Have trouble remembering your lectures? The answer to your problem is to transcribe them. Transcribing has gone a long way now. It is a process wherein recorded files from classes and meetings are transformed into text.
With many transcribing tools and apps in the market today, getting notes from your lectures isn’t as hard as before. Truthfully, many students have already benefited from these transcribing tools.
It does not only give you ease with note taking, but it also saves you time and energy. So, instead of spending your time and energy on writing notes in class, you can use that time to focus more on the lecture.
We have prepared three (3) easy steps to record and transcribe your lecture!
Step 1: Ask for Permission from Your Lecturer
The first thing you should do before recording any class lectures is getting permission from your lecturer. Unfortunately, not many teachers and professors allow their students to record their lectures. The main reason is that they want to avoid thefts from stealing their intellectual property. And we have to respect that since it is their hard-earned knowledge, you are copying.
You’re lucky enough if your professor will allow you to record the lectures. Some others give out lecture notes, especially to disabled students. And if ever your professor allowed you to record the lecture, be decent enough not to make memes out of their class. Never attempt to make fun of the recordings in any way.
Step 2: Record the Whole Lecture
So, after the many talks and begging, you have finally got your professor’s approval. The next thing you can do is choose what recording method you will use before recording the whole lecture. Then, familiarize yourself with several recording apps and tools. Also, consider the type of class you are in, like the virtual and in-person classes.
Be familiar with the tools you will use. If you are attending a virtual class, many conferencing apps for virtual class allow recording from your desktop or laptop. All you need to do is to ask your professor or the host to allow you to record the lesson. Before you start recording, you should check the setting of your microphone recording. Enable it so you can record the audio from the lecture.
After all settings on your computer are checked, the next thing to inspect is the internet connection. Again, make sure that it is on its best status. Lastly, check the power supply of your device. If you are using a desktop, make sure that you have an alternative device to use. And if you are using a laptop, have the charger ready.
For in-person classes or lectures, make sure to place your recording device at the best distance from the speaker. Ensure that the audio is audible enough to be quickly transcribed later on.
Step 3: Start Transcribing
Now that you have your lecture recordings, you can finally transcribe them into text. Don’t you worry because this is the easiest part! First, find the best app or platform that you can use to transcribe your recording. Then, once you have chosen the perfect one, upload your file to the app.
Some apps will ask you to create an account before using it. You may even have to pay a certain amount for some applications. But once you’re done registering, signing up, or paying for the payments, all that’s left for you to do is to click the ‘transcribe’ button. Choose the text format you want, and after a few minutes, you will have a text format for your lecture.
It is as easy as that!
Other Apps You Can Use to Transcribe Lectures
You are now familiar with the easy steps to transcribe lectures. But, you are left being torn on which transcribing application you can use. So, we have prepared a list of some famous and widely used transcribing apps and platforms. Choose the one that will cater to your needs!
Otter
Otter is one of the best applications for starters. Both android and iPhone users can access this platform. If you don’t want to subscribe to its premium version, you can use the app for a total of 600 minutes of recordings every month. However, if you’re going to get the most application features, you pay at least $19.99 monthly or a $99.99 yearly subscription.
So, what are the features you can get from a premium subscription? First, your total minutes can increase from 600 minutes to 6,000 minutes. The app can recognize your voice. This feature can lead to a more accurate transcription of your lectures. The only downside of the app is it only supports the English language. So, if you are recording a lecture in another language, Otter may not be able to transcribe the lecture for you.
Rev Voice Recorder
Rev Voice Recorder is another great app to use. This application can record both voice and audio. It will create a file after recording from the app. Then, it will transcribe the file directly from your phone. If you use it as a recorder, first enable a microphone in your device or plug an external microphone into it.
It will automatically organize your file and transcribe it to text. Unfortunately, Rev is a paid application. But if you are not sure if this application is for you, you can have a free trial. You can only enable the free trial on your first transcript. After that, you can transcribe your file for up to 10 minutes on the free trial.
If you have six-minute audio, you cannot use the remaining minutes on your subsequent transcription. Remember that the free trial only works on your first transcription.
Rev can give you the best features. However, this app may not be for you if you have a tight budget. The reason is that it can charge up to $60 to transcribe a one-hour-long recording. Aside from that, you will also be encouraged to sign in to the application. They do it for the security of your account and any payment purposes.
TranscribeMe
The last app on the list is TranscribeMe. This application is one of the most recommended apps for transcribing audio to text. The application features both an in-app recorder and transcription. But if you already have a recorded file on hand, you can upload your file to the app.
One of the edges this app has is it allows users to choose between AI and human-based transcriptions. The only downside of this app is that it does not offer a free subscription. The price you have to pay differs depending on the feature you want to utilize. For example, if you wish to use an AI-based transcription, you may prepare $6 per hour. And if you want a human-based transcription, the payment is $75 per hour.
Also, before you can use the application, you have to create an account for security purposes. Don’t worry much about this because you can register by linking your Facebook or Google account to it. By doing so, you do not need to get in trouble remembering passwords.
Studying and taking notes for your lecture doesn’t have to be a butthurt moment for you as a student. For sure, you have lots of other tasks to do. To make your student life more convenient, record and transcribe your lectures! And do not dwell on the troubles of note taking anymore!
Caroline is doing her graduation in IT from the University of South California but keens to work as a freelance blogger. She loves to write on the latest information about IoT, technology, and business. She has innovative ideas and shares her experience with her readers.