In this era, digital content is king, which has made quality transcription even more important as it plays a pivotal role in making both video and audio files easily searchable. However, unless your transcription has timestamps, its usefulness and impact can be quite limited.
Timestampes not only aid in better navigation throughout the content but also improve its relevance and accuracy. If you want to unlock the true potential of your transcriptions, then you need to learn the art of efficient timestamping.
What is efficient timestamping in transcription?
When done right, timestamping enhances your transcriptions in a number of ways:
- Improve navigation – When users can jump directly to specific points or moments in your audio/video file, it saves them time and improves the efficiency as well as navigation of your transcription.
- Better accessibility – Timestamped transcriptions always make content more accessible for those who have hearing impairments, for example, or those who enjoy reading more than listening.
- More accurate quoting & referencing – Many transcriptions are used for research purposes, where specific moments must be cited and this is where timestamping can make such moments nearly effortless. This promotes the credibility and accuracy of your transcripts.
- Search engine optimisation – When you include timestamps in your transcription, you allow search engines like Google to index and rank the content more easily. This is really important as it improves the searchability and discoverability of your audio or video transcriptions.
Best practices for creating timestamps in transcription
While creating timestamps efficiently in your transcription is about precision, it’s also about attention to detail. Here’s what you should do to ensure that you create effective and accurate timestamps:
Use the appropriate timestamp formats – A standardised timestamp format works best (hours:minutes:seconds, for example), as this helps in maintaining both consistency and clarity in your transcription.
Specify intervals clearly – For those longer-than-usual recordings/sections, it is best to add timestamps at regular intervals. So, that would mean every minute or, perhaps, every 5 minutes. This offers reference points to your users at the different stages of the content, improving accessibility.
Integrate speaker identification – If multiple speakers are present in your content, include speaker labels along with your timestamps, allowing users to easily track who said what and when.
Take your time with the proofing and editing – Once you’ve created your timestamps, proofread the transcription to ensure that it is accurate and coherent, and that there is proper synchronisation between the text and time references. This is very important, so don’t rush it. Do it again (and then again), if you have to.
By implementing the above timestamping best practices, you can ensure that the effectiveness and usability of your transcriptions are greatly enhanced.
Final thoughts
Integrating timestamps correctly into you audio and video transcriptions can greatly enhance user experience, content quality, and accessibility, among other things.
If the above steps seem like too much work or if you’re pressed for time, why not use online transcription services that use high-end automated transcription workflow software to help you manage timestamping?
Learn more about how EQ Transcription Services can be a game changer for your transcripts.
