Transcription – one of the oldest professions

Transcriptionists may not be the oldest profession in the world but we can still trace our roots back millennia.

While the techniques and tools may have changed the basis of what we do remains the same. Transcription is the process of converting expressed language (spoken or sign) into written form.

There are records of scribes from ancient Greece and Rome and Imperial China who used shorthand, or stenography, to record speeches or official proceedings using a combination of symbols, characters and abbreviations as substitutes for whole words. These shorthand notes would then be rewritten to create more formal transcripts that the everyday person could read. There have been many variations of shorthand over the years but probably one of the most well known is that of Sir Isaac Pitman published in 1837.

As technology progressed, so too did the method of recording, and ultimately transcription, of the spoken word. The development of the typewriter followed by the stenotype or stenowriter (still used in modern day parliamentary records) and later the computer. Recording equipment has followed a similar developmental pathway, from phonograph to reel-to-reel tapes and more recently digital recordings and voice recognition software. All, in their own way, have transformed the way we provide transcription services. And each chapter has required the transcriptionist to learn new skills and undertake specialised training in order to transform your spoken words into a long-lasting written record.

With the increases in technology and transcription services, all you need now is your smartphone to create professional documents. Simply use a recording app to record your correspondence, notes from meetings or discussion groups, study notes and dissertations, or even your own personal history and send the file direct to My Typing Service and we’ll do the rest.

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Transcription – one of the oldest professions