Organizations must understand transcription rates and turnaround times when choosing transcription services. Otherwise, they may end up with a transcript that needs to be better proofed or contain obscure industry terms and speaker names. This quick guide will help organizations navigate transcription rate structures to make informed decisions about their needs and budget.

What is a Transcription Rate?

Several factors typically determine transcription rates. Some transcription companies charge per audio minute, while others may charge per text line or typed page.

The rate you will pay for a Zoom transcript can also depend on the quality of your audio and video files. Garbled or unclear recordings will take longer to transcribe, as will recordings with thick accents or complex speech patterns.

Organizations should compare rates and turnaround times when choosing transcription service providers. Doing so will ensure you get the best value for your money.

What is a Transcription Rate Per Minute?

A transcription rate per minute is a standard price structure for transcription services. This means a transcriber will charge you per minute of the audio recording or transcript line (65 characters, including spaces).

It’s important to note that turnaround time often impacts transcription rates. If you want your file transcribed quickly, expect to pay more. This is because a transcript needs to be proofread and edited. Additionally, technical industry jargon takes longer to understand than everyday language. Thus, paying a higher transcription rate is often worth it.

Organizations need to understand transcription rates when evaluating options to meet organizational goals. Transcription service providers typically list their standard transcription rates online, or organizations can submit audio files to get a rate estimate.

Garbled, unclear audio can make transcribing difficult and expensive. This can include heavy background noise, multiple speakers with thick accents and complicated industry terms.

Requests like timestamps, special formatting and verbatim transcription can also increase rates. Additionally, specialized transcriptions may cost more due to the complexity and research required.

What is a Transcription Rate Per Hour?

Transcribing audio or video files takes time, especially when the recording is poor quality. This is why you’ll often find transcription rates priced per hour.

These types of rates are the most common for professional North American transcriptionists. They are proficient in English-language mechanics, understand idioms and slang, and follow a specific style guide to ensure transcripts look consistent.

Transcription rates are also sometimes priced by word. This is most common for medical transcription. This pricing structure typically ranges from 7-14 cents per document line. This is a great option for large enterprises and teams with many documents to transcribe.

Regarding transcription rates, the amount paid for an hour of audio can vary. Transcribing a file can take longer than an hour, especially if the audio quality is low or the speakers have accents.

Standard rates for a professional, human North American transcriptionist can range from $1.50-3 USD per audio minute ($90-180 per audio hour). Additional requests like timestamps or special formatting can also increase the transcription rate.

However, an AI-powered transcription app like Sonix offers 99% accuracy at a fraction of the cost.

What is a Transcription Rate Per File?

There are a lot of factors that go into transcription rates. And it can be challenging to compare apples to apples when searching for a transcription service provider.

Aside from the actual rate per minute or hour, it’s also important to look at the quality of the transcripts. If the transcriptions aren’t proofread, contain inaccurate industry terms, or have unclear speech, it may not be worth the cost of using a service with lower rates. Also, consider turnaround times and how the transcriptions are delivered.

What is a Transcription Rate Per File Per Day?

When you need a transcription service, prices are all over the place. It’s important to understand what these rates mean and how they vary so you can make an informed decision about your transcription needs.

Turnaround times also have a significant impact on transcription rates. Special formatting and specialized types of transcription, such as true verbatim or timestamps, can add additional cost.

These factors can be particularly challenging with low-quality audio files, such as those with garbled sound, thick accents or heavy background noise.

What is a Transcription Rate Per File Per Week?

Some transcription services offer per-file pricing. This structure is a good option for businesses that want to keep costs low.

Another common transcription rate structure is per line. Medical transcribers commonly use this structure, ranging from 7-14 cents per line.

Per-page pricing is also common with document typing projects, ranging from $4-15 USD per typed page. This type of transcription rate structure benefits typists by guaranteeing a minimum wage, regardless of audio quality. This type of transcription rate is often accompanied by style guides that dictate specific formatting and speaker identification requirements.

What is a Transcription Rate Per File Per Month?

There are many transcription services out there, and rates vary significantly. Comparing them cannot be easy because the rates are structured differently.

Organizations need audio and video content transcripts but may need more time to transcribe them themselves. This is where a professional transcriber comes in.

Transcripts must be proofread, accurate, and formatted according to a style guide. It offers all this and more with our industry-leading transcription rate structures, including advanced features such as word-by-word timestamps and automated translations into 40+ languages.

What is a Transcription Rate Per File Per Year?

Many transcription companies offer a variety of rate structures, making it difficult to compare one company against another. This quick guide covers the most common rates and what organizations can expect to pay when choosing a transcription service provider.

The per-minute transcription rate is the most common pricing structure and describes the audio or video file length that needs to be transcribed. It’s important to note that the quality of the audio or video file will also influence the price.

Other transcription services charge per text line or by the hour. This type of pricing is commonly used in the medical industry and other specialized industries.