE.

(image credit: www.cdc.gov)

TTE Transcription and Wendy's Double Stack: Great Values

2009-09-22T16:45:00.008-05:00

You may be thinking to yourself right now, "Self, what does this burger have to do with transcription and translation?"
The answer is: directly, nothing.

However, this burger, which happens to be a Wendy's (r) Double Stack, is a great value. You can buy this burger as shown for 99 cents in most markets. But the REAL value is in knowing that you can also add mayo, lettuce and tomato for free. So, for just under a dollar, you get a lot of burger. Now that is a great value.

We at TTE Transcripts are all about value, too. We love giving our customers many ways that they can save money while still getting the most service for their buck.

Did you know that we can save you an average of 40 percent off the cost of transcription offered by conferencing companies? By making us one of your attendees at your next conference, we can record the entire audio directly onto our dictation servers and provide you with an expertly transcribed and highly accurate written record of what was said at your meeting. This works even for web meetings powered by WebEx and GoToMeeting.

"But why buy a transcript at all?" you might ask. Well, here is where the real value comes in. By having a highly accurate written record of your meeting, seminar, interview or deposition, you will always have the information at hand to ensure that there are no costly misunderstandings that might trouble you down the road. (By the way, did I mention that our accuracy rate is 99.5%, the best in the industry?)

So, the next time you are looking for real value, get your hamburgers from Wendy's (r) and get your transcription from us here at TTE Transcripts. Both will leave you feeling satisfied that you got the most bang for your buck.

(Wendy's is a registered trademark Oldemark LLC.)

Transcription: Making Neat Piles of Snow

2009-09-16T12:03:00.010-05:00

Tom Freese, the best-selling author of "Secrets of Question Based Selling", makes a profound statement in his latest book, "Selling Yourself in Today's Competitive Marketplace":

We have essentially been ‘snow-globed.’ We’ve been turned upside down and shaken to the point where the tranquil scenes of our daily existence have been shrouded by a flurry of uncertainty that has suddenly clouded our view, and little pieces of reality now seem to be raining down in all directions.

What Tom is referring to is the state of our economy, which has put the business world in a tailspin and is affecting each and every one of us daily. It is driving each one of us to look at our jobs in a new light, putting our creative energy to use and taking the initiative to innovate in our respective fields and to streamline operations.

One of the ways many companies are choosing to streamline these days is to cut back on corporate travel and to hold meetings via conference calls and collaboration calls either over the telephone or on the web. While this presents a great cost savings over travel, it can inundate us with more information, creating even more flurries of snow flakes to cloud our view.

Keep the snow flakes in neat piles by transcribing your online events and conference calls. Just be sure to record your call and then send us the audio file. Or, make us one of the attendees and you can record the call directly to our servers. We will return a neatly typed transcript to your in-box so that you can track all of the details of what was said and keep the piles of your business neatly organized.

Dictate Life-Changing Moments

2009-08-20T11:13:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, I was over at my friend's house to celebrate her son's second birthday. Besides the little boy, she also has two girls, one being a one-month old newborn. I sat there watching the children running around and playing and the newborn sleeping in someone's arms. I am expecting my first child this winter. I got to thinking about the baby books that we have the best intention of keeping to record those precious moments. With all the chaos going on around me, I would be shocked if my friend told me she was able to record all those moments into baby books, especially having to record two books at the same time.

As new parents, we always have the best intentions to record those important life-changing moments. However, being able to sit down and remember to write down these moments is not always the easiest thing to do, especially with a newborn baby in tow. Instead of attempting to write these moments down, call TTE's system and dictate these moments. You'll be able to keep your hands clear to take care of your baby, but not have to worry about forgetting these incredible moments. You'll then be able to wait for TTE to transcribe these moments and you'll receive a book-quality transcript back which you can place in your baby book, knowing that no part of these moments are forgotten.

Have You Written Your Letters of Love?

2009-08-08T11:04:00.004-05:00

I love when my family gathers for Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays or just weekend get-togethers. Besides doing a lot of eating, my parents always talk about the "days of old" when they were kids, what they did for fun, what jobs they had growing up, what my grandparents were like when they were my age, and so on. All my grandparents passed before I was 20 years old, and we lived in a different state from them, so I cherish any stories that my parents can relay regarding my family history. Now that my mom is turning 79 this year, and my dad just turned 81, I worry about keeping those stories for my children.

About three months ago, my mom decided she was going to start writing down her thoughts, her memories of her childhood, what life was like living during WWII, the Cold War, what they were doing when JFK was assassinated, home-delivered dairy products and being the last family on the block to get a TV (black and white, mind you). She started writing this down on a notepad, but told me that many times she would remember a story while at the grocery store, or in line at a bank, or while driving in her car, and by the time she got back home, usually forgot what she had wanted to write down.

I suggested that she nix the pen and notepad and instead dial into TTE's dictation system. Now, when she has a thought or a memory that she wants to capture for her family's Legacy Journal, she picks up her cell phone and can immediately dictate her thoughts. TTE will keep the audio, compile all her recordings onto one CD or transcribe her thoughts from the audio recordings into a final legacy journal. What a wonderful way to share grandma's thoughts with my children and grandchildren - a CD with grandma's voice sharing her adventures, my history.

If you or your folks are getting on in years and you would like to preserve your most treasured memories, with your own voice, give TTE a call and we will get you started creating your Journals of Love.

Using Transcription in Documenting an Investigative Statement

2009-07-24T15:48:00.006-05:00

Recently, Steven N. Malitz, attorney and partner at Arnstein & Lehr's Litigation Group, and David Zulawski, senior partner at Wicklander-Zulawski & Associates, Inc. wrote a blog entitled "Taking and Documenting a Statement" for the General Counselor describing the best practices for taking and documenting a statement in investigative interrogation. Mr. Malitz and Mr. Zulawksi suggest, under the heading of "Types of Statements", that an investigative interrogator should record a witness's or suspect's statement and then have the recording transcribed and included in the file or case management system.

TTE specializes in transcribing recordings for the legal and investigative communities. Simply record the statement either by using a recording device or dialing directly into our dictation servers. If you use a recording device, just email the recording to us and we will transcribe the audio file into a publish-ready document and deliver it to your inbox. Should you choose to record directly into our dictation system, we will be notified of your recording and will transcribe the audio straight away and send the finished document to you via email.

World's Top Ten Languages

2009-07-07T08:52:00.002-05:00

Here are the top ten languages in the world, including native speakers and estimates of secondary speakers:

Mandarin Chinese (1.12 billion)
English (480 million)
Spanish (320 million)
Russian (285 million)
French (265 million)
Hindi/Urdu (250 million)
Arabic (221 million)
Portuguese (188 million)
Bengali (185 million)
Japanese (133 million)

(Source: http://www2.ignatius.edu/faculty/turner/languages.htm)

TTE has the resources to translate and/or transcribe all of these and more!

Notable Meetings: Put Down the Pen!

2009-06-17T11:30:00.003-05:00

One of our prospective clients recently commented to me that she has been after management for six years (yes, six years!) to have their weekly staff and sales meetings transcribed, as well as their online conference calls. She knows that notes have to be taken at the meeting, but finds it hard to participate if you are constantly looking down at your paper hurriedly jotting down all that is being said.

Folks, you've got to give up the pen! Rather, bring a digital recorder to the meeting so that you can participate fully. When the meeting is over, simply upload the recording to you computer and email it over to us to be transcribed. In a few short hours you'll have a professional quality document returned to your inbox in MS Word .doc format. All of your meeting notes in an easy-to-use document. It is that simple.

What if you are online holding a meeting? Simply hit the record button and then send the file over to us, or let us know where the file is and we will be glad to retrieve it and get started on your transcription.

And if you are on the telephone? Be sure that we are the first call you make before you bring other parties onboard. Just dial into our server, put in your access code, and the system will start recording. Now all you have to do is dial the other party/parties and just hold your meeting as normal. When you are finished, hang up and we will get started right away transcribing your call.

So, do you want to make the most out of you next meeting? Then put down the pen and participate! Record your meeting, send it to us, and we will do the rest.

Creating Great Audio Recordings

2009-06-03T09:23:00.002-05:00

Soft or muffled voices, words mumbled or spoken quickly, people speaking at the same time, background noises. Things that occur over and over again in everyday conversation, many times when we aren't even aware of it. Yet in everyday face-to-face conversations and meetings the essence of what is being said can often be understood by the accompanying body language or written materials. Understanding can come in spite of challenges from voice projection, speech articulation or background noises because of contextual clues. With audio recordings, however, the opposite is true. The more difficulty with voice projection and articulation the speakers have, the faster someone talks, the more often people speak at the same time, the noisier the environment, the farther away someone is from the microphone - the less understandable the audio is since there are no contextual clues. To help ensure a successful dictation and transcription project and to achieve optimal audio recordings, TTE's CEO Terry Thompson offers the following six tips:

1. Pick a quiet area to record your meeting or conversation andminimize background noise.
2. Give all speakers individual microphones or use a Polycom unit with large group recordings. Individual recordings can be done with transitional phone handsets. For optimal recording, speakerphones should not be used, since they only clearly pickup the voices closest to the microphone.
3. Speak clearly and slowly.
4. Have only one speaker at a time. If several people are on the line at the same time, do not talk over each other.
5. If you are using a cell phone, you will get the best results speaking in a quiet room and not using the speaker function of your phone. Driving in a car while being recorded is not recommended; it is not only hazardous, but does not pick up well.
6. Send any company-specific terminology that might be used with your transcription request.

Committed to Achieving Work/Life Balance

2009-05-28T14:46:00.001-05:00

I was sitting at the kitchen table yesterday with my sister-in-law talking about balancing work and family. She works part-time, is back in college at the tender age of 51, has two college-aged children, and is married to my brother (a job in itself!) I’ve run a transcription and translation business for the last 23 years, have a husband, two girls, six cats and two dogs. Whew, I get tired even thinking about it! It did get me thinking, though, what do I do to achieve balance in my work and home life?

First Priority: Take Care of Your Health

My first priority is taking care of my health. If you allow yourself to get rundown, poor health can have a detrimental affect on all other aspects of your work and family life. I’m a morning person, so I get up at least an hour before everybody else starts rolling out of their beds in the morning. This gives me time to have some quiet time, eat breakfast (the most important meal of the day), and get ready to do my exercises. Once my youngest daughter is picked up by the school bus, I’m off to the gym for some aerobics and weight training.

Second Priority: Maintain Boundaries

The next thing I try to do – and believe me, all of this is a constant work in progress – is I maintain boundaries. Even though I run my business out of my home, I’ve made sure I’ve dedicated a place just for work. When I first started my business, many moons ago, I had my office desk and PC in my bedroom. What a BAD move – I woke up in the morning, saw my computer and immediately sat down at my desk and started working – before breakfast, before showering or even brushing my teeth. Then, later in the evening, I would always seem to drift back to my desk “for just an hour or so” to get in a little work before going to bed. Trust me; the glow of the PC does not look like the soft glow a candle.

Third Priority: Stick to a schedule

Next, I stick to a schedule. Okay, this is probably the hardest for me since I work out of my home. I’ve found it’s very important to keep your work separate from your housework. In other words, taking 10 minutes here to throw in a load of laundry or 30 minutes there to vacuum the house eats up valuable work time. Block out whole segments of time to work and only work. If you need to fit in housework or errands, then block out that time beforehand and use only that amount of time that you’ve scheduled. You’ll be more productive and find you’ll get more done on both fronts.

Fourth Priority: Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

Learn to delegate! This was difficult for me to learn, but now I’m a pro. (Just ask Scott, my production supervisor.) It took me a couple years to be able to “let go” of certain tasks. For a long time I thought I was the only one who could possibly do a job, to completion, and with the quality that my business guaranteed. I’ve since learned to delegate and trust that others are fully capable to do the work, and care as much as I do about the business and our services. It has opened up all sorts of time for me to work on other things – like creating new services, networking, bringing in more business – and spending time with my family! In other words – quit “making the donuts.” Until you learn to let go of the production side of your business, you’ll never be able to grow your business.

Finally: Be Kind to Yourself

The last thing I do is to be kind to myself. I am one person and there’s only 24 hours in a day. If I don’t get to a particular task, I put it on the top of my list for the next day. I’m a list person, so keeping a to-do-list works well for me. I celebrate my accomplishments. When I check off a major task or project, I allow myself time to read a good book, take a hot bath, or go get ice cream with my kids. I also dedicate at least Sunday, if not Saturday and Sunday, to my home and family. NO WORK! This is something that I feel is so important, especially in this crazy, fast-paced world, to reconnect with your husband/wife and kids.

Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) and IdeaScribe: Speak What You See

2009-05-22T09:50:00.005-05:00

Crime scene investigation is a daunting job; every bit of evidence at the crime scene can give clues to solving the case and catching the perpetrator. Naturally, you want to record your observations down on paper. However, focusing on your notebook and then looking up and refocusing on your crime scene may cause you to overlook a vital detail when you first come on the scene. We have a solution for you:

Speak your observations into your cellphone using our IdeaScribe service. IdeaScribe lets you tie in directly to our secure servers and record your observations without ever taking your eyes off of the scene. Once you have finished recording your observations, we will generate a highly accurate transcription of your recording and deliver it directly into your inbox in the format of a Word document. You can then cut and paste the information into your report or use the publication quality transcript by printing it out and attaching it. Case solved!

Skype It, Record It, Transcribe It

2009-05-14T15:21:00.000-05:00

For the users of Skype, there is an easy way to get your telephone or video conversations recorded and transcribed. Prior to making a conference call on Skype, be sure to set up an account with us at TTE Transcripts. Then, dial our toll-free number first, key in your PIN, and you are ready to go. Just dial the other parties and let them know your conversation is being recorded. Our secure servers will record your call and then alert our staff that your file is ready to be transcribed. Once the transcription is complete, we will send you a MS Word .doc directly to your email. It is that easy to get a hard copy of your Skype conversation!

2009-05-07T12:22:00.000-05:00

Documenting Webex and GoToMeeting Events Through Transcription

If you are hosting a Webex or GoToMeeting event, be sure to get a written record of your recorded event. By having your event transcribed, you have a detailed account of what was said. This will help you to avoid any misunderstandings between the participants and it will be much easier for you to find who said what at a particular point in the event.

When looking for a transcription service provider, make sure that they offer an accuracy guarantee of 99% or better. Avoid making your decision based on price alone, for often transcription companies offering bargain-basement pricing will source their work overseas and the quality is less than desirable. Other bargain-basement transcription companies use a pool of transcribers randomly from the internet. Be sure to ask if your transcription provider uses transcribers with degrees in language arts and if they have tested their capabilities thoroughly before assigning projects to them. Knowing who you are working with will save you a lot of heartache down the road.