I mentioned recently that I was an accidental stay-at-home mom and found myself in the situation of trying to find a flexible, child-friendly work-at-home position.
Through much trial and error, I finally settled on general transcription as a means for providing supplemental income for our family. I’ve had several people email me about how they could find out more information about becoming a transcriptionist, so I wanted to share a little bit about the industry with you all.
General transcription is a wonderful opportunity for moms to look into. Whereas many of the traditional home-based business opportunities require significant cash to start, you can get started doing general transcription for a very minimal investment.
In the three years that I’ve been doing this, I’ve been able to grow my income beyond what I ever thought was possible for an at-home position. The downturn in the economy directly impacted my family long before recent developments, and transcription allowed me to support my family on my income alone through my husband’s intermittent layoffs over the past two years. While it’s a lot of hard work and definitely not a “get rich quick scheme,” I feel so blessed to have this wonderful source of income that provides me with the opportunity to stay at home with my five children.
Being a work-at-home mom is difficult at times; however, the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks for me. Staying home to raise my children is only one of a number of benefits that transcription can afford.
Others include:
- The hours and workload are flexible.
- There is good – if not great – earnings potential.
- I’m always learning something new.
- It is a growing field that is not showing signs of slowing down.
While the benefits are many, success in this career will require hard work and perseverance on your part. The most common misconception that a lot of people have about transcription is that the only skill you need is the ability to type. The truth is that there’s a lot more than that involved. In order to have a successful career as a transcriptionist, you need to be able to listen, think and type at the same time. Additionally, one of the most important skills needed is to be able to actually take the spoken word and transcribe it in a way that fits grammar rules for written language so that it actually makes sense to the person reading it.
Questions to ask yourself if you’re considering transcription:
- Do you enjoy reading, and do you keep up with current events?
- Do you have a good grasp of basic grammar and spelling, or if not, are you willing to work hard to hone these skills?
- Are you detail-oriented, and do you have the ability to follow instructions well?
- Are you a self-starter, and do you have the drive to work independently with minimal supervision?
- Do you take pride in your sense of professionalism and meeting your commitments in full?
If you’re just starting to consider transcription as a career, this may seem overwhelming to you, and that is not my intention. It’s important to know that while you can make a decent living doing this work, it is not “easy money.” It takes a lot of hard work to develop the skills needed to succeed, and you must be committed to developing those skills or you will most likely give up before you reach the point where you are happy with your earnings.
Is transcription right for you? I can’t determine that for you. I can only tell you that after much research, this is the career that works best for me. But the benefits of this career are plentiful, and with dedication and hard work, there’s a good chance it’s the opportunity you’re looking for.
Getting started is fairly easy. Check out these action steps and/or consider purchasing our General Transcription 101: Your Complete Guide to Getting Started ebook package!
This article was adapted from a prior article written by the founders of Transcription Talk, Mandi Ehman, Tara Kuczykowski, and Shaina Olmanson.
Kim
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Diane
I can’t wait to see what you have in store for your next post.
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StacyG
I can’t wait to read the next post about how to get started. I always thought it took a significant investment to get started. Thanks for sharing this information.
Diane
I can’t wait to see what you have in store for your next post.
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StacyG
I can’t wait to read the next post about how to get started. I always thought it took a significant investment to get started. Thanks for sharing this information.
Kristen
I have looked over your transcription 101 site several times and thought it sounded like a great opportunity. However, my husband was not as enthused. How difficult (or easy) is securing a contract?
Kristen
I have looked over your transcription 101 site several times and thought it sounded like a great opportunity. However, my husband was not as enthused. How difficult (or easy) is securing a contract?
Jessica
What a coincidence! I’ve been trying to find out some good info on medical transcription so I can’t wait to see what you have to say about getting started with transcription… We need something to help pay bills, but I stay home with our daughter (wouldn’t make sense for me to find part-time work just to pay for childcare). Sounds like this might actually be something I can do! Thanks!
Jessica
What a coincidence! I’ve been trying to find out some good info on medical transcription so I can’t wait to see what you have to say about getting started with transcription… We need something to help pay bills, but I stay home with our daughter (wouldn’t make sense for me to find part-time work just to pay for childcare). Sounds like this might actually be something I can do! Thanks!
Deal Seeking Mom
Thanks for your interest, ladies!
Kristen, that’s a valid concern. Obviously it’s different for everyone, but if you have the drive and determination to do it, I’m confident that you can. I can tell you that it took Mandi, Shaina, and I all about a month from when we started to secure a contract. We didn’t have a resource that walked us through the process though.
We’re in the process of sending out a questionnaire to those who have already purchased the book for feedback, and one thing we ask is if they have secured a contract yet and how long it took. I’ll be happy to share those results as we receive them.
Jessica, medical transcription is an excellent independent too, but you will want to research schools carefully. There are only a few that are highly regarded by companies in the industry.
Good luck to all that give transcription a shot!
Deal Seeking Mom
Thanks for your interest, ladies!
Kristen, that’s a valid concern. Obviously it’s different for everyone, but if you have the drive and determination to do it, I’m confident that you can. I can tell you that it took Mandi, Shaina, and I all about a month from when we started to secure a contract. We didn’t have a resource that walked us through the process though.
We’re in the process of sending out a questionnaire to those who have already purchased the book for feedback, and one thing we ask is if they have secured a contract yet and how long it took. I’ll be happy to share those results as we receive them.
Jessica, medical transcription is an excellent independent too, but you will want to research schools carefully. There are only a few that are highly regarded by companies in the industry.
Good luck to all that give transcription a shot!
Kara
How do you see the profession of medical transcription in the coming years as all medical information legally has to be electronic? Is there somewhere you see the profession can transition to?
Kara
How do you see the profession of medical transcription in the coming years as all medical information legally has to be electronic? Is there somewhere you see the profession can transition to?
chali
nice post ! thanks
chali
nice post ! thanks
Frugal Carol
I also work from home for a Dr office. Our office is due to go paperless in 2009. I think this will change the world for many employees.
Frugal Carol
I also work from home for a Dr office. Our office is due to go paperless in 2009. I think this will change the world for many employees.
Deal Seeking Mom
That’s an excellent question. I don’t think it will affect the transcription industry at all, because right now all my work is done electronically. They send me digital files to transcribe, and I send them back as a Word document. I don’t have a hard copy of anything.
Deal Seeking Mom
That’s an excellent question. I don’t think it will affect the transcription industry at all, because right now all my work is done electronically. They send me digital files to transcribe, and I send them back as a Word document. I don’t have a hard copy of anything.
Pottery
My mother is semi-retired and has been typing throughout her whole career. She’s looking for something to do now from her house. I’m going to recommend that she check this out.
Also, if you’re interested, I’m giving away free bakeware on my blog. Comment or link to me to enter the contest and win 4 Handmade Pottery Apple Bakers valued at $36. https://laneypottery.com/2008/10/21/win-pottery-apple-bakers/ Thanks!
Pottery´s last blog post..Win a Set of Four Pottery Apple Bakers
Pottery
My mother is semi-retired and has been typing throughout her whole career. She’s looking for something to do now from her house. I’m going to recommend that she check this out.
Also, if you’re interested, I’m giving away free bakeware on my blog. Comment or link to me to enter the contest and win 4 Handmade Pottery Apple Bakers valued at $36. https://laneypottery.com/2008/10/21/win-pottery-apple-bakers/ Thanks!
Pottery´s last blog post..Win a Set of Four Pottery Apple Bakers
Kaye
Great discription of your job! Too often people portray SAH work as “simple, flexible, wonderful, why-aren’t-you-doing-this” but you gave a positive, yet realistic representation of what your job entails. Great for you!
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Kaye
Great discription of your job! Too often people portray SAH work as “simple, flexible, wonderful, why-aren’t-you-doing-this” but you gave a positive, yet realistic representation of what your job entails. Great for you!
Kaye´s last blog post..Tuesday Free For All
Cynthia
I have to ask about this line from the article:
“one of the most important skills needed is to be able to actually take the spoken word and transcribe it in a way that fits grammar rules for written language so that it actually makes sense to the person reading it.”
I’m very surprised to see this because the point of transcribing is NOT to change the person’s words. I am a reporter and I hire people to transcribe my interviews. I’ve had to let people go because they changed sections instead of typing what they hear. In the reporter biz, it’s NOT okay to change quotes. I can’t imagine any circumstance, except perhaps transcribing from dictation where you’d want to correct the grammar or the sentence structure.
Cynthia
I have to ask about this line from the article:
“one of the most important skills needed is to be able to actually take the spoken word and transcribe it in a way that fits grammar rules for written language so that it actually makes sense to the person reading it.”
I’m very surprised to see this because the point of transcribing is NOT to change the person’s words. I am a reporter and I hire people to transcribe my interviews. I’ve had to let people go because they changed sections instead of typing what they hear. In the reporter biz, it’s NOT okay to change quotes. I can’t imagine any circumstance, except perhaps transcribing from dictation where you’d want to correct the grammar or the sentence structure.
Deal Seeking Mom
You’re correct, Cynthia. I wasn’t recommending that you actually change what the person says. But you do have to have a knack for adapting the rules of grammar to the way people speak. This can be very difficult even for those that have a good grasp on grammar and punctuation.
Here’s just an example of how a simple comma can dramatically alter the meaning of a sentence. I’m sure you know just, but I just want to illustrate it for my readers.
Let’s eat, Daddy.
Let’s eat daddy.
Additionally, verbatim transcription has different meanings from company to company throughout the transcription industry. For some companies verbatim is exactly that, verbatim with all ums, uhs, stutters, etc., basically every sound that comes out of a speaker’s mouth. But for other companies, their version of verbatim is to leave out the uhs, ums, stutters, and to clean it up a bit by changing “gonna” to “going to” and so forth. It’s important for both parties entering into a transcription agreement to be clear in exactly what their expectations are.
Deal Seeking Mom
You’re correct, Cynthia. I wasn’t recommending that you actually change what the person says. But you do have to have a knack for adapting the rules of grammar to the way people speak. This can be very difficult even for those that have a good grasp on grammar and punctuation.
Here’s just an example of how a simple comma can dramatically alter the meaning of a sentence. I’m sure you know just, but I just want to illustrate it for my readers.
Let’s eat, Daddy.
Let’s eat daddy.
Additionally, verbatim transcription has different meanings from company to company throughout the transcription industry. For some companies verbatim is exactly that, verbatim with all ums, uhs, stutters, etc., basically every sound that comes out of a speaker’s mouth. But for other companies, their version of verbatim is to leave out the uhs, ums, stutters, and to clean it up a bit by changing “gonna” to “going to” and so forth. It’s important for both parties entering into a transcription agreement to be clear in exactly what their expectations are.
Cynthia
Excellent explanation, and yes, you are correct. Thanks for making that clear.
I brought it up because I had one transcriptionist who liked to paraphrase what she was typing up and even include her own personal asides such as (that’s funny) in the transcription. Yikes!
Cynthia
Excellent explanation, and yes, you are correct. Thanks for making that clear.
I brought it up because I had one transcriptionist who liked to paraphrase what she was typing up and even include her own personal asides such as (that’s funny) in the transcription. Yikes!