Transcription work such as that done at home typically involves either typing from dictation or typing content from a source, such as a television program's soundtrack or a videotape of a lecture.
Types
Transcription categories include general, medical and legal, according to Worldwideworkathome.com. While the medical profession accounts for the most transcription work, especially for home-based transcriptionists, medical transcription also requires both a higher level of typing skill than other types and a knowledge of medical terminology.
Work from Home
Some experienced transcriptionists choose a home-based working environment. Typically, home-based transcriptionists work as self-employed freelancers, but some work through agencies that employ transcriptionists on a per-project basis.
Duties
Work for a home-based transcriptionist may include picking up source material and returning the completed work to the client; alternately a client may use a Web-based portal or a courier service to provide source material.
Process
Once a transcriptionist has the source material, she types out the material from the audio source, proofreads the manuscript and returns typed documents using the same means with which the client provided the source material.
Starting Out
Starting out with home-based transcription first requires transcription experience gained by similar work done at an employer's office. The next step in establishing a home-based transcription career is to locate one or more clients.
Earnings
As with any freelance or independent consulting business, the earnings vary greatly depending on how full a schedule the individual chooses to work and how specialized, such as medical or legal versus general transcription. Also, the client often pays per recorded time versus by the page or hour, meaning the faster a specific transcriptionist's typing speed the higher the hourly rate. Representative hourly rates, however, include $12 or $18 an hour according to Workfromhomeguide.net; or $10 to $20 an hour, according to Transcription.net.
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