At Tag-Team Transcription, a service offered through Compass Rose Horizons, we provide affordable transcriptions of most digital formats, and we always have a separate proofreader read your document before we deliver it to you!

Transcription Services

Welcome

Welcome to Tag-Team Transcription, a special service offered through Compass Rose Horizons Editorial Services.

Woman Typing, detail from a French postcard, circa 1900.

What We Do

What do we transcribe? You name it! We transcribe business meetings, conference calls, focus groups, lectures, radio and television shows, seminars, panel discussions, and interviews. We can transcribe almost any digital audio format accurately and—most importantly—at a price that’s affordable!

Taking a two-prong approach, your document will be transcribed by one professional and fully proofread by another—including spot-checking against the original audio. This ensures your document will be clear and accurate. (We also proofread transcriptions produced by other transcription companies. For more information, please visit our Proofreading and Editorial Services page.)

Many of our transcriptionists hold English or journalism degrees. Each has worked professionally as a writer, editor, or transcriptionist for ten or more years.

Rather than charge “by the page” or quote an hourly rate, we bill clients a flat fee for each recorded minute of audio—that way there are no surprises when you receive your final bill. If you have a 42-minute recording, you only pay for 42 minutes.

Types Of Transcripts

Verbatim — Every “um” and “ah” is translated just as the speaker said it.
Near-Verbatim — Our most popular transcription format, the near-verbatim transcript is a clean transcript minus all of the verbal ticks—the “ums,” “ahs,” “likes,” and “you knows” are removed.
Multiple Speakers — We will identify the speakers as “male” or “female” unless otherwise requested.
Multiple Speakers with Name Identification — It is easy to distinguish two voices in an audio recording, but add three or more and, unless you’re a linguist, it’s definitely harder to transcribe. For clients who desire multiple speakers identified by name or number, we will require a VHS or DVD so that the transcriptionist can see the speaker.

Transcription Rates

Option 1 — $1.50 / Minute (Base Rate): *Our base rate is for one minute of digital audio with a clear recording of one or two voices.

Option 2 — $2.00 / Minute: *Digital recordings with three speakers; *Any recording where one or more of the voices is difficult to hear; *Any recording with significant noise or static

Option 3 — $3.00 / Minute: *Digital recordings with four or more speakers, i.e., panel discussions, focus groups, seminars, or conference calls; *Recordings with technical/scientific terminology; *Recordings with heavy accents

The quality of your audio does affect our rates. If, after listening to your audio, we encounter problems with the quality, we will contact you immediately to obtain permission to charge at a higher rate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Woman at Her Typewriter, circa 1900. Image courtesy Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

What is your turnaround time?

In most cases, we offer a two- to four-day turnaround of your material. Oftentimes, we are able to get a transcript back to the client sooner than requested.

Are you able to identify multiple speakers in the transcription?

If there are three or more speakers, we will need a DVD copy in order to distinguish one from another.

In what format will I receive my transcript?

Our transcriptionists use Microsoft® Word. For a standard transcript, we use Times New Roman 12-point font. If you prefer a different font, or have your own template, we will work to your specifications. Each speaker’s text is single-spaced. There is a double-space between speakers.

We will e-mail a copy of the completed transcription to any number of recipients. If you require a printout of your transcript, we can supply that at 25¢ a page plus the cost of shipping.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept checks, money orders, and credit cards.

How soon will I have to pay?

We request you pay your final bill within two weeks of receiving your transcription—that way, we can pay our transcriptionists on time!

How do I get my material to you?

Our clients span the globe. You may e-mail your digital files to us at editor@compassrose.com or mail your DVD or CD to:

Compass Rose Horizons
c/o Joanne Asala, Editor
PO Box 409095
Chicago, IL 60640

It’s that simple! At this time, we do not accept microcassettes or analogue audio.

For More Information

Please e-mail editor@compassrose.com with any questions regarding the specifics of your project.