GMR Transcription has been in business since 2004. The company’s main selling points are (1) its 100% human services, which are (2) provided exclusively by American transcriptionists.
The experts at GMR firmly believe that even the most advanced speech-recognition software can’t outdo the human touch. The company points out on its website that the error rate of human transcriptionists is far less than the error rate of software. And GMR states that its own transcriptionists make far fewer errors than the average transcriptionist does. Simply put, GMR Transcription beats automatic transcription hands down.
As for the insistence on U.S.-based transcriptionists, GMR asserts that this policy ensures maximum security, confidentiality, accuracy, quality control, communication, reliability, professionalism, and experience. If your source material is in American English, then it only makes sense to have an American transcription handle it for you.
We’ve based our review of GMR Transcription on the company’s own website and on our experience using it. The following summary should help you make a decision on whether or not to try GMR.
GMR Transcription displays its pricing in a matrix according to turnaround time and features of your audio file. For general transcription, these combinations yield 24 rates per recorded minute.
The turnaround times are as follows:
Audio quality is divided into the following categories:
Thus, your general transcription rate through GMR will range from a low of $1.25 per recorded minute to a max of $4.50 per recorded minute.
Video transcription through GMR is priced according to the same matrix with a slightly higher range of rates, starting at $1.75 per recorded minute and going to $5.00 per recorded minute.
Text-to-text transcription, which essentially is the conversion of paper documents to digital files, is available with 5 different turnaround times. This service is priced by the page from $6.00 to $15.00.
GMR also offers Spanish-to-Spanish transcription, which is primarily for U.S. Spanish. This is a specific dialect that differs from Mexican, Central American, and European Spanish. Pricing for this service is displayed in a 4×4 matrix to yield 16 different rates.
Extra services such as correction of grammar, verbatim transcription, and time codes are available for an added fee. Special templates or formatting may be subject to a surcharge.
We entered an order for an English audio transcription with the following parameters:
The estimated order amount came to $22.50.
GMR makes client registration easy via a 4-step process. The web interface at this stage is sleek and user-friendly. Simply enter your basic information and details. Then add your billing information to pay the one-time registration fee of $1.00. Finally, review your registration confirmation.
Once you’ve registered, you’ll have access to an account dashboard that simplifies your tasks. Action buttons are marked clearly and sorted neatly.
Placing your order is a smooth 4-step process as well:
GMR guarantees 99% accuracy on its transcriptions of good-quality audio, which is about as good as it gets in this industry. If GMR doesn’t meet 99% accuracy on good audio, it’ll redo your transcript free of charge.
It’s important to note, however, that lots of factors can make an audio “difficult” quality, which is true of most companies. If your audio file includes thick accents, heavy background noise, people talking over one another, or technical terminology, then it falls into the “difficult” category, which isn’t guaranteed at 99% accuracy.
Still, whether your audio is good or difficult, you get the benefit of 100% human-generated transcription, so your results are always of the best quality possible.
If U.S. English is a top priority for your transcription needs, GMR Transcription is an excellent choice. And we applaud its integrity for sticking to human-based transcription in a world of increasing automation.
Rev started offering online transcription services in 2010. The platform was built by MIT classmates who wanted to create a flexible workplace for freelancers. The brains behind Rev believe that employee satisfaction translates to customer satisfaction in the form of speedy file turnaround.