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Showing posts from April, 2018

What does a copy typist do and what is copy typing?

The history of printing and the ability to imprint and the use of seals goes back to the early times of Mesopotamian civilisation before 3000 BCE.   After the initial printing process got developed over the ages came handwriting experts and then advancing to manually operated machines to produce printed characters onto paper.  This mechanical device was a typewriter and naturally followed the development of quick typing method, known as ‘touch typing’ by Frank Edward McGurrin in 1888. Typewriters increased the speed of producing documents, letters, and other important reading material at that time.  Learning to touch type meant that you could get a job and earn a living wage.  Many businesses were using these devices and required touch-typists to produce letters and documents. Even though typewriters are no longer used in this advanced technological age, computers and word processors are now used. The good news is that doesn’t necessarily put the touch-typist out of a job

What does a transcriber do and what is audio transcription?

Recording interviews, conversations, meetings and such like is easier now than it ever has been. Technology has advanced so far where now we can record on our smartphones at the touch of a button. A  Transcriber's Foot Pedal Using modern technology in this way, as a back-up  for detail discussed in a  meeting, for example, or interviewing someone for academic study or a journalist interview. Most of these recordings are made with the intention of converting them into text, and this can be very time-consuming, even for the quickest of typists. Sometimes you don’t always catch what was said the first time, even if you were participating in the recording. Going back just a few seconds, just to catch it again is very difficult without professional transcribing software and a foot pedal. (See the picture to the right as an example of a typical foot pedal used by a transcriber.) This is where outsourcing your recorded audio or video to a general transcri