Blog chevron right Transcription

How to Best Transcribe Zoom Meetings

Daniel Chang
Daniel Chang
Posted in Zoom Mar 24 · 26 Mar, 2022
How to Best Transcribe Zoom Meetings

Zoom Meeting Transcriptions: A Practical Guide

Zoom meetings are now a daily part of work, school, and casual conversations. With so many virtual meetings, it can be hard to remember every detail. That is where transcription services come in. Transcribing your Zoom meetings can help you stay organized, improve accessibility, and make information easy to share. This guide explains what transcription means, why it matters, and how to get started with the help of professional services.

What Is Transcription?

Transcription is the process of turning spoken words into written text. For Zoom meetings, this means converting everything said during a call into a document you can read, edit, or share. Transcriptions come in two main types:

  • Verbatim transcript: Includes every word and even filler sounds.
  • Clean transcript: Only includes clear statements, leaving out fillers and false starts.

Accurate transcription provides a reliable record of what was said in your meeting. The right service can deliver accuracy rates above 99% (GoTranscript, 2023).

Why Should You Transcribe Zoom Meetings?

Transcribing your meetings offers several benefits, making it worth the small extra step. Here’s why you should consider transcription:

  • Easy reference: Quickly find important points by searching text.
  • Improved accessibility: Helps people with hearing loss or those who can’t use audio.
  • Better focus: Let participants listen instead of taking notes.
  • Shareable records: Send transcripts to absent team members or students.
  • No more replaying: Find and quote exact phrases without watching the entire recording.

These benefits are especially helpful as remote work grows. In fact, 79% of organizations worldwide use virtual meetings daily (Gartner, 2021).

Assisting Learning and Accessibility

  • Transcripts make teaching materials more useful.
  • They help students study or review missed classes.
  • People with hearing impairment gain equal access to information.

For webinars or conferences, accurate transcripts ensure everyone gets the same message—no matter their situation.

Recording Your Zoom Meeting

To get a transcript, your Zoom meeting must first be recorded. Here’s how:

  1. Get permission from everyone on the call.
  2. The host or a co-host clicks Record at the bottom of the Zoom window.
  3. Choose Record to the Cloud for easier transcription tools.
  4. End the recording when your meeting finishes.

Don’t forget: For accurate transcripts, make sure all voices are clear and avoid background noise.

Retrieving and Using Zoom’s Built-In Transcript

When you record to Zoom’s cloud, the platform creates an .vtt file. This is a simple subtitle file that includes your meeting’s spoken content.

  • Zoom sends an email with a link to your files after processing.
  • The transcript can be edited for grammar and style using Zoom’s tools.

However, built-in transcripts often miss:

  • Proper punctuation and capitalization
  • Speaker identification
  • Complex or technical language accuracy

Edit mistakes manually or, for best results, opt for a professional service.

Why Use a Professional Transcription Service?

Automated transcription tools save time but are not always accurate. Errors are common with multiple speakers, accents, or background noise. Studies show that machine transcription accuracy can be as low as 80% in real-world conditions (Otter.ai, 2023).

Benefits of Human Transcription

  • Higher accuracy (up to 99%): Human experts can catch context, technical terms, and speaker changes.
  • Fast turnaround: Transcripts can be ready in as little as a few hours.
  • Customization: Choose clean or verbatim text, add timestamps, and request formatting options.
  • Data security: Trusted services protect your files and privacy.

Save time, reduce errors, and focus on what matters most by letting professionals handle the transcription.

How to Transcribe Zoom Meetings with GoTranscript

You can get professional transcripts from GoTranscript transcription services in a few simple steps:

  1. Go to the order transcription page.
  2. Upload your Zoom recording or paste the recording’s URL.
  3. Pick your options:
    • Turnaround time (from hours to days)
    • Verbatim or clean transcript
    • Timestamps (helpful for referencing key moments)
    • Speaker identification
  4. Review and confirm your pricing. GoTranscript offers affordable rates and discounts for students and frequent customers.
  5. Pay securely and let dedicated transcriptionists get to work.

Once your transcript is ready, you receive an email. Log in, download your file in text, Word, or PDF format, and start using your transcript.

Expand Accessibility with Captions and Subtitles

Combine transcripts with captions and translations to reach more people and meet compliance standards.

Conclusion: Make Zoom Transcriptions Simple with GoTranscript

Transcribing Zoom meetings makes your information easier to access, helps people of all abilities, and reduces mistakes caused by miscommunication. While automatic tools are a good start, professional automated transcription or human services provide top accuracy, speed, and security.

For reliable, accurate, and affordable transcription solutions, GoTranscript offers a full set of tools—from transcripts and proofreading to captions and translations. Make meetings more productive and accessible: order your transcription today or explore GoTranscript’s AI transcription subscription for ongoing needs.