AI-based Transcriptions Fall Short Compared to the Human-Made Ones, Part 1

Andrew Russo

Posted in Zoom Oct 6 · 9 Oct, 2021

AI-based Transcriptions Fall Short Compared to the Human-Made Ones, Part 1

The Challenges of AI in Transcription and Translation

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to make headlines. While many consider AI as the technology of the future, its use has already transformed businesses and daily tasks. Still, when it fails, errors often become newsworthy events—sometimes surprisingly funny, but often seriously problematic.

AI shortcomings in transcription and translation draw attention because they stem from a lack of understanding. Unlike people, AI lacks consciousness and struggles with context. This leads to mistakes, especially when accuracy and meaning are critical.

Why Context Matters in Transcription and Translation

Humans vs. AI: Understanding the Bigger Picture

Humans naturally gather meaning by considering entire sentences or paragraphs.
We can fill in gaps and infer meaning even when someone speaks unclearly or makes a mistake.
Context helps people interpret jokes, sarcasm, regional expressions, and even errors in speech.

AI, on the other hand, often processes words in isolation. It may miss the intended meaning and deliver results that confuse readers or listeners. This is a common problem in both automated transcription and machine translation.

AI struggles to pick up on emotional tone, humor, or implied meaning.
It does not adapt based on audience or cultural background.

For people relying on closed captions, including those with hearing loss or viewers in another language, these errors can be especially confusing or misleading.

The Real-World Impact of AI Mistakes

Viewers may not understand the video if captions are wrong.
Foreign-language readers may get the wrong message from a text or subtitle.
Businesses risk miscommunication with clients and partners.

Research shows automatic speech recognition systems have word error rates of up to 12% for clear speech and even higher for accents or noisy environments (Stanford, 2021). Human transcribers offer far better accuracy.

The Problem With Choosing the Right Word

AI and Homophones: A Recipe for Confusion

A common challenge is homophones—words that sound alike but have different meanings or spellings. For example:

"wail," "wale," "whale"
"knave," "nave"
"cite," "sight," "site"
"peace," "piece"

English contains nearly 500 homophones. Humans use context clues to pick the right word. AI may select incorrectly, leading to confusion or even embarrassment.

Context helps clarify if a speaker means "site visit" or "sight seeing."
Without it, AI may type the wrong word, changing the meaning of entire sentences.

Examples of AI Errors in Action

In a 2022 study, automatic transcriptions mixed up words like "pair" and "pear," leading to nonsense sentences (Harvard, 2022).
Incorrect captions on live broadcasts sometimes caused viral moments when AI misunderstood slang or technical terms.

These issues highlight the need for human review and editing, especially for important or sensitive content.

How to Improve Transcription: The Human Touch

Why Human Transcribers Still Matter

Human transcribers use life experience and cultural knowledge to understand context.
They interpret intention, not just words.
Humans spot and correct errors by reviewing the whole conversation, not just keywords.

Services like transcription proofreading ensure accuracy and clarity, detecting issues AI may overlook.

When You Should Use Human Transcription or Translation

For legal, medical, or business documents
When transcribing interviews, academic papers, or sensitive information
If you need accurate text translation services or audio translation
When providing captions for public videos or accessible content

AI and Automated Services: Strengths and Limits

AI-driven services are helpful for fast turnaround and large-scale projects. For example, an AI transcription subscription can save time and money when exact accuracy is not a priority.