Regardless of the industry in which you work, there are high chances that interviews are going to play a large role in what you do. Employers will regularly have to interview job applicants, while those in a research field will need to conduct interviews with subjects, experts and more. Journalists regularly conduct interviews with sources, whistleblowers or just everyday people. For each of these interviews, having a reliable transcript that you can refer to from time to time is fundamental for making sure that you have an accurate record of all the interview information you need.
Many modern companies now consider producing interview transcriptions either in-house or outsourcing to audio transcription professionals. If you don’t quite understand all the benefits that interview transcription can bring to your business, research or general work then please consider the following advantages.
Engage in the Interview
When conducting an interview, it can take a lot of mental juggling – you not only have to focus on asking the relevant questions, you also need to be able to take in the answers, and pay attention to the details so you can then consider the next question you want to ask. You also don’t want to miss anything that’s being said, you’ll also want to take your own written notes at the same time as everything else.
Interview transcription can make this a lot easier to balance. Recording the interview means that you won’t feel pressure into trying to perfectly transcribe the interview as you’re conducting it. Instead, you are able to immerse yourself in the interview, concentrate on asking the right questions and ensuring that the flow of conversation isn’t interrupted. You’ll then receive a complete transcript which will be an accurate record of everything that was said – especially if you use a professional transcription service provider.
For most people conducting an interview, you will have a set of pre-planned questions prepared, however, those who conduct a lot of interview will attest that you need to be ready to go off-script in order to get the most from your interviewee in that given moment. This means you need to be able to think of follow up questions on the spot – having the knowledge that the interview is being recorded can give you the confidence to go off-script and get all the additional information you need without worrying about noting it all down.
Capture Information Accurately
If you have the intention to quote interview subjects during a research paper, then word-for-word accuracy is absolutely fundamental. Failure to appreciate the seriousness of this, you could end up being liable for a whole host of legal issues, or it could even taint your reputation and you could then struggle to gain reliable interview sources in the future.
Having a professional transcript and original interview recording ensures that you’ll never face this unfortunate dilemma – especially if you take the time and consider the type of the transcript you will require ahead of time. Strict verbatim transcription captures interviews word-for-word, which will ensure that you stay on the right side of the law.
Workplace Collaboration
It is often commonplace that interviews and research are required to be analysed by more than one person. In fact, sometimes even whole departments need access to a completed interview, this is where transcription is extremely efficient.
Removing the need to share huge audio or video files, text transcription can make life a lot easier for everyone involved in the research process. One small text document will take up a lot less room than an audio or video file, and it can be shared with ease. You will just need to ensure that you’re storing that information according to the data compliance laws in place.
