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Accessibility
Transcribing Podcasts
Since Podcasts are non-text elements, a text equivalent, such as a transcript, must be available if it is on the web. The University of Wisconsin-Madison Web Accessibility Policy is based on the Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, specificially section (b) Equivalent alternatives for any multimedia presentation shall be synchronized with the presentation.
In order to compare available transcripting services, we sent three podcasts of varying length to four different vendors. Below are the results, listing the total costs, turnaround time, accuracy, and ease of transaction.
The vendors we used were Enablr, CastingWords, Podclerk, and Premium Business Service (contact Gwen McCutcheon, 256-1420 premium@mailbag.com for more info).
Please keep in mind that this a single test of these services, and since all rely on humans, performance may vary. While various services are pretty good, there will likely need to be proofing no matter which service you use.
The results of transcribing the file: "Is Your Document Accessible"
– Neal Ewers, Ravenswood Productions (2 min: 57 sec). View the transcripts as we received them.
| Vendor Info | Cost | Errors* | Turnaround (hours) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enablr | $2.95 | 2 | 72 | Weekend may interrupt turnaround time? |
| CastingWords | $1.26 | 0 | 12 | An email is sent when your order is ready with a text transcript, and a link to HTML, RTF, and text versions of your transcript. |
| Podclerk | $10.20 | 3+ | 48 | Received transcript Saturday as .tx file to open in notepad |
| Premium Business Service | $30 | 2 | 24 | Regular Rate $30.00/hr Expedited Rate $35.00/hr Rush Rate $40.00/hr |
* note: The error count includes both the minor, almost unnoticeable errors, as well as the more obvious mistakes. The plus sign for podclerk reflects the use of informal transcription, it is what Neal is saying, so it is accurate, but it is not considered useful for many podcasts. You can view a side by side comparison of the errors made. (.xls)
The results of transcribing the webcast "Hear Our Stories" which contains over 10 speakers (male and female, one with accent) (75 min).
| Vendor Info | Cost | Errors | Turnaround (hours)* | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enablr | $75.00 | few | 144 | Good accuracy rate overall - less than 10 errors. Spell check picked up on grammatical errors, however, Enablr was transcribing accurately word for word. Time code included. MP3 file submission and credit transactions on-line capability. |
| CastingWords | $56.25 | few | 144 | Good accuracy rate overall - some challenges with accent. added descriptive [laughter], [discussion in audience] or [pause]. Returned Word .doc - also included links to alternate .html and .txt, .rtf formats. MP3 file submission and credit transactions on-line capability. |
| Podclerk | $25.50 | many | 99 | Very Poor! Time consuming to correct, even with edits made with Microsoft Word Spell Check.100's of misspelled words. Examples include: wec're for we're, preferrable for preferable,seizzure for seizure, acknowlegde for acknowledge, ang for and, etc. Major spacing and grammar challenges. Irregular line breaks causing Microsoft Word to think new sentences were beginning at line breaks. MP3 file submission and credit transactions on-line capability. |
| Premium Business Service | $157.50 | none | 216 | Excellent - no spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors. Formatting great. Overall, excellent accuracy. Files can be sent electronically (not on-line submission), and an invoice system for payment needed. (can submit spellings of speakers or unique terms to this service) |
* note: Turnaround time includes a weekend and holiday.
The results of transcribing the podcast "Access to Education - Universal Design" (one male speaker, with microphone. includes a few questions form the audience. This is very typical of a classroom lecture) (50 min)
| Vendor | Cost | Errors | Turnaround (Hours)* | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enablr | $59.67 | few | 144 | Good - 35 errors overall, and most were a double period. Others were an added space, or use of comma vs. semi-colon. Time Code included. MP3 file submission and credit transactions on-line capability. |
| CastingWords | $45.00 | few | 219 | Good - Some misspelled words. Some spacing errors, easy to fix with spell check. Transcript returned as Word .doc - also include links to alternate .html and .txt, .rtf formats. MP3 file submission and credit transactions on-line capability. |
| Podclerk | $20.40 | many | 195 | VERY Poor - very time consuming to correct. Examples of misspelling include qualifyied for qualified, because for because, diasbility for disability, etc. Odd character inserts (@@@@). Duplicate words at times. Major spacing and punctuation challenges as well as discrepancies in accuracy of overall transcription. MP3 file submission and credit transactions on-line capability. |
| Premium Business Service | $127.50 | none | 384 | Excellent - no spelling, punctuation, or grammar errors. Formatting great. (can submit spellings of speakers or unique terms to this service) |
* note: Turnaround time includes a weekend and holiday.
Read a criticism of CastingWords, "Audio Transcription For Podcasts: JC Human vs. CastingWords.com"