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Alright, I'm finally taking the DT test. Holy hell, this is taking forever. I've been working at it for 20 minutes and have only transcribed 2 minutes of this garbled video they gave me.  So here's my question: the video has timecodes already in it. Am I supposed to be writing down those timecodes, or the timecodes that Express Scribe is giving me in the bottom right hand corner? The DT instructions say "DO NOT use play time or running time for timecodes." So does that mean I'm supposed to use the timecodes that are on the video itself, even though those timecodes say that what I'm transcribing is like 9 minutes into the video?
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Feb 22, 2013 04:34
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Running time or play time starts at 00:00:00, and is what Express Scribe is giving you. You want to use the burned-in timecodes on the screen. There should be an option where you can put in an offset to match the on-screen codes. (Like in InqScribe, if I get a tape that starts at 00:59:47 I make a note of that, and then at the end I can globally bump all the time codes by 00:59:47 to make them match what's on screen. Unfortunately, I used Express Scribe like twice in 2007 so I honestly couldn't tell you how to do that in ES, but I'm sure there's an option.)
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Feb 22, 2013 05:07
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For ES click File then Dictation Information a screen will pop up and you can do your offset there, but I have the paid version of ES, so I'm not sure if that's the same for the free trial. I also prefer using InqScribe for timecodes with video files.
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Feb 22, 2013 05:15
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Another one from the "Eat your Wheaties, kids," file: "Hey, kaz, [HOLY-poo poo FAMOUS DIRECTOR] is unhappy with [his/her] transcription company and wants to see if we can do a better job. Think you can give this a shot?" Now I'm getting almost daily tapes of a director and screenwriter hashing out a script and they don't mind paying sweet, sweet double rush fees for priority work. Thanks, transcription! 
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Feb 22, 2013 12:46
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How long does the grading for the DT test usually take?
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Feb 22, 2013 23:37
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Normally a few days, but I know the folks in the office have been swamped lately, especially the two ladies who handle most of the quality checks. Be patient.
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Feb 23, 2013 00:56
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On the DT instructions for the entry test, it says to paraphrase the interviewer. Would including every word from the interviewer make me look like I didn't follow instructions or make my test stand out in a good way? I'm only asking because deciding how to paraphrase this guy's questions is taking more time than just writing everything he says.
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Feb 23, 2013 05:46
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I don't think it would be a big deal. Paraphrasing is pretty flexible; as long as you get the gist of the question you're fine. I can't count how many times I've just defaulted to "talk about XXXX" when the interviewer rambles on too long while asking the question. The only real issue is when the answer starts with yes or no or a direct answer, then you want to make sure whatever you paraphrased makes sense with it. Ex: Q: So talk about when you went to the store. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? A: When I went to the store, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. You could easily condense Q: to "Talk about when you went to the store." or "Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?" Q: So talk about when you went to the store. Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? A: Yes, I did, I noticed something weird when I went to the store. In this case, "Talk about when you went to the store" wouldn't work, because it doesn't prompt the answer "Yes, I did." As long as it flows and you hit the keywords, you're fine. But I don't think they'd yell at you if you recorded everything. If the interviewer goes on for a paragraph or something they'd probably tell you to cut it down to save time, but if it's just one sentence feel free to record the guy verbatim.
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Feb 23, 2013 09:48
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Great, thanks! I just spent half an hour trying to make out what I hear from Ace as "Vic-fix" or "Vic-flip" when I finally figure he's just likely saying [redacted]. Oh man that makes much more sense than trying to gsearch Crown Vic nicknames.  V 4 sure porcellus fucked around with this message at 06:15 on Feb 24, 2013 |
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Feb 24, 2013 04:56
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I've actually found that coming back with fresh ears can help you resolve a lot of [INAUDIBLE] stuff. Nowadays, if I just absolutely can't understand what a guy is saying, I'll drop a timecode next to it and then an hour or so after I'm done come back and make a pass over the stuff I couldn't work out. Sometimes the context of the rest of the interview will help, but sometimes it's just your brain un-knotting the syllables like some kind of miracle. Be careful, though, not to give too much in the way of specific information about that test. I kind of dig the idea of being an unofficial recruiter for DT; I don't want them to think we're trying to help people cheat on the entrance exam. That thing's a nightmare for a reason.
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Feb 24, 2013 05:51
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How nitpicky is DT about the test? That is, will they not allow someone to pass on the grounds that they forgot to record a couple of "um"s or similar tiny details? Or is it generally more like, "you utilized the correct format and accurately recorded the correct words with very few inaudibles, so you've passed"?
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Feb 25, 2013 21:54
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DT is very lenient and seems to understand that this is a first time for a lot of folks. They're way more lenient than other places. I just failed another company's test because I didn't include some "Mm-Hmm"s wile someone else was speaking.
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Feb 26, 2013 00:57
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Cast Iron Brick posted:...I just failed another company's test because I didn't include some "Mm-Hmm"s wile someone else was speaking. That could be important though, if it's someone being read a contract it can show acceptance. whereas an "Umm" can be just junk when viewed in context
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Feb 26, 2013 07:33
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How particular does DT tend to be when it comes to grammar? Would I get rejected for using a comma when there might should have been an em dash or should I go over my test with a fine tooth comb and make sure it's up to a Chicago Manual of Style type standard?
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Feb 26, 2013 14:36
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Correnth posted:How particular does DT tend to be when it comes to grammar? Would I get rejected for using a comma when there might should have been an em dash or should I go over my test with a fine tooth comb and make sure it's up to a Chicago Manual of Style type standard? You've got nothing to worry about. Different transcribers are going to punctuate a given piece of audio differently; as long as you get the words right and generally produce readable sentences it doesn't really matter much.
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Feb 26, 2013 17:03
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What is everyone putting down for time available every day? I'm putting either 60 or 90 minutes and haven't received anything yet. Would putting more increase my chances?
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Feb 28, 2013 06:04
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kazmeyer posted:I've actually found that coming back with fresh ears can help you resolve a lot of [INAUDIBLE] stuff. Nowadays, if I just absolutely can't understand what a guy is saying, I'll drop a timecode next to it and then an hour or so after I'm done come back and make a pass over the stuff I couldn't work out. Sometimes the context of the rest of the interview will help, but sometimes it's just your brain un-knotting the syllables like some kind of miracle. Yeah, you pick up tricks as you go along. I just transcribe it the first time as fast as possible and whenever I have issues, I throw a marker in the file to look back at. The idea is to get used to going fast. You can always go back and edit if you feel the quality isn't up to par, but the faster you get used to transcribed, the more money you're making per hour. When I first started I would take ages to transcribe something just to get every little bit right. Just get through it as fast as possible. Drink a coffee and plow through it.
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Feb 28, 2013 08:13
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jabro posted:What is everyone putting down for time available every day? I'm putting either 60 or 90 minutes and haven't received anything yet. Would putting more increase my chances? If you're putting down more than 30 minutes, you're probably good -- 30 is hard for them to fill, just because shoots usually run in the 35-45 minute range at least. If you're putting down 60-90 and not getting anything, it's because they don't have the work available. It all depends on the tapes from the clients, and when you're first starting out, the work can be a bit spotty. Once you get going, and if you show them you can do a good job, it gets a lot more stable. As you can probably tell by reading the thread, they've got a lot of transcribers these days. I feel like I should start asking for referral fees. (Seriously, though, I do get a kick out of how many of you are trying this out and apparently not having a lousy time. Discovering freelancing was huge for me, and whether this becomes a new lifestyle for anybody or you just do it for beer money, I feel like I've been able to pay it forward a little bit.) takishan posted:Yeah, you pick up tricks as you go along. I just transcribe it the first time as fast as possible and whenever I have issues, I throw a marker in the file to look back at. The idea is to get used to going fast. You can always go back and edit if you feel the quality isn't up to par, but the faster you get used to transcribed, the more money you're making per hour. When I first started I would take ages to transcribe something just to get every little bit right. Well, you have to strike a balance between being a perfectionist and putting yourself in the poorhouse, and it can be difficult when you're first starting out. I always tend to stress quality over speed, just because speed naturally comes with time and quality is what the clients remember. Get a rep for doing high-quality work, and you will definitely be in demand. But at the same time, yeah, it's really easy to over-think and bog yourself down trying to get everything perfect with a bad speaker or bad audio. Generally, if the tape is poo poo the client knows it's poo poo and they just want you to pull out as much of a coherent transcript as you can. (There are always exceptions to the rule though, and clients that think you're a wizard make for amusing stories at least. "No, I can't transcribe a two hour tape and have it back to you in 90 minutes no matter how money you wave at me. I'm not Doctor Who.")
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Feb 28, 2013 12:06
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Derek79 posted:If anyone has questions, I would be glad to answer them. You can apply at https://www.liveops.com. There is a fee for the background check but that is the only cost associated with working there. I believe it is $50 or $55. It was actually $20 when I started so that may be outdated. They pay twice a month on the 1st and 16th. When I work it full time, I can bring in $3,000 to $4,000 a month (on about a 50 to 55 hour work week). It helps if you are available evenings, overnights and weekends, which are the prime times for direct response. Hey Derek (or anyone else that works for liveops) I have a few questions. I've been in the cable industry sales/troubleshooting/retention for 6+ years but am looking for something I can do in my spare time at home. I'm used to having to push upsells, topdown selling, proper rebuttals and whatnot so I think that it wouldn't take me long to move up in liveops. Do they have similar work to that or is all infomercial sales? How is the qa done? Do you get evaluated on your calls on a weekly basis? Do those qa scores effect pay/bonus? Do they track what you are doing off the phone, or am I able to browse the web between calls? Is commission based on sales or just on upsells? How far in advance do I have to sign up for a timeblock?
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Mar 1, 2013 00:31
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I didn't see anything about medical transcription in this thread, but does anyone have experience with MT done from the home? I'm looking into a 6-month training course at a local community college (done through correspondence) and then I plan to take the certification exam to get my CMT. From my research, it seems like a lot of MT is outsourced nowadays and that it's not impossible to get an at-home gig with certification, but I don't want to shell out the ~$1,800 for training and certification if my only (or most likely) employment option is is an in-office position.
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Mar 1, 2013 02:32
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From my somewhat limited Canadian experience, its super hard to find freelance gigs, most doctors who outsource their dictations go for actual companies, and those companies have some pretty rigorous standards to meet, including a lot of experience. The hospitals usually outsource to companies, too.
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Mar 1, 2013 02:49
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Harminoff posted:Hey Derek (or anyone else that works for liveops) I have a few questions. I've been in the cable industry sales/troubleshooting/retention for 6+ years but am looking for something I can do in my spare time at home. I'm used to having to push upsells, topdown selling, proper rebuttals and whatnot so I think that it wouldn't take me long to move up in liveops. Experience upselling will definitely come in handy. There is not a ton of "moving up" when it comes to Liveops, although if you are good at sales, you may be offered one of the commission lines that pay a smaller per minute rate but with commissions on anything you sell. Believe it or not, there is not a ton of QA when you compare it to brick and mortar call centers. There is an audit team that will listen to calls that involve any kind of repetitive billing (products that come monthly, special clubs, etc) to make sure that the terms were read and that the customer gives a distinct yes to the terms. They do not track what you are doing between calls at all and have no software monitoring your computer. When I take calls, I generally work a secondary job like writing or something like that between calls if there isn't a lot of call volume. As far as the lines at Liveops, this is what is there at the moment: *General - This is Direct Response Calls and what most people start out on. It pays per minute and some products have a small commission *Sales Pro - This is the commissioned sales line. Smaller per minute pay but you get a commission on everything you sell. The amount of commission varies depending on the product. For example, Beachbody calls pay a percentage of the entire order while NuWave pays a set amount for each piece that is ordered. *Sales Pro Fixed Rate - Gets the same calls as the Sales Pro line but no commissions. Instead, it pays a per minute rate that is higher than the general line. *Botique - Same as the Sales Pro line but with higher commissions. These agents are considered the best of the best. *Pizza - Taking delivery calls for one of the nations largest pizza chains. Pays per order *Identity Theft Protection Company - Pays a per minute rate plus a commission for every person that signs up *Roadside Assistance Company - Pays per minute *Auto insurance First Notice of Loss - Pays per minute with a forecast guarantee that guarantees you will make a certain minimum amount. Due to our NDA, I can't actually name the clients above but they are all reputable. The general line is typically given first and then other lines can be earned. There are also various lines dedicated to particular products or lines of products that you may be offered if you are good at selling certain things. As far as scheduling your hours, the schedule is released weekly at specific times. Hours are released three times on Thursday and two times on Friday. These roll outs can be good if you want to schedule your week all at once. If you're like me, you want to work when you feel like it. At any time, you can pull up your schedule and see what is available. Agents can release their hours up to 30 minutes before they are scheduled. I never had a problem getting hours by simply bringing up the schedule. Within 15 minutes, I could have a full day scheduled. I think I touched on everything. Let me know if you have any questions
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Mar 1, 2013 08:47
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EDIT:  stuff made irrelevant by this guy VVV , carry on.Duration dictionaries/word replacers really are super-helpful, though. Only possible downside is occasionally you start typing the abbreviations more often than the full words out of pure habit. Old Boot fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Mar 2, 2013 |
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Mar 1, 2013 12:46
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An Old Boot posted:I personally find it easier than macros because I'm used to just typing on the fly (something like APT for apartment, so it's easy to spot and is case sensitive), so going in with replace-all in Word when you're done, in general, makes life a lot easier.
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Mar 1, 2013 15:18
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Internet Friend posted:When you mention macros are you including text expander type ones? Because I find them much better than having to find-replace after the fact. I posted how I use AutoHotKey earlier in the thread, doing pretty much the same thing with keeping the text file open while I work. When I was reading about the job before signing up they were often recommended and I now I keep mine running even when I'm not working just for the convenience. See, there. I knew someone probably mentioned it before. Thanks for the heads-up.
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Mar 1, 2013 17:51
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Crunch Bucket posted:I didn't see anything about medical transcription in this thread, but does anyone have experience with MT done from the home? I would echo what Blue Monday said, and also add in something I learned from a chat with the lady who owns Points West out of Vancouver, which seems to be general and legal. Medical, if you can get into it, is often very short tapes, two or three minutes. The office gig are hard to break into, and the at home seems drat near impossible. I'm currently training for it myself with ICS, it seems like the biggest issue isn't the terminology, it's actually the course itself. Many of the companies want a minimum of somewhere around 2500 minutes experience I read somewhere. Most courses are providing somewhere in around the maybe 300 minute amount, maybe more often less. They're concentrating on the terminology, as they should. I personally find the terminology is helpful as I've been doing a lot of research, meetings and general dialogue with a medical twist, not the reports themselves. It can also be very boring in that you get a lot of the same kind of reports over and over. My long term plan is to see if I can parlay my general experience with my medical training into a gig with one of these medical transcription companies, but otherwise I'm enjoy the general and a lot of the companies now are getting mixed bag so if it's the science terms you like then general is stil for you. I know the pay for medical looks good but when you consider the amount of time you'll spend downloading, editing, formatting, terminology research unless you're bound to one specialty and department, it actually works out to about the same as general unless you get in with a really good company. And to be honest the people holding onto those jobs are keeping them in a death grip. I'm not saying don't do it, I mean it's definitely a very interesting field, but before you look at any course see what it actually is going to get you in the long run. EDIT: Question, can someone recommend a good program for cleaning up audio with minimal fuss, something that can bring up the dialogue and drown out the muffles? Or am I hoping for some kind of Blue Fairy here? Slightly Used Cake fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Mar 3, 2013 |
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Mar 2, 2013 21:32
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this pretty much sums up the DT entry test http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9rIZCQ79V0
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Mar 4, 2013 12:11
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But that would have taken me four minutes to transcribe instead of four hours.
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Mar 4, 2013 18:35
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yes, but it's worth it. I'm being paid basically, right now, o be a fly on the wall for a chat of some of the dirtiest old men ever. It's awesome!
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Mar 5, 2013 05:27
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It's the little things that make this job worthwhile. Currently I'm working a feature film that makes Death Bed: The Bed That Eats look like The Godfather.
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Mar 5, 2013 06:58
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Thanks Blue_monday and Slighty Used Cake - great perspective. I'm still considering the training courses, but I'm also exploring other options. In the meantime, I've decided to suffer through the DT test file. The way I understand it, I'm supposed to email them first to tell them I will be submitting a test, and then I send the file to them within 24 hours of the first email? I'm using the free trial of InqScribe and the keyboard shortcuts are very helpful, though I can see how a pedal will be worth its weight in gold if I get accepted and start transcribing regularly.
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Mar 5, 2013 17:01
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Crunch Bucket posted:In the meantime, I've decided to suffer through the DT test file. The way I understand it, I'm supposed to email them first to tell them I will be submitting a test, and then I send the file to them within 24 hours of the first email? I feel you. Listening to it demotivates me so I can't even get started. It's like they recorded this with their heads inside of metal barrels. And I do medical transcription at work.
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Mar 5, 2013 19:11
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Has anyone been having trouble with LB submitting tasks/loading EWOQ over the last few days? It seems to be going down for anywhere from a couple minutes to over an hour at random throughout the day. Still waiting on the DT test results, I know they are busy, just has been almost two weeks now.
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Mar 5, 2013 20:24
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Rodent Mortician posted:Listening to it demotivates me so I can't even get started. Honestly, I was the same way. I'd listen to the first minute or so and get really discouraged and not even start. This morning I finally sat down and slogged my way through it. It was.. not fun. Kazmeyer or any of the other transcription gurus: can you offer some pointers on how to determine if something is non-interview? Is it literally anything that is not related to "Someone asks a question" and "Someone gives an answer"? There's a particularly terrifying portion at the end of the DT test file that I'd love to not have to transcribe. I ended up with fewer inaudibles/overlaps than I expected. I'm gonna give a few places another listen to make sure I didn't miss anything.
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Mar 6, 2013 00:56
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Unfortunately, judging non-interview can be kind of tricky. The one rule you should follow above all others is more = better than. They would much rather delete non-essential stuff than have you miss something you should have gotten. But yes, answers to direct questions are pretty much always record, unless it's something relating to the shoot, like "are you comfortable" or "what do you want for lunch when we break after this?". Sometimes a respondent will kind of mutter/talk to himself as he's framing an answer, and you're usually safe skipping that. If he's an experienced interviewee, you can often tell by the tone of his voice; people who do this a lot kind of become more loud and clear when they're settling in for the camera. If someone kind of starts rambling without really being prompted, you should pay attention, because something usable might come out of it. You just have to judge the content versus the subject of the interview; if someone's being interviewed about politics in the Mideast and interjects a story about their dog, it probably doesn't need to be recorded. When it comes to b-roll, it can be tricky. Sometimes, it's obviously for a shot where they're not going to use the audio; they'll tell two people to act like they're having a conversation, or tell someone to pretend he's on the phone or whatever. In those cases, the fake talking is usually low enough you couldn't get it if you tried, but it's obviously for cutaways and background so you don't need to worry about it. Other times, they'll stage some kind of action but they want to use the audio, and you will need to get it. For purposes of the test tape, I'd definitely err on the side of recording everything. As you get more experience, you'll get a good sense of what's useful for camera and what's not. Some shoots are very regimented question/answer/question/answer and you don't have to do much thinking, others are more free form and you need to pick out the useful stuff from the chaff. (WE GOT THAT B-ROLL!)
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Mar 6, 2013 03:07
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Yeah, to be honest, I literally try and get everything I can, the rule of thumb generally once you'r working is if they're asking the interviewer to say elaborateon what they want, talk about lunch, debae what that noise is, or talk about the fart they just totally did, yeah, non-inerview, but for the test, include everything because Kaz is right deleting non-essential is better than having to re-do, and I'm going to tell you now, I have had this weekend literally one bit of audio approaching this, but I was paid $1 a minute for is, and it was terrible, like through the walls of the next hotel room horrible, and I was told to do my best and they'd explain to the client, because she had to have it, as much as possible. And let me tell you, I just don't think this woman needed it, because mostly it was talking about lunch, the audio broke up a bit at one point and I thought the instructions were about surgery, turns out she was making thai salad, but hey, sweet sweet money. :-)
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Mar 6, 2013 16:07
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A general question about turnaround times: if you are given a file (not a rush job), how many days do they give you to get it transcribed, on average? Just wondering what to expect as far as deadlines go. I worry I'm being too meticulous and after I turn in the test file I won't be able to complete the assignments on time (if I pass).
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Mar 7, 2013 19:11
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Most places the standard turnaround is 24 hours, but it can vary from 12 to 48, depending on the client and job. You should always start off by requesting small volumes until you really get a handle on how fast you can comfortably go; overdoing it at the beginning is a recipe for disaster.
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Mar 7, 2013 19:57
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I just wanted to chime in and say I've had some "success" with HubPages. I wrote a fairly detailed article about a year ago and completely forgot about it until one day I got an email from Amazon stating I had received a ~$30 gift card from my affiliate sales. Turns out, it's actually generating a non-zero amount of monthly income. It's not a huge sum of money and it took some time, but for the 20 minutes I spent writing the article I am pleased. I would hazard a guess that someone who could sit down and write a quality Hub once or twice a week could eventually be making a non-trivial amount of money.
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Mar 8, 2013 00:34
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DarthJeebus posted:I just wanted to chime in and say I've had some "success" with HubPages. I wrote a fairly detailed article about a year ago and completely forgot about it until one day I got an email from Amazon stating I had received a ~$30 gift card from my affiliate sales. Turns out, it's actually generating a non-zero amount of monthly income. On the other side of this is that you can do mturk for amazon and rate those hubpages for 0.05 each taking about one minute to rate. you get bonuses after 10 and pretty quickly you work up to that 30 bucks.
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Mar 8, 2013 04:16
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