Transcription Categories

When someone talks about doing transcription work at home, they are most often referring to medical transcription (MT). This is because MT provides the most steady volume of work. However, there is also general transcription and legal insurance.

Transcription Pay

Most transcription jobs also pay based on performance, or production. Visit Verifiable Billing for a detailed explanation of medical transcription billing units. Most MT jobs pay by one of the units described.

Basic Skills

All transcription jobs have one thing in common: the ability to listen to dictation and interpret it. Not all dictators speak clearly, not all dictators dictate with good grammar and not all dictators are organized. You will encounter dictators in all types of transcription for whom English is their second language (ESL) and they may be difficult to understand.

Medical Transcription is highly specialized and requires not only developed American English skills, but education in medical terminology and transcription. This is not a career that is easy or fast to enter, regardless of claims you may have seen. There are only a handful of education centers that provide a truly top-notch preparation for job seekers.

General transcription may be easier to enter but requires advanced American English skills and knowledge of a variety of styles and formats. General transcription may include insurance, investigation, law enforcement, television transcripts, interviews, focus groups, telephone conversations, podcasts and conferences.

Legal transcription requires knowledge of legal terminology, styles and formats, as well as excellent American English.

Getting started