Transcription Services

Due to popular demand, Prime Languages are proud to announce the addition of Transcription & Translation to our services. It is quite often we find ourselves with a piece of material that requires translation that is not in written format. It is highly possible to have the source material in Audio or Video format. This is where Transcription Services come into the picture.

Our Transcription Services can Transcribe and Translate both Audio and
Video files and deliver them to you in a variety of file formats.

What is Transcription?

Transcription involves our linguists listening or watching the recorded material and transforming the speech into a written format. The transcribed recording is now in the form of a written text document that can be translated into any of the 150 languages that we cover.

Whereas normal translation is simply one language translated into another, Transcription involves two extra steps. The first step is listening to the recorded material and producing a written document of the audio which is then translated. The second step is then to replace the original audio on the recorded material with the translated language which is spoken by native linguists.

Transcription Process

The Transcription process begins with our Client Manager determining which category the recording falls into. For example, this could be a technical presentation, medical explanation or even a financial report. This preliminary process allows the manager to select the translator who is most familiar to do the translation work.

The linguist then listens to the recorded material and produces a time-stamped transcribe of the audio. In order to replace the audio with the translated audio it is necessary to record who is speaking with a time-stamp so that it can be replaced at the exact location of the recording.

The process depends on how many target languages the customer wants. For example, if the audio is to be converted into several languages, then a standard English script of the source will be taken which will then be sent for translation into all desired languages.

Once the transcript has been translated into all desired languages, it will be proofread and then returned to the customer in their desired format. This can be as a transcription document, subtitles adding to the original recording, or as voiceovers to replace the original recording. For the voiceovers, we obtain the services of native linguists who are suited to perform the voiceover parts. (Outtakes Recommendation)

Who Needs it?

Prime Languages Transcription Services can be used and are requested by individuals and organisations alike. Transcription & Translation is particularly popular in the Legal sector, where audio/video interviews are requested in writing and in many cases are required to be translated into different languages for the purpose of court hearings.

Similarly, this service is increasingly in demand within the Media sector. With the blossom of world cinema, documentary film making, international marketing campaigns and the rise of global corporations. Any commercial audio/visual material will inevitably pass through the Transcription and Translation process, ensuring the consistency of the intended message to the target audience.

Transcription File Formats

We are happy to conduct our transcription services using any recorded format. All we ask is that the recording is of a quality that enables our linguists to clearly hear the intended speech within them. Most commonly used formats include:

• MP3
• MP4
• mov
• mpeg
• wav
• CD
• DVD
• Cassette

Transcription Costs

Prime Languages Transcription Services: due to the longer process involved in transcribing the recordings we have a flat rate for this service:

£140.00 per half hour of source video or audio, any translation required are chargeable at our current rates.

Translation Services: Generally costs are calculated per 1000 words of source text. It is difficult to determine the exact number of words used within the video or audio recording.

However, for the English language we estimate that a 60 minutes recorded interview involving 2 people will yield approximately 6000 spoken words. Similarly an individual 60 minute recording using a dictaphone will yield between 7,000 and 10,000 spoken words.

These figures relate to the English language only. Other languages are constructed using varying word lengths and hence the numbers can change greatly. Japanese for example uses shorter words and the count per 60 minutes is likely to be much higher than for English.

We can provide a Quick Translation Quote or our Free Callback Service.
Alternately, please telephone +44 (0)207 785 7198.

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