The use of recording devices as tools in claims adjusting, medical examinations or treatment and within the legal profession and the corporate world has facilitated the work of people using those devices. Generally, the devices serve to increase the speed of the gathering information either over the telephone or in person. It generally saves money to use recording devices because it saves time as well as manpower, it is also accurate in its integrity. Occasionally, recorded material needs to be transcribed to hard copy.

Transcribing material from English to English or from any other language to any other language including English, as part of a three way two language conversation on tape is becoming an important part of dealing with words.

Here are a couple of personal examples where transcribing became necessary for the end user. An entire three day conference was recorded on normal cassette tape adding up to approximately 17 cassettes. As a means of offering minutes to the attendees, the conference organizer wanted the cassettes transcribe in order to post the contents of the tapes on the internet. Another example which is more common, an insurance company used a recorder to record statements with a Vietnamese client using an interpreter. The case was going sour and the company needed to have a hard copy of the interviews. There were three voices on the tape: the adjuster in English, the interpreter in Vietnamese then, the claimant in Vietnamese and then again the interpreter in English. A Vietnamese accredited interpreter/translator was used to transcribed verbatim what was said on tape. This of course had two benefits: firstly it verified the original interpretation as being correct and secondly provided the insurance company with a hard copy of all exchanges between them and the claimant.

The type of recorder used as well as the type of cassette or micro-cassette used can have an impact on the length of time, cost and quality of the transcription to be delivered in the end. Costs can vary tremendously from a simple English only transcription on regular equipment at $25.00 per hour to $70.00 per hour for a rarely used language which may not be easily accepted by the average fonts in a word processor.

Transcriptions are often required when claims cases until then on tape only, are now likely to go to mediation or trial. Dictated notes or statements now need to be on hard copy whether paper or computer disks. Transcriptions before a proceeding can be as valuable as Court Reporters transcribing court proceedings during or after a trial.

Corporate human resources are shrinking and demands on the employees are increasing which has lead independent firms to move in the direction of transcription as a viable means to diversify their businesses.