What are transcription services?

Transcription is a service that most companies only think about when a specific need arises. Meanwhile, converting audio and video recordings into written text is one of those processes that genuinely speeds up work – from journalists and researchers to lawyers and content creators. However, before deciding whether to outsource it to professionals, it's worth understanding what this service entails and what to expect from it.

The popularity of transcription

Audio transcription has become a standard part of work in dozens of industries today. Voice and video communication has replaced written text in many areas, meaning that quantity of material for transcription It's growing year by year. Recording interviews, video conferences, webinars, or podcasts is now an everyday thing. Transcription is nothing more than converting these recordings into text that can be searched, quoted, and archived.

Many companies are still not utilizing the full potential of their recordings, leaving valuable content locked within audio files. Meanwhile, transcription unlocks this data anew, making it easier to analyze, create reports, and improve search engine rankings.

What is audio transcription?

Audio transcription is the process of converting speech from an audio or video file into written text. This can be any recording containing sound – an interview record, qualitative research material, a speech recording, a company video conference, or a podcast. The result is a text file that can be edited, quoted, or published.

For journalists, researchers, and content creators, transcription is a time-saving tool. Instead of repeatedly listening to a recording to find a specific segment, you can simply search the text. This directly translates to faster work and meeting deadlines.

Interview recording

In journalism, transcription is fundamental to the craft. It allows reporters to focus on the interviewee instead of note-taking and ensures that no statement is missed or distorted. A searchable transcript also shortens editing time and makes it easier to verify quotes before publication. Transcription is equally essential in the world of video. Many viewers consume content without sound, and captions or text descriptions significantly improve the accessibility and reach of the material.

Transcription Software vs. Human Transcription

Since 2021, the market for automatic transcription tools has changed dramatically. AI-powered language models, such as Whisper and solutions built into platforms from Google, Microsoft, and others, achieve very high accuracy today with recordings under controlled conditions. For many applications, this is a sufficient solution – fast, cheap, and available without specialized knowledge.

However, the limits of automatic tools are clearly visible when multiplayer recordings, in materials with loud background noise, specialized industry jargon, or strong regional accents. In qualitative research, court transcripts, or journalistic interviews, not only is accurate recording required, but also attributing statements to specific speakers and maintaining the appropriate context. This is an area where humans are still indispensable.

It's also worth remembering that many research, legal, or medical projects require full confidentiality. Sending recordings through external AI services carries the risk of data breaches, which is why some clients consciously choose services performed by a verified transcriber. Recording and analyzing information is the foundation of every research project. Focus groups, interviews, and all kinds of research techniques require accurate records in order to work with qualitative data at all.

Interview with Kamil Zaborowski, owner of SpiszeTo

To better understand what transcription work looks like from the inside, we asked Kamil Zaborowski, owner of the company SpiszeTo, about the behind-the-scenes of this industry. It turns out that behind this seemingly simple service lies much more than most clients expect.

Editor SpiszeTo is a platform that simplifies and streamlines the process of creating and managing any type of report, document, or inventory. We cater to a wide range of users, including: * **Businesses:** For generating financial reports, employee records, project documentation, inventory lists, and more. * **Educational Institutions:** For creating student reports, administrative documents, research papers, and course materials. * **Government Agencies:** For official record-keeping, statistical reports, and public service documentation. * **Individuals:** For personal record-keeping, managing household inventories, creating personal documents, or any situation requiring organized data entry and reporting. Essentially, anyone who needs to create structured documents, track information, and generate reports can benefit from SpiszeTo.

Kamil Zaborowski from SpiszeTo: Our company specializes in professional transcription of audio and video recordings into written text. We work with both private individuals and companies, academic institutions, law firms, and research agencies. We treat every order individually, because every recording is different – different speaking pace, different sound quality, different industry context.

Editor What distinguishes human transcription from that generated automatically by AI tools?

Kamil Zaborowski from SpiszeTo: This question comes up very often. Automated tools do a decent job with clean recordings where one person speaks clearly into the microphone. The problem starts with on group recordings, background noise, regional accents, or specialized vocabulary. A human transcriber understands the context, knows that „koszty UoP” is an abbreviation for employment contract, not a typo, and can sensibly assign utterances to specific speakers. Automatic tools simply do not do this.

Editor Which industries use your services most often?

Kamil Zaborowski from SpiszeTo: A large group consists of researchers – both students writing theses and professional agencies. qualitative research. Another important group is lawyers and law firms. A lot of orders also come from journalists, video content creators, and podcasters who want a written version of their materials for SEO purposes or for editing.

Editor What is the most difficult part of recording in Polish?

Kamil Zaborowski from SpiszeTo: Polish phonology doesn't make life easier for algorithms or beginner transcribers. We have a lot of sibilants, softenings, dialects, and loanwords from other languages that sound non-standard. On top of that, there are phone recordings or those from video conferences, where audio compression can be truly ruthless. With such materials, the working time is longer, and the risk of error increases if someone approaches it without experience.

Editor Here's what I would say to someone commissioning a transcription for the first time: "Welcome! I'm happy to help with your transcription project. Since this is your first time, I want to make sure you have a smooth experience. To get started, please provide me with the audio or video file you need transcribed. It's also helpful if you can tell me: * **The approximate length of the recording:** This helps me estimate the turnaround time. * **Any specific formatting requirements:** Do you need speaker identification, timestamps, verbatim (including stutters and false starts), or a clean read? * **Any specific terminology or jargon:** If the recording is technical or specialized, let me know so I can ensure accuracy. * **Your desired deadline:** Please provide me with any specific dates you need the transcription by. Once I have the file and understand your needs, I can provide you with a quote and an estimated completion time. I'll aim to deliver a high-quality, accurate transcript that meets your expectations. Don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have along the way. I'm here to make this process as easy as possible for you."

Kamil Zaborowski from SpiszeTo: First and foremost: don't assume the recording is „good enough.” Before submitting the file, it's always worth listening to a snippet to check if the voice is understandable and if there isn't too much background noise. It's also worth noting immediately if you need verbatim transcript – meaning with every „um” and „uh” – or rather, a read version, cleaned of unnecessary interjections. These are two different services and have different applications. The more information you provide at the start, the faster and more accurately we can complete the order.