I think that I really must be suffering from the curse of knowledge!
I have talked to a number of people recently about some of the equipment I use as part of my transcription business, and I would say that a majority of them had no idea that such a thing as a foot pedal even existed, let alone be an essential part of my toolkit!
So this week I decided to record a short video where I explain a little bit about some of the hardware I use in my business. To cut a long story short, I would find it very hard to do what I do without the following:
My headphones
Yes, you can hear audio through your computer’s speakers, but the wearing of headphones immediately helps to shut out any external noise. I find it also focuses my attention more, and I’m less likely to miss out audio where the sound might dip or one of the speakers’ voices is, shall we say, a little bit mumbly.
My wireless keyboard/mouse
I used the laptop keyboard in the early days, but I don’t really think these are designed for a LOT of typing (which is what I do, obviously!), plus the keys are too shallow and close together. Using a wireless keyboard also means I can put my laptop on a riser, which takes it up to my eye level and is better for my posture.
My foot pedal
Absolutely essential! I can use this to play, rewind and fast forward the audio I’m listening to, which enables me to focus on the typing part of the job, which is obviously the most important part of transcription. I can’t imagine how anybody attempting to transcribe their audio/video would manage without this tool!
Express Scribe
I don’t mention this in the video, but this is the software I use, which supports audio and video formats such as mp3, mp4, wav and Windows Media files. It also works in conjunction with my foot pedal, unlike other media players, plus you can slow down or speed up the voices.
So, what are the essential tools you use in YOUR business? Have a look at my video, and let me know what you can’t manage without.
Catherine
Thanks for an interesting insight into what you do. In my case it prompted a “wee daunder” down Memory Lane.
When I started working in an office in the mid-1970s there were still shorthand typists. Dictating machines were “new-fangled” in our office and the girls used foot-pedals, like the one in your video, to control the tape machines.
However, the girls also liked to take live dictation from time to time so that they didn’t lose their shorthand skills, hard-earned at college.
Giving shorthand dictation was always a bit embarrassing for me, as I hummed and hawed through my letters or reports, and the typist sat with a bored or long-suffering expression waiting for my words of wisdom. They could probably have written it in long-hand, the speed I dictated!
I much preferred the dictating machine where you could pause the tape to gather your thoughts or rewind to make corrections.
Today, my essential tools are email, the telephone and the internet.
Just last month our office moved away from a physical fax machine to an email-based fax service. From this month, many of our files will be paperless – entirely on-screen as editable documents or images of documents.
Regards
Mac
It’s amazing how things have changed over the years – my dad was a solicitor before he retired, and I used to be fascinated by his Dictaphone as a child, but I can just imagine how frustrating actual tapes must have been, especially if they got tangled up! Digital recordings are so much better.