How long does it take to transcribe an hour of recording?

The most important thing to remember is that it's just not possible to type as fast as you speak. Even an experienced transcriptionist will only be able to average four times as long for a good, clear one-to-one interview, so an hour of recording will take an average of four hours to transcribe.* Transcriptionists also have to make sense of what's being said, punctuate the speech correctly and use the right homophones (words like there/their/they're that sound the same but are spelt differently.) However, the quality of your recording will make an enormous difference to how long the transcription really does take.

Per audio minute prices

The per audio minute prices that we quote for digital transcription are based on the length of time we believe that your transcription will take. We have some standard prices for different types of transcription, based on our experience of carrying out transcriptions over the years. However we can also tailor a quote for you based on the information you provide us with by phone or through our on-line quote request form. Provided you give us accurate information then the price is fixed, allowing you to budget more easily. For example, a clear one-to-one interview will cost £1.35 per audio minute to transcribe in most circumstances. Please see our students and universities pages for discounts available to students, universities, charities and institutions, and our other tailored pages for prices of other kinds of transcription.

So how can you make sure that your transcript is clear, in order to get an affordable transcription price? Basically, the easier you make the transcription for the transcriptionist, the more likely we are to be able to give you an affordable transcription quote.

First of all, use the best transcription equipment you can afford, and make sure it's fit for purpose. Please see our pages about meetings and round table discussions, interviews, conferences, focus groups, oral history projects, and Voxpops to find out what you need. Or see our transcription articles for information on buying digital recording equipment, and advice on recording interviews or focus groups.

We work to standard formats for interviews, meetings and conferences. We are happy to work to your specifications, but the standard format will probably be quicker for us to type, and will therefore take less time and so cost you less. We're happy to send you an example of standard format for the type of transcription you need. So think carefully about whether you need something different or not.