Do you want to learn transcription? You can do it through online transcription courses.
They offer training for beginner transcriptionists and those looking to upgrade or learn specific areas to get their first online job as a transcriptionist.
This post presents a selection of the best of these courses. So you can find out what they are, their contents and what they offer you to achieve your goal of learning transcription in 2023.
Top 10 certified online transcription courses
The best online transcription courses are designed and taught by professionals with a lot of experience and a successful track record in the world of transcription.
Here we present our top 10 and tell you about their contents, main features and what they offer you to become a transcriptionist.
1. General Transcription Training Course
The General Transcripción Training Course has been offered since 2008. It is a 3-week program taught by a team of experienced transcription mentors.
With this course, you learn transcription basics and the desirable qualities and equipment required to run a business in the field.
If you take this course, you will learn with a team of outstanding professionals; you will have the corresponding certificate, internship opportunities and the skills to start working from home.
It will also help you become a faster transcriptionist.
2. General Transcription: Theory & Practice
Janet Shaughnessy is the creator of the General Transcription course; she is a transcriptionist for Zoom services with more than ten years of experience. She offers to develop the participants with the necessary skills to move from a beginner to a professional level.
The course consists of 5 modules and lasts approximately 2 to 4 months.
In this course, you will learn: how to create a transcription web space, basic principles of transcription, transcription software and how to use them, terms and differences of transcription types and templates for time coding, resumes, invoices and others.
This is a very comprehensive and professional-level course. It will give you access to the course content and updated materials for life, and you will get the corresponding certificate.
3. FREE Mini Course: Transcription Foundations
Free Mini Course is also by Janet Shaughnessy and is an introductory training to transcription. It is ideal for those looking for information to discover and decide to become a transcriptionist.
It comprises seven sections, and its contents are what transcription is and its importance, keys to success, how to know if you are the right person to transcribe, what you need to get started and how to develop your transcriptionist venture.
If you decide to take this course, you will learn from a successful professional transcriptionist and will not require additional equipment to learn transcription online.
4. Learn How To Transcribe
The Learn How To Transcribe course is another of the best online transcription courses. It is by Elizabeth Le Roux and aims to teach excellent transcribers, both beginners and those who want to update their knowledge.
It comprises 13 lessons with a duration of 1 hour and 22 minutes. You will learn how to understand, transcribe, correct and edit content to deliver work that exceeds your client's expectations.
It includes an exciting module with intermediate skills for a more advanced transcription level.
It is an informative course with practical, theoretical material that you will find very useful. It has accurate, well-structured content and will make it easier for you to get professional opportunities.
5. Transcription Skills - Learn Beginning to Advanced Skills
Transcription Skills is from Udemy and is taught by Chelsea Flint, who has a lot of experience in transcribing interviews, speeches, and podcasts and shares her valuable learnings for transcribing from home.
It consists of 15 sections and 28 readings, lasting 1 hour and 38 minutes. You will learn how to transcribe and edit, techniques to work with low-quality audio, how to charge for transcribing, basics of grammar, punctuation, and advanced transcription techniques.
It is a very didactic course, suitable for all levels and has a lot of information and more than 30 resources to download. It requires the download of Express Scribe, which has a two-day trial version.
6. How to Become a Transcriptionist
How to Become a Transcriptionist is an introductory course on Udemy taught by Chelsea Flint. It is ideal for beginners and allows you to learn and develop a plan to work from home as a transcriptionist.
This transcription course comprises ten sections and 26 readings, lasting 1 hour and 16 minutes. You learn how to transcribe audio files, how to apply for jobs and create a professional transcriptionist resume, ways to earn money, and typing and grammar skills.
This is a great introductory course for aspiring transcriptionists. Very useful as a foundation for more advanced techniques later on, also if you are looking for more information to decide if the translation is what you want.
7. Step-by-Step Transcription from Home - Start a New Career
Udemy's Step-by-Step is taught by Amanda Fichter, who has extensive and successful experience working in transcription from home.
It offers content of 6 sections, 14 readings, and a total duration of 1 hour and 44 minutes. You will learn the different transcription styles, skills to excel as a transcriptionist, how to set up a work-at-home position and where to find transcription work.
This course is best suited for beginners and focused on working at home. Very useful for gaining confidence and developing a new career.
It has approximately 30 downloadable resources, and the classes show you how to get a stable transcriptionist job from the comfort and security of your home.
8. The Complete Guide to Transcription: ¡Land Your First Job!
Udemy is the creator of The Complete Guide to Transcription. Through this course, Khaqan Chaudhry, a professional transcriptionist and entrepreneur, makes it easy for those interested to learn transcription and getting started in the field.
This course consists of 8 sections, 24 lectures, a total duration of 2 hours and 15 minutes of video. You will learn how to work with audio players and complex audio files, excel in transcription exams and master the process.
This is a practical and very didactic course, with an excellent presentation of class content.
It's great because it uses accurate exam content, which helps build confidence in finding transcriptionist jobs.
9. Legal Transcription: Theory & Practice™
Legal transcription is by Janet Shaughnessy, founder of Transcribe Anywhere. It is aimed at transcriptionists who want to learn legal transcription and become professionals in the area of Legal transcription.
This type of transcriptionist is in high demand by lawyers, insurance companies, and judicial and investigative institutions. It demands a variety of technical transcription that requires the specific training offered by this course.
It includes 14 complete training modules with which you learn the abbreviations and terminology of the legal transcriptionist. It also offers a style guide for legal transcription and downloadable templates with forms.
If you are interested in this area, this course will allow you to learn and become an excellent legal transcriptionist.
10. Transcription and Captioning Masterclass
Transcription and Captioning Masterclass is designed by Nitay L, transcriptionist and proofreader at Upwok, and is aimed at freelancers interested in generating income through transcription.
It focuses on using Upwork, and most teaching is specific to learning on this platform.
The course consists of 23 lessons lasting 1 hour and 57 minutes. You learn from the Upwork website tools to work on transcription and hone skills with hands-on activities.
It contains many examples, practices text and, if you are interested in using Upwork, it has an excellent tutorial for that site.
Frequently asked questions about online transcription courses
This section answers the most commonly asked questions regarding online transcription courses.
Will I learn with these transcription courses?
Yes, you will learn, but it will depend on several factors. Among others, select the right course for your level; if you are a beginner, the ideal is to take an introductory course.
Other factors are interest and dedication. The courses are well structured, but learning depends on you and your effort.
Which transcription course to choose?
There is a diversity of training proposals, and the one that suits you depends on your transcription level and interests.
A good option is TCI's General Transcription course. It is a specialized course with additional resources, ongoing professional support and a guaranteed internship.
And if you already have experience and like the legal field, a perfect option is the Legal Transcription: Theory and Practice™ course.
What are the advantages of taking an online transcription course?
The advantages are many and significant. You will receive training from people with extensive knowledge and successful trajectory in the area, willing to share all this with the participants.
You will have access to lessons with theory and much practice, allowing you to develop the necessary skills. In addition, beyond knowledge, all the information on how to get a job or start a personal project also adds value.
Taking transcription courses, beyond the knowledge and skills you gain, allows you to build a network of contacts, which is very valuable in today's world.
And, not least, it will allow you to have a certificate of training as a transcriptionist.
How much do online transcription courses cost?
The costs vary; you can choose the "Free Mini-Course" with Transcribe Anywhere.
You also have Elizabeth Le Roux's "Learn to Transcribe". With a Skillshare subscription, you can attend Nitay L's transcription and subtitling MasterClass at no additional cost.
Some courses are expensive because they offer additional resources and are long, and are taught by highly qualified professionals in the field.
If you see yourself as a transcriptionist, do not consider the courses an expense. They are an investment that will add value to you in many ways.
How long does it usually take to complete the course?
It depends on your chosen course, from hours for an introductory course to 4 months for the complete one. The latter include theory, a lot of practice and evaluations.
Internships are an additional time to consider and depend on the experience and skills of each participant.
How long does it take to get a job as a transcriptionist after completing the course?
Some courses offer the possibility of teaching how to prepare a more professional and attractive resume. They share information on places where you can explore and get a job as a transcriptionist from home or how to start a business.
Additionally, you will have the chance to network with people in the field, which may very well shorten your search time.
Can I become a transcriptionist if I don't take a course?
Yes, you can develop self-managed learning. But remember that you will not have an expert assessment to evaluate whether you have the necessary competencies and are at the required level.
And since you don't know much about the area, you may learn transcription by trial and error. That means investing time can lead to fatigue and frustration.
Keep in mind: those who work as professional transcriptionists and facilitate learning transcription know about trends and where the future of the field is going. That is essential information you may not get to easily on your own.
Conclusions
We have presented our selection of the ten best online transcription courses. They will help you learn transcription, obtain a training certificate and become professionally involved and develop in the transcription world.
The courses have diverse content, all very relevant, exciting and helpful in learning transcription. In addition, they have attractive didactic material that facilitates learning.
To choose the most suitable course, we suggest you enter the links to the websites of the systems we have presented and read all their information carefully.
The most suitable course will be the one that is in harmony with your knowledge, experience, interests, future projection, the amount of time you can dedicate and the budget you have available for this investment.
From ScriptMe, we wish you the best of success.
