Remote Work: Creating a Productive Workspace

Remote work is great. It gives you flexibility and allows you to work from the comfort of your home. However, it can also create distractions because it is at your home. It takes more effort to stay focused and motivated and sometimes, depending on the home and family, it can be loud! So, how do you stay productive and focused while working in the comfort of your home?
For some simple and helpful tips, read this article: Home Office

Finding Balance: Transcription Pricing Strategies

When starting a business, you need to figure out what your rates will be. You shouldn’t make it too expensive and drive potential clients away, but you also shouldn’t make it too cheap and sell yourself short. So how do we find a good balance where you are being paid what is fair for your work and are also cheap enough that more people will come to you?
To find out the balance and what is a proper rate for transcribing services, click on the following link: Transcription Pricing

Self-Care Strategies for Desk Jobs

One thing I have always struggled with while working is taking breaks. I get in the zone and 3 hours have passed without me realizing it. For those of you who work at a desk job and struggle to take care of yourself properly, this is for you! Here are some self-care tips for the workplace and at home!
1. Take a break every 30 minutes to an hour. 

 

Something that I love to use is the pomodoro technique. This is primarily because the videos I find have nice music and alarms, so I don’t forget to stop for a moment to give myself a brain break. If you don’t know what the pomodoro technique is, it is when you take a 5-minute break every 25 minutes. After you do that 4 times, you take a longer break that is usually about 30 minutes. Check out this pomodoro video if you want to try it out: Lofi Girl – Pomodoro

2. Stretch during your breaks/ get up and move around. 

Sitting down all day can be hard on your body. It makes you stiff. When it’s time to take a break, get up and do some stretches! You can also stretch while sitting down. For some good stretch ideas, check out the following link: Stretches for Desk Jobs

3. Stay hydrated. 

I know, you’ve probably heard this a million times from others, but it really is important. Keep a water bottle at your work space. You don’t have to chug it and drink a gallon, but keep some water at your desk as a reminder to drink some water. Staying hydrated can help with your energy levels and keep you healthy and feeling well in general.

4. Let your work stay at work. 

Once the work day is over, let it be over. I know it’s easy to keep working even after your hours are up. Emails keep popping up and texts keep coming through. Silence your phone or just your work notifications after your work day is up. This will help keep you from burning out and help you be more present at home.

5. Listen to music.

If you are able to focus while listening to music, I would highly recommend it. It makes the work more enjoyable and the hours go by faster. It also is just relaxing!

I hope these tips are helpful, and if you do try them out, let me know how it goes!

Social Media for Transcriptionists: Expanding Your Network

One rule when it comes to networking that I think is good to stick to is, be yourself! Being yourself is a good thing to do in general, but especially in networking so people can get to know you and build some trust.

 

Social media is a great tool to get yourself seen and potentially gain some clients as a transcriptionist. The key is consistency. If you are not consistent, people will most likely forget about your work. Post reminders about any deals you have going on, comment on other people’s posts, and reach out and let people know that you care about what they have to say. These are all great ways to get noticed and build your network.

To learn more about ways you can succeed at being a transcriptionist, take a look at the following link: Transcribe Anywhere

Creating and Building Your Transcription Business

I am a small business owner, and I can safely say that it is not easy! I haven’t owned a business for very long, but these are the steps I took to build what I have today:
1. Do your research and have a written plan.
Before I did anything to make my business official, I did some research and wrote out a plan. Here are the things I researched:
  • Who are my competitors?
  • What is trending in the transcription world?
  • What are my competitor’s rates?
  • How do I create a website?
  • What licenses will I need for my business?

After I researched these things, I wrote down a rough draft of my business plan and went from there. This will give you a better idea of what you’re getting in to.

2. Get the licenses needed for your business.
From your research, apply for and buy the necessary business licenses for your area. The licenses needed vary depending on your location and what kind of business you created. You will need this before you start anything because it is illegal to do business without a license.
3. Create a website.
I personally used Word Press for my website, and I made the mistake of buying my domain name from a site that was not supported by Entri. If you don’t know what Entri is, it is something that makes connecting your domain name to your website quick and easy. Since my domain site was not supported by Entri (I used WhoIs), it was a pain getting it connected because I had to use some coding and figure out where to put the coding in their designated spots. It took me several hours to get it connected and set up. So, if you are using Word Press to build your website, I would recommend buying your domain name from a site supported by Entri to make the connecting process easier. Some sites supported by Entri are GoDaddy and WordPress. I would also recommend going to the Word Press website or whatever site you choose to build your website on for more detailed instructions on how to build and personalize your website.
4. Pay for advertising.
This part has been the hardest part for me because I cannot afford even the cheapest paid advertising. I have heard that this helps a lot with gaining clients. So, if you can afford it, this is a must for quickly gaining clients.
5. If you can’t afford paid advertising, do free advertising.
This is harder and more time intensive, but it is free! This method is what I have been using since I started my small business. Create your own advertisements and post them on social media. Being active on social media is a great way to advertise your business for free. I am on Pinterest, Facebook, and LinkedIn and post regularly on all of those platforms. I will say that doing it this way takes quite a bit more time to gain clients. I have been doing my advertising this way for about two to three months and have not had any clients reach out yet. But persistence is key! If this is the way you choose to do your advertising, don’t give up and stick with it! I create my advertisements on Microsoft Designer. It’s easy and free.
6. Create a blog.
Creating a blog and posting on it regularly can also help you gain clients and is a good networking strategy. Who knows? Maybe your blog will reach someone and actually help them out. On my blogs, I used to use AI pictures, but I realized that they just don’t look authentic. There were always too many things wrong with the picture, so I started using free stock photos. This is the site I use for good quality free photos if you would like to check it out for yourself: Free Stock Photos
7. Do some networking.
Networking helps get you noticed by people. In other words… socialize! This was, and is, still a hard concept for me to master. I am an introvert, and socializing is the last thing I want to do. But it really does help. That’s why I got LinkedIn. Try commenting on other people’s posts and provide your input. This will help people get to know you a little and realize that you’re not just another faceless business in the sea of businesses. Be professional but be yourself as well.
8. Be patient.
Patience really is a virtue. Especially if you are a small business that is just beginning. I’m about three months into being a small business owner with no paid advertising and there have been many times already that I felt like I just wanted to give up. I’ve been creating advertisements and posting regularly on all of the social media platforms and on my blog and I have not had a single potential client show any interest. And it can be frustrating at times because I did put in so much work to become certified in general transcription and create this business from scratch on my own. But some things do take time. If you’re in the same boat as me, you’re not alone! Be patient and know that it will most likely pay off in the end.

Legal Transcription: Ensuring Accuracy in Court Proceedings

I have no experience with legal transcription, personally. However, I have done a little research on it and what I found was interesting! Take a look at this article to learn more about legal transcription: Guide for Legal Transcriptionists

Medical Transcription: Clarifying the Medical Jargon

Have you ever wondered how a general transcriptionist transcribes medical jargon? No prior schooling in the medical field. No degree. Well, I can say that it’s not easy, but it does take a lot of research. Any time I run into a word that I don’t understand, I look it up. That helps with spelling and making sure it’s the correct word. Another thing to do is to listen very carefully.

To see some more detailed information and tips, take a look at this article on how to transcribe medical dictations: Medical Transcription

Overcoming the Barriers: Transcription for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

When we watch movies or tv shows, we often see audio indicators such as [laughs], [distant crashing], [gasps], etc. Have you ever wondered how transcriptionists know how to add these indicators and when? Or how they do it without obstructing the actual words being said?

Check out this article to learn more about breaking down the barriers for the deaf and hard of hearing: Meeting the Needs of Deaf Clients

Academic Transcription: Capturing Lectures and Seminars Accurately

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten for transcribing is to research the topic that is being discussed. Research any words or terminology that you do not know. This goes for any transcript, but especially in academic transcription.

For tips on doing good research for your transcripts, especially academic transcripts, click on the following link: 4 Effective Research Tips

Transcribing Foreign Accents

I haven’t had a ton of experience with transcribing foreign accents; however, I have transcribed some audio where the gentleman speaking had a British accent. I can safely say, it was definitely a bit more difficult to transcribe. The way they talk is just different from the American accents I’m surrounded by. So how do we better listen to and accurately type a transcript where the speaker has a foreign accent?

Take a look at this article for advice and strategies: 9 Strategies for Transcribing Non-Native English Speakers in Audio Recordings – Escribr