Need options for transcription for beginners? General transcription is something you can do to earn money from home that does not always require experience or an education to get started, although those things don't hurt.
However, learning to do the work fast and efficiently will likely take some time because it's not as easy as most people think it will be at first.
In case you're not familiar with it, transcription basically involves listening to an audio file and typing out what you hear. Below, we've shared with you a handful of ways to get started in transcription as a complete beginner!
Transcription Facts
- Work may not be steady, so spread yourself around and do work for more than just one company if it looks like you won't have enough to stay busy.
- Companies that hire beginners often don't pay as well as companies that require experience, so the money you earn may end up being just extra cash.
- The companies listed below will require you to take a skills test before they will accept you to do the work, just to gauge your ability to follow instructions and your typing speed.
Transcription For Beginners
1. Quicktate
Quicktate is one of the most companies that offer transcription for beginners, and also one of the most respected. Pay ranges from 1/4 to 1/2 cent per word transcribed and pay is via Paypal twice a month.
You have to take a test when you sign up and if you do well you should hear back eventually. Also, Quicktate will do a background check on you prior to hiring you due to the sensitive nature of some of the files you may be transcribing. The cost for this is $15.
Go here to apply or here to read our review of Quicktate.
2. Scribie
Scribie, which used to be known by the name of Call Graph, is another option. However, they are also one of the lowest-paying companies on this list, offering only $10 per audio hour.
When you apply, you'll have to take a transcription test before you're “in.” Scribie pays via Paypal and you only need $1 in your account to cash out, which makes me think this might be a good go-to site when you need some extra cash in a pinch.
Go here to apply to Scribie or read our full review of their opportunity.
3. TranscribeMe
Many of my readers use this site regularly (when there is work available). They pay $20 an audio hour and signing up is easy. Take a short exam that gets graded automatically (the exam is easy) and if you pass with good enough accuracy, you are in the system and can start transcribing.
You only do very short eight to ten second audio files, and they pay every week with Paypal.
TranscribeMe is also one of many jobs that pay weekly you can do from home.
Go here to apply at TranscribeMe or read our review of the company.
4. AccuTran Global
AccuTran Global is a legit transcription company that will hire beginners, although you do have to take a skills test first.
You work based on a schedule that they provide for you after you tell them when you're available on a weekly basis. Most of the work involves transcribing financial conference calls.
They pay $0.005/word for beginning transcribers on basic audio and up to $0.0066/word for difficult or foreign audio done by senior transcribers. Pay is monthly via check or wire transfer. They are open to the US and Canada.
Go here to apply at AccuTran Global or go here to read our review.
5. Rev
Rev has been around for a few years now and are known for hiring beginners, although their skills test that you must initially take can be difficult to pass. According to the site, some transcribers are able to earn over $200 monthly, making this an option for extra cash.
They also offer video captioning work.
Go here to apply at Rev or read our Rev review here.
6. Tigerfish
Tigerfish is another well-known transcription company that will consider hire beginners, and they have been around for a long time.
They pay 3 to 4 cents per line transcribed and you must download and transcribe some audio files as a test, which will involve downloading the Express Scribe software (free).
You can go here to apply at Tigerfish or here to read our review.
7. Daily Transcription
This company claims they're always on the lookout for either skilled or novice transcribers.
You can work full- or part-time for this company, and they prefer if you can be “on call” since assignments come and go. They are not able to guarantee you'll have a set amount of work each week. They require a resume and transcription testing is mandatory for all applicants.
You can go here to apply at Daily Transcription.
8. Freelance Sites
Amazon mTurk and Upwork are a few other freelance sites to use for work. Please keep in mind that finding transcription work on these sites is not a guarantee and the rate you'll be working for will vary depending on the client.
Amazon MTurk offers a great way to “practice” transcription without having to actually apply to a specific company. If you have an account, you can try some easy transcription HITs on there just to get a feel for how it works.
SpeechInk is one requester on MTurk that often puts transcription HITs up. You can also just type “transcription” into the search bar on MTurk to find other companies with transcription HITs.
Keep in mind that some of these requesters will ask that you either take a short, easy test before attempting their work or will ask that you request a qualification from them.
Are you serious about pursuing a career in transcription?
If you don't know a lot about transcribing from home and are very curious about doing this as your career, I recommend Transcription Foundations – a free 7-lesson mini-course that teaches you all about general transcription, how much you can earn, where to find work, and more. Good luck!
Post originally published on October 5, 2011. Updated and re-published on March 25, 2020.
Hi! I love all your posts. Very informative. I had a question about TranscribeME. It looks like one needs to have a Yammer! account but it says there that a verifiable company email address needs to be entered.. I don’t’ have a business or company of any sort so what would I do?
Update: Looks like you can use your school email, if you have one, which I do so it worked out well. (:
Hey Anna,
It’s been about a year since I visited this post on Transcription. Fortunately, I’m starting to get the hang of transcription a little bit more so than before. I’ve transcribed a couple things off YouTube (a documentary and a radio show program clip). So far, I seem to be getting a grasp for the words a little bit better since I brought that microphone headset from Target.
Hi, Anna,
I saw Speechpad’s comment, and although I don’t believe they hire other than through MTurk, I do know that CastingWords has plans that have been indefinitely in the works to do this. But “indefinitely” means just that—they don’t have any particular target date to launch it.
However, considering how easy it is to start working for most MTurk transcription requesters and how fast the payments through MTurk are (I get mine in my bank account the next day, with no fees ever), I would think that anyone in the US would rather work for any of the MTurk requesters through MTurk, rather than outside. (I say “in the US” because as of sometime in July, they were no longer accepting registrations from non-US workers.)
Since I’m here, I also thought I’d mention something about transcription payrates on MTurk. For example, based on rates that you mention for Scribie or TranscribeMe, the upper ranges of pay for MTurk transcription shops definitely beat those, sometimes by double, triple, or more. So although MTurk does have a lot of low-paying work, I think transcription there is a rare bright spot. I highly recommend it! The opportunities and good pay are definitely there when you make a point of looking, although it does help to know where to look.
Thank you Amy! This is good to know.
I want to add that Speechpad (aka SpeechInk) also hires newbies for general transcription work and right now we looking for 80 new transcribers.
Thank you! Are you guys through Mturk? Or are you hiring directly now?
They seem to only work through Mturk. Mturk is not a reliable place to work for. They still owe me money. Their tasks are very low paying. And many people have been kicked off the site for no apparent reason. And communication is horrible. (Do a search.) I wish that this company would forgo the middle man and take on people directly.