After taking dictation in shorthand, transcribing it accurately is essential; otherwise, dictation in shorthand is only helpful if you can transcribe shorthand into readable text.
Shorthand skills allow you to take notes in a few minutes or seconds, especially in journalism, law, administrative work, or student life.
However, transcribing shorthand notes into readable text requires full attention, practice, transcription techniques, and advanced skills.
This article will guide you through tips, tools, and best practices for accurately transcribing shorthand notes to ensure you achieve high-quality results.
Read More: Easy to Learn Shorthand System for Students and Professionals: A Step-by-Step Guide
Types of Shorthand
First, I will tell you that there are three major 3 types of shorthand systems, and each has its own rules, regulations, symbols, and different learning methods. So, these are the most popular 3 shorthand systems:
Pitman Shorthand: Sir Isaac Pitman developed it in 1837. In this shorthand system, phonetic symbols represent sounds rather than letters.
Gregg Shorthand: In 1888, John Robert Gregg developed the Gregg Shorthand System, which is based on elliptical figures and lines representing sounds.
Teeline Shorthand: This shorthand system is mainly used in the UK in journalism. It is an alphabet-based system,
Preparing for Transcription
1. Learn the Shorthand System
First and foremost, learn the shorthand system thoroughly and practice it regularly. To accurately transcribe shorthand, you must have enough practice to write down every stroke, memorize short form, Pharasis, etc. Whether it is Pitman, Gregg, or Teeline shorthand system. This essential thing is a must for all shorthand systems.
2. Review Your Notes
When you take notes in shorthand using Pitman, Gregg, or Teeline, the information is fresh in your mind, so after taking notes, you should review it immediately. This will help recognize symbols or notes that might not make sense later. If you see any haziness, just elaborate immediately by expanding with full names or using comments to remind you what the shorthand is (ideally pulling out in your godly standard).
3. Setup A Comfortable Workspace
The transcriptionist must have a quiet place to work where they can focus. A comfortable chair (or better yet, a couch). Ensure your workspace is free from distractions and you have all the right tools, like an excellent keyboard and ergonomic chair in good lighting.
4. Use Technology Wisely
Shorthand is a manual process, to an extent, while transcription can benefit from technology. Try employing a transcription program that lets you hear the recordings slower or replay them, helping your handwritten notes with spoken words.
The Transcription Process
1. Start with the Basics
Start with easy-to-transcribe parts of your notes. In this case, it could just be simple sentences or common words that are easy to guess from context. Starting with these sections gives you a good feeling of momentum and confidence.
2. Translate Shorthand Symbols
Translate each shorthand symbol by its relevant word or phrase as you move along. This is based on which symbol represents what level (use care since some symbols may represent more than one word depending on the context).
3. Expand Abbreviations
In these cases, shorthand is usually an abbreviation that must be written out when transcribing. That is to say, instead of composing a phrase such as “as soon as possible,” we use one sy” bol. Ensuring you write out these abbreviations in full will help with the accuracy of your transcription.
4. Check for Accuracy
Now, read it aloud after having transcribed a portion of the book. Take a careful look for errors, omitted words, or inconsistencies. Note: As all good overviews must do, keep the original import of your text.
5. Use Context Clues
Again, if there are certain symbols or areas you do not fully understand, try using the text around them to add more context. Look at the conversation flow (or topic) to help choose what ambiguous shorthand symbols you want.
6. Proofread and Edit
Once your transcriptions are completed, you must read the document for errors and/or inconsistencies. The editing part is the next step of transcribing, which finalizes how readable and accurate your transcription will be.
Best Practices for Accurate Transcription
1. Develop a Personal Shorthand Outlines and Handwriting Style
It is best to develop a personal outline of words and a handwriting style by following the rules of your chosen shorthand system. Creating a unique style will make your writing more accurate. Design your shorthand using mnemonic symbols or abbreviations depending on the words/phrases you usually type.
2. Practice Regularly.
Just like any skill, transcription in a more or less accurate manner gets better with practice. Consistently practice shorthand and transcription techniques. The key is to work with different types of content, such as speeches, interviews, or lectures, to develop your versatility and creativity.
3. Use a Consistent System
In shorthand transcription, it all comes down to consistency. Maintain a consistent notation system with symbols, abbreviations, and instructions that you use throughout your note-taking. With irregular use of shorthand, you could get lost when transcribing or even make more mistakes.
4. Take Care with Homophones
In shorthand transcription, because of homophones (they sound the same but have different meanings, for example, their and there), words might make one look in on writing and appear contextually odd. While transcribing, differentiate between the two to prevent erroneous transcription in the final text.
5. Maintain Clear Handwriting
Speed is one of the main points with shorthand, but you also have to be able to read what you write. Since you will have to transcribe your shorthand notes, this problem can be tricky if it’s too messy or unclear. Take notes as fast as you can while still being able to take in the information correctly.
6. Learn critical phrases
These terms are standard in many spheres. Learn The Common Phrases and Create Shorthand Symbols For Them. Not only will that save you time taking notes, but it also helps with transcription accurately,
Tools and Resources for Transcribing Shorthand
1. Transcription Software
If you talk about technology, you also have several transcription software solutions that help convert shorthand notes into writing in real-time. You can use these tools to slow down or pause audio records, enabling you to tune notes with the spoken words
Express Scribe — Prevalent transcribing software that includes foot pedal support for hands-free functionality.
oTranscribe: A free, online transcription tool; it provides a very easy-to-use and clean interface for manual transcriptions.
InqScribe: InqScribe is suitable for transcribing interviews or meetings. It features cross-platform software that combines video playback with transcription.
2. Shorthand Dictionaries
A shorthand dictionary helps greatly. It provides a massive list of symbols and their words, making it much faster to decode your cheat sheets.
- Pitman’s Shorthand Dictionary
- Gregg Pitman’sd Dictionary
3. Online Tutorials and Courses
The internet contains guides for people who want to learn shorthand and transcription. Sites such as Udemy and Coursera have courses that cover being good at shorthand note-taking and other transcription skills.
4. Speech Recognition Software
Speech recognition software helps increase transcription speed for anyone looking to do so. Although it does not transcribe shorthand, it can change your words into text, so you have time to write down only the shorthand notes for more advanced or specialized information.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking, a well-known model for its high accuracy in converting speech into text
Google Docs Voice Typing: Every document in Google Docs comes with a free feature that allows you to dictate text directly into your content.
Conclusion
Ultimately, following my tips and tricks, you can quickly transcribe shorthand notes accurately. Transcribing shorthand notes into readable text accurately requires practice, consistency, patience, and attention to detail. You can improve your transcription accuracy from 90% to 100%.
