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He is still banned so maybe not
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Apr 16, 2013 13:48
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kazmeyer posted:I think he finally made everyone whole, but it was definitely dodgy for a while. He never paid me so this is not the case.
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Apr 16, 2013 18:27
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I'm trying to do the exam for leapoforce,and I read on other sites that there is a simulator for the second part of the exam,where can I find it?
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Apr 16, 2013 20:03
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I made a thread for the foot pedal, it's over here in case anyone is looking to get into transcription: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?action=showpost&postid=414499097
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Apr 16, 2013 21:48
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The March Hare posted:He never paid me so this is not the case. Ah, my mistake. I know he started to send out some payments at one point, and I thought he had kept it up.
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Apr 17, 2013 17:36
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So i just put in my application for LiveOps, this is something i can defiantly do in my spare time. So i have a couple questions for derrick or anyone else who is involved in doing this. What are they looking for so that you can get more lines? I hope to do 20-30 hours a week weekends and nights shouldn't be to big of an issue. What is a rough estimate based on your experience that i could make? And if i may ask with some of you guys that do transcription, what could a rank beginner expect (ballpark) to make in an 8 hour day? NOTE - i know there are many variables, but assume having the right equipment and capable of accomplishing a job. Cheers
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Apr 20, 2013 00:12
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Unfortunately, there's way too many variables. First of all, you're highly unlikely to be able to do eight hours of transcription every day unless you get a lot of clients, and that's something beginners aren't going to be good at juggling. Most starting outfits pay by the minute of tape. Most starting transcriptionists seem to average between 10-15 minutes of tape per hour, rising to 15-25 minutes of tape per hour with experience. So if you were able to get eight hours at a low starting wage ($.66/min or so) and you're slow, that could be around fifty bucks. Average speed with industry standard wages ($1/min) and you're looking at $120 for an eight-hour day. Get into the high-end gigs, though, and you may spend four hours working on a movie and net more than $200.
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Apr 20, 2013 05:19
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kazmeyer posted:Unfortunately, there's way too many variables. First of all, you're highly unlikely to be able to do eight hours of transcription every day unless you get a lot of clients, and that's something beginners aren't going to be good at juggling. Most starting outfits pay by the minute of tape. Most starting transcriptionists seem to average between 10-15 minutes of tape per hour, rising to 15-25 minutes of tape per hour with experience. So if you were able to get eight hours at a low starting wage ($.66/min or so) and you're slow, that could be around fifty bucks. Average speed with industry standard wages ($1/min) and you're looking at $120 for an eight-hour day. Get into the high-end gigs, though, and you may spend four hours working on a movie and net more than $200. Cool, thanks for the info. This sort of work seems more like my wife's thing. Think i will point her in that direction. I know there have been a few company's posted in the thread, but any high recommendations/places to avoid? E: spelling
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Apr 20, 2013 05:36
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Magugu posted:Cool, thanks for the info. This sort of work seems more like my wife's thing. Think i will point her in that direction. I know there have been a few company's posted in the thread, but any high recommendations/places to avoid? Like you said. Its in the thread. Edit: Guess I should tell you how to make it easier. The little question mark under Kaz's avatar. Click on it and it shows only his posts. jabro fucked around with this message at 06:11 on Apr 20, 2013 |
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Apr 20, 2013 05:49
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Heh. Yeah, I think I started the whole transcription army in this thread; run through my old posts and you'll get a good idea of what's what. The transcription houses I recommend are still the same. Daily Transcripts and Focus Forward are the two outfits which always seem to be at least accepting applications; there are plenty more out there, but a lot of them ask for some experience and/or don't recruit often. Early transcription work feels like a drudge and a lot of it is, but as you pick up more experience, better options become available to you. As for things to watch out for, any reputable place is going to ask for your tax info and make you sign an independent contractor agreement and probably an NDA, and should be pretty clear on the pay terms. Any hemming and hawing on that front, "oh we'll just pay you by Paypal" with no documentation, run like hell. My first long-term client was really casual about the documentation/legal side of it and ended up skipping out on about $1500 she owed me.
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Apr 20, 2013 06:29
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Do any of these places hire outside of the us? I'm in Canada, but FF and daily transcripts only hire domestically.
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Apr 22, 2013 08:00
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blueblaze posted:Do any of these places hire outside of the us? I'm in Canada, but FF and daily transcripts only hire domestically. It looks like Rev (used to be Fox Transcription) might: http://www.rev.com/careers
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Apr 22, 2013 19:48
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DT hires Canadian :-) I know, for I am in fact one :-) As does Rev. DT sends cheques, Rev pays via PayPal, weekly, I never have a problem with them payign late, if anything they have been paying very early, lots of work with them, and DT is ramping up again. Focus Forward does not. :-( They look like an awesome outfit too, so jealous of you Americans. The Canadian ones seem to only be taking very experienced folk and doing really high end stuff, but keep an eye out. I'm currently in my first month with a company called ANP out of New York, mostly legal and medical stuff from them, I'm doing their big legal contract, I'll let you guys know more when I've seen a first cheque. It's complicated when you're a Canadian working for Americans, unfortunately we don't get the same documentation to work with, and if we get hosed over, there's very little recourse we can take. If you're trying a new company, take on as little as you can until they've proved they can pay their bills, and then, if you're like me, do ALL the work. I've been going for six months now, and I love it. Beware Transcription Hub, they pay 30 cents a minute, and seem scammy as sweet gently caress. Rev pays 50 cents a minute for basic, up to 65 a minute if you're doing time coding AND full verbatim. Their normal is a very modified verbatim. Audio is usually pretty poo poo. DT operates with pure verbatim unless otherwise stated, very clear instructions, variable rate by the job, some as low as 60 cents, but I've had a few rush jobs in the last little bit that were $3 a minute. Audio can be lovely, but they're understanding if it is, and usually pay to offset it. Staff in the office are amazing. ANP, if you're interested in trying them out, but as I said, unproven, pay 90 cents per page for new starters with a re-evaluation at three months, going up to, either $1.05 or $1/15 per page depending on how much they love you. I don't know if that's good, it's my first by the page gig, but it's working out pretty well so far. They are also looking for editors at the moment, I don't know that end of the business. It's a weird gig, you start out making poo poo money, being really slow, only getting lovely audio and not understanding what people say, and hating all of humanity, and then a bubble bursts, you have great experience, people are willing to work with you and you realize you're making pretty respectable money. Not amazing yet, but I certainly would be able to afford to live in an upscale fridge box now.  also I can and quite happy will do upwards of 120 minutes of audio a couple days a week, but I don't have kids or a life, and I hate natural light, so...you know, perspective.
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Apr 23, 2013 04:00
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That's not terrible for per-page rates, depending on how they format the pages. One of my clients pays $1.50 per page, and with the spacing it generally works out to around $1.10-$1.20 per minute of tape. I like per-page, because you actually get compensated for those clusterfuck tapes where everyone's talking at once. But yeah, as you get going, things improve drastically. I always recommend DT because they give you media experience, and media transcription can be very, very lucrative. Eventually you'll be looking at .50 and .60/min rates and wondering how you ever got by being paid so little.
kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 07:09 on Apr 23, 2013 |
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Apr 23, 2013 07:02
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Slightly Used Cake posted:
Thanks for all the info! I am definitely going to look into those places. I did a quick search in google using "Canada and transcription" as search terms, and found a company called Way With Word. Have you heard of this place? I didn't realize there were scammy places out there.  I passed their first round of tests and now I'm transcribing a sample audio clip, pretty straightforward stuff. For future reference, say if there are 3-4 different male voices, are you required to recognize each speaker by their voice? How picky are they about punctuation? Would the following be OK? "They were both very sexy, they were both pop-tastic, um, he was fancied by girls across the world, she was fancied by guys across the world."
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Apr 23, 2013 08:28
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blueblaze posted:Thanks for all the info! I am definitely going to look into those places. I did a quick search in google using "Canada and transcription" as search terms, and found a company called Way With Word. Have you heard of this place? I didn't realize there were scammy places out there. I think I've heard of them, they're based in South Africa. Do they want everything done in UK English? If it's the company I'm thinking of, they have been around a few years and I know of people who have done work for them. Not a scam that I can tell, but they pay by Paypal which worries me a bit. As for the test, you want to show what you can do here, so I would try to label the different speakers if it's possible. It's generally better to include more than they need than to omit something.
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Apr 23, 2013 17:28
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Just a heads-up that I've been seeing a lot of 'non-payment' stuff on ANP pop up through a quick Google search. One of them is here: http://www.topix.com/forum/city/suffern-ny/T7D9BLR4F2HSJMV4H So, grain of salt and all that. If you're not having problems with them (it sounds like some people are just fine with them), then cool, but I don't know what kinds of hoops you'd have to jump through to contact a Labor Relations Board both stateside, and in Canada. Let us know if it works out, though. If it does, I might sign on, myself.
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Apr 24, 2013 03:57
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There's been mention of getting more transcription work as time goes on - is there some kind of ranking system based on how long you've been with a certain place that determines when/if they send you work or not?
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Apr 24, 2013 13:23
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I have a bit of an odd question... does anyone work with Demand Media? USA Today Travel publishes articles that were written by Demand Media and in one article they linked to my website. I saw a rise in traffic after it was posted and I'd be nice to get liked to more often. Are there specific writers who focus on travel writing or are all the articles written by random authors. Anyone know who I can contact? 
Omits-Bagels fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Apr 24, 2013 |
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Apr 24, 2013 14:19
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An Old Boot posted:Just a heads-up that I've been seeing a lot of 'non-payment' stuff on ANP pop up through a quick Google search. One of them is here: http://www.topix.com/forum/city/suffern-ny/T7D9BLR4F2HSJMV4H Yeah, I actually found this stuff before. Honestly, I'd seen some stuff that was similar about Fox/Rev when I'd started with them, and on the worker bee side never had a problem so I thought I'd give ANP a chance. Someone also mentions being constantly pressured to do more work and being bullied by the editors immediately and stuff like that. That hasn't been my experience thus far. The editors are fairly formal in their communications which some people could take as being pushy and harsh, and as for the work pressure I find I don't have any more emails from them asking if people can take on extra work than from any of my other clients. I think it seems more pushy because the guy handing out the work is a lot less formal in his communication styles that say, the ladies at DT. And again, I will be keeping people up to date, but honestly, the only company I've seen online with no complaints has been DT.
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Apr 24, 2013 16:52
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Crunch Bucket posted:There's been mention of getting more transcription work as time goes on - is there some kind of ranking system based on how long you've been with a certain place that determines when/if they send you work or not? Nothing set in stone. Basically, if an outfit learns you do good quality work and can turn it around quickly, you'll get offered more important/rush jobs that command higher fees. The more experience you have on your resume, the easier a time you'll have getting new gigs. Omits-Bagels posted:I have a bit of an odd question... does anyone work with Demand Media? USA Today Travel publishes articles that were written by Demand Media and in one article they linked to my website. I saw a rise in traffic after it was posted and I'd be nice to get liked to more often. Are there specific writers who focus on travel writing or are all the articles written by random authors. Anyone know who I can contact? That's not really how they work. Writers cite websites they use as references when they write their articles, and the only way to get linked is to provide authoritative information that's useful for writers working in a given content channel. The standards vary from channel to channel; you can cite drat near anything for a Tech article, while a Science article using a blog for a reference would earn the writer a swift kick in the literary nards.
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Apr 24, 2013 21:34
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kazmeyer posted:That's not really how they work. Writers cite websites they use as references when they write their articles, and the only way to get linked is to provide authoritative information that's useful for writers working in a given content channel. The standards vary from channel to channel; you can cite drat near anything for a Tech article, while a Science article using a blog for a reference would earn the writer a swift kick in the literary nards. That is what I thought.
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Apr 24, 2013 22:52
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Does Demand Media even still do stuff with regular scrubs like us (or me, anyway)? Last I looked at them they pretty much had nothing if you weren't already an Expert with credentials.
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Apr 25, 2013 06:53
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Not really. I don't think there's any work available outside of their specialty channels. (Ah, the heady days of "Can You Convert a Kindle into an iPhone?")
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Apr 25, 2013 19:50
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I got a check and a letter last week for a settlement with KGB. The check was for about $20 and was because they classified workers as independent contractors and the govt didn't agree. Anyway, the money was supposed to be reported on your taxes this year as it was a w-2, but I had already filed my taxes. And, the check expired yesterday. The letter says the checks were based on hours worked and money earned- I only made a total of about $25 before I realized how crappy it was there and stopped working. Anyone get any huge checks, I imagine some people made out very well. e; the letter probably arrived late because I changed addresses from the one I had when I worked there.
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Apr 26, 2013 00:39
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Michael Corleone posted:I got a check and a letter last week for a settlement with KGB. The check was for about $20 and was because they classified workers as independent contractors and the govt didn't agree. Anyway, the money was supposed to be reported on your taxes this year as it was a w-2, but I had already filed my taxes. And, the check expired yesterday. The letter says the checks were based on hours worked and money earned- I only made a total of about $25 before I realized how crappy it was there and stopped working. Anyone get any huge checks, I imagine some people made out very well. I got one of those too, and it's for tax year 2013 so hold onto your W2. My check was for less than $20, still a nice surprise I guess. I haven't done anything for KGB in a few years. I quit after the Superbowl fiasco.
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Apr 26, 2013 03:51
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Kaz...how do I know if I'm doing as broadcast work?...'cause I think I might be, but I don't know...
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Apr 26, 2013 04:45
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Slightly Used Cake posted:Kaz...how do I know if I'm doing as broadcast work?...'cause I think I might be, but I don't know... As-broadcast is when you're working with a completed episode of a show. They're typified by a strict document format you have to follow. (Typically, ABS is for syndication/foreign markets, the network or studio wants a complete and official script of the final episode for translation/content editing purposes.) Generally, the work falls into a few broad categories. 1) Dialogue-only BOB Gosh, it's hot in here. EARL Yes, it's very hot. 2) Script-style INT. STEAM ROOM - DAY BOB looks at EARL, wiping sweat from his brow. BOB Gosh, it's hot in here. EARL Yes, it's very hot. 3) Technical TIMECODE/VIDEO/AUDIO 01:13:06/Bob and Earl in steam room/BOB: Gosh, it's hot in here. 01:13:07/Bob and Earl in steam room/EARL: Yes, it's very hot. The other dead giveaway is you get paid per episode instead of per-minute, and it's usually a much better rate. ABS work also may come with helpful supplemental material, like shooting scripts or closed-captioning files. These are excellent for helping you keep track of characters or pick up questionable dialogue. kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 10:07 on Apr 26, 2013 |
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Apr 26, 2013 08:29
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Oh, yep, then I think this project fits into that...ABS three column, paid by the episode and good money. Cool! Thanks Kaz! Eeee is this realy what you do a lot of? Because if this is the future I LOVE it
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Apr 26, 2013 15:51
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I'm thinkin' I might smack one of today's assignments. Audio only, 10 speakers, about half of which have very similar voices, and a few have thick accents. 46 minutes of this poo poo.  e: Oh fun, they're also eating lunch so on top of all 10 of them talking over each other, there's also endless clanking of plates, silverware, and ice clinking around in glasses. Crunch Bucket fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Apr 26, 2013 |
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Apr 26, 2013 17:00
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Crunch Bucket posted:I'm thinkin' I might smack one of today's assignments. Audio only, 10 speakers, about half of which have very similar voices, and a few have thick accents. 46 minutes of this poo poo. You don't have to identify all the speakers do you? If so 
ohnobugs fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Apr 26, 2013 |
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Apr 26, 2013 18:15
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AuntBuck posted:You don't have to identify all the speakers do you? If so Ugh, yes, identify them by name AND try to keep 11 different voices (including the interviewer) straight as they talk all over each other and constantly interrupt. I'm about to shoot myself in the head on this one.
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Apr 26, 2013 18:26
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Slightly Used Cake posted:Oh, yep, then I think this project fits into that...ABS three column, paid by the episode and good money. Cool! Thanks Kaz! Eeee is this realy what you do a lot of? Because if this is the future I LOVE it That's an as-broadcast script, all right. I'd say about 75% of what I do these days is ABS work, with most of the rest being rush or niche jobs for specific clients. Being good at ABS is a really good selling point for landing future gigs. I will warn you, though, some clients want WAY too much loving detail on the technical script format. Like, in most cases, "Bob and Earl in steam room" would suffice as a scene description, but others want every single shot. Close-up of Bob Close-up of Earl Wide shot Bob and Earl in steam room Bob wiping forehead Shot of steam rising from vent etc. Some even want in and out timecodes for each shot. Those that do tend to pay through the nose for it, but it can be a nightmare to do, especially if the director has ADD. (My favorite ABS is Inside the Actor's Studio. Very precise coverage, very ordered editing, you can almost predict the sequence of shots attached to every question. It's like what would happen if Spock directed a TV show.) And Crunch Bucket: that's the kind of job where I'd tell the client to go pound sand. I hope they're paying well for that insanity. kazmeyer fucked around with this message at 19:51 on Apr 26, 2013 |
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Apr 26, 2013 19:25
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kazmeyer posted:That's an as-broadcast script, all right. I'd say about 75% of what I do these days is ABS work, with most of the rest being rush or niche jobs for specific clients. Being good at ABS is a really good selling point for landing future gigs. Bleh, we had a client through a few months ago who wanted in and outs and well as time for section and all the response to a question in a single cell int Excel, so that they could print it off...and the pay was terrible. This is pretty sweet, fairly simple just: TC Speakers or very Dialogue brief description I've been doing a few column styles lately, I don't mind when they pay. It's just obnoxious when it's tell us what's being said here and the person will just be answering yes or no, and they want a grammatically correct sentence.
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Apr 26, 2013 20:35
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kazmeyer posted:And Crunch Bucket: that's the kind of job where I'd tell the client to go pound sand. I hope they're paying well for that insanity. If it's the one I'm thinking of, then, no, they're not. It's one of those 'how many [brackets?] can we fit into a single sentence' jobs that turns into a case of 'just do the best you can and liberally apply [OVERLAP] where applicable (which is almost always).'
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Apr 26, 2013 20:53
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An Old Boot posted:If it's the one I'm thinking of, then, no, they're not. Nailed it. At least it's over now. I need a drink.
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Apr 26, 2013 21:08
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What does the test on DT consist of? I'd like to give it a shot but would like to know what to expect before doing so.
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Apr 26, 2013 21:36
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nickhimself posted:What does the test on DT consist of? I'd like to give it a shot but would like to know what to expect before doing so. You have to transcribe a short tape of two guys being interviewed. Audio and video quality is terrible, but it's not representative of the kind of tapes you usually get from them (they've been using the same tape since like 2007). You can download the file and look at it before applying.
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Apr 26, 2013 21:46
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An Old Boot posted:If it's the one I'm thinking of, then, no, they're not. Hate, hate, hate those jobs. The good news is, once you get experience and more clients, you can tell them to get stuffed when they send you junk like that. Being able to cherrypick transcription work really makes the job worthwhile.
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Apr 26, 2013 21:47
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kazmeyer posted:You have to transcribe a short tape of two guys being interviewed. Audio and video quality is terrible, but it's not representative of the kind of tapes you usually get from them (they've been using the same tape since like 2007). You can download the file and look at it before applying. I'm working on this at the moment, but I'm full of questions. The instructions say to paraphrase all of the interviewer's questions, but what do I keep and what do I leave out? Does something like "perfect guys, let's get started" stay? What about slang words? It says to leave in any slang like gonna's in the text, but if there's too many of them then that's distracting. How picky do they get? What is this about names and places, etc. are to be spelled phonetically. What does that mean? OH, and can someone explain the whole Time Coding thing to me? I'm watching the video through Express Scribe but the video is laggy. Is it my computer or the video? The audio comes before the picture shows up. is there a manual i should be reading for the program? The time code itself is derived from the running time in the video player, so the instructions say you have to include a TC at the beginning of each question and each answer... does it have to be accurate to the second? Literally the second someone opens their mouth?? Man, I'm getting very anal about this. I just want to pass the test! 
blueblaze fucked around with this message at 05:54 on Apr 27, 2013 |
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Apr 27, 2013 05:51
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