The Role of A Proofreader In Transcription!

In a transcription company that provides audio transcription service, proofreader is part of the QA team and works at different levels to ensure that the final document sent to the client achieves close to 100% accuracy. Transcriptionists are simultaneously typing and listening to an audio file while transcribing, which leaves the room for mistakes. Moreover, transcription is done at a rather fast pace, which it makes it prone to errors. The role of the proofreader is to be the second set of eyes and ears before a document reaches to the client, so as to maintain high accuracy levels. Similar to medical proofreading, the proofreader of audio transcription service doesn't go through the text of completed transcript while proofreading. Instead, he/she will listen to the same audio that transcriptionist has listened, and to find out errors. In addition, the proofreader is also responsible for formatting the document according to the client's specifications. This includes using specific fonts, adding specific headers, adding or removing page numbers etc.

In short, audio transcription service includes checking for grammatical and textual errors, filling in any words or phrases missed by the transcriptionists, formatting document according to the client’s specifications and performing final quality check on the document.

Business transcription companies mostly work with digitally recorded audio of people speaking in meetings, interviews, conferences, presentations, company announcements, etc., which is later converted into written text for future references.

Few errors might occur if someone is typing at a high speed, that's the reason why errors are left behind even by experienced transcriptionists. These mistakes are revealed while transcription proofreading is done, and that's the reason why transcriptionist's role is so important. This is where a transcript proofreader's role becomes an absolute necessity, as transcription proofreader is the one who ensures accuracy of a transcript before it is sent to the clients.