How to Convert Video to Text

Converting video to text is an essential process, especially when you want to generate subtitles and captions for your video. Transcribing a video to text is an excellent way of expanding your audience to include individuals with hearing impairment. Converting a video to audio is also crucial in boosting SEO. Videos cannot be indexed, so converting it to text ensures a higher ranking in search engines and better exposure of your content.

If you are beginning to learn how to convert video to text online, it is a fairly easy skill to grasp. All you need is some time and practice. Keep in mind that poorly transcribed captions and subtitles can confuse those watching the video, so it is essential to ensure that your text is accurate.

Different Ways of Converting Video to Text

To convert video to text, you can use three different methods. You can do it yourself, use a video to text converter app, or hire a professional transcription service to do it for you. All these methods have their strengths and weaknesses. To help you figure out which of these options will work best for you, we have outlined the steps to follow for each of them.

Convert Video to Text Personally

Before you begin transcribing your video, you need to learn the transcription skills first. Fast and accurate typing skills are the most important when it comes to transcription. A transcriptionist should be able to type 60-80 words per minute on average, with minimal errors. You should also possess excellent listening skills so that you can grasp dialogues quickly even when people are talking over each other, or background noise is involved. A proper grasp of grammar, punctuation, and spelling is also very important. You should be able to provide a clean transcript without compromising the meaning of the text. When transcribing, you will need to listen, understand, and type, all at the same time, so multitasking skills are necessary. 

To start transcribing, you will need to familiarize yourself with the computer, as you will be using a word processor to type the text. To make your life easier, you can also use specialized transcription applications. GoTranscript's tool is free, beginner-friendly, supports most audio and video formats, and offers a significantly more convenient experience than any word processor. To transcribe video on your own, follow these steps:

Step 1: Watch the Video

You cannot transcribe a video before watching it, so sit comfortably and watch it in segments, say 10 seconds or so. This is a good pace when starting, as it gives you time to type accurately. As your skills improve, so will your speed, so you can start listening to longer segments to speed up the process.

Step 2: Transcribe the Video

Watch the video attentively and type what you hear. It is essential to pay attention to details and the context. Things like a slammed door, laughter, applause, and any other background noise should be included in the transcript. However, if you are transcribing the video to make notes or deducing quotes, the dialogue alone will be enough.

Step 3: Edit the Transcript

After you complete converting the video to text, watch it again from the beginning to the end, while keeping an eye on your transcript to correct any mistakes you may have made along the way. Ensure that the timestamps are accurate to make the navigation through the text easy. Accurate timestamps will also help tremendously if you plan to create subtitles.

Use GoTranscript Professional Transcription Services

If you find transcription too complicated or have a lot of video materials that needs to be transcribed as soon as possible, use a professional transcription service like GoTranscript. It's a lot easier and more convenient than the DIY process. Your video is transcribed by professionals, which means the job gets done faster and you don't have to worry about accuracy or anything else. To transcribe your video with GoTranscript, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Order Video Transcription

Visit GoTranscript and follow the instructions on their site. Click the "Upload Your Files" button, then upload your files or paste the video URL.

Step 2: Edit Your Settings

Make sure to select the type of service you need. They offer transcription, subtitles, closed captions, and even translation for your video files. The maximum turnaround time is five days. For a shorter turnaround time, select the provided options beginning from 6 to 12 hours. Note that this will affect the charges.

Step 3: Wait For the Conversion 

Depending on the length of your video and the options you've selected, the process can take anywhere between six hours and five days. 

Conclusion

Converting video to text leads to better comprehension for the viewers, especially people with hearing impairments, while at the same time boosting SEO by providing more words for indexing. It also makes your transcripts easy to translate into other languages, which broadens your reach and expands your audience. With over 15 years of experience, a global team of 20,000 expert transcribers, translators, and captioners, GoTranscript can take care of all your video transcription needs. They offer 99% accuracy, fast turnaround times, and a free trial of their services!