Abstract
Prior work has acknowledged the use of voice recognition software in transcription, but extant studies have not directly compared the speed and accuracy of software-assisted transcription to the listen-and-type method. This paper, therefore, asks: how quickly and accurately can a researcher transcribe using voice recognition software, as compared to the traditional listen-and-type method? I transcribed an interview recording twice, first dictating into voice recognition software while listening to an audio file, then listening and typing manually. In this side-by-side comparison, the listen-and-type transcription took 14.2 percent less time than the voice recognition software-assisted approach, and resulted in a more accurate transcript. Unfortunately, voice recognition software does not offer time or accuracy benefits over the listen-and-type method. The currently available software is best employed as a means to ease the physical and mental stress of transcription.
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