Demand for General Transcriptionists

The need for general transcriptionists is good. This is due in part to the fact you're able to take on a variety of different clients. Some transcriptionists choose to niche into a specific field such as real estate, insurance or marketing and still have plenty of work to keep them busy.

Whether you chose to concentrate on one specific field or transcribe for various fields, there are always plenty of opportunities to find clients.

As with many other service-oriented businesses, many of your clients may come from recommendations from past clients. By providing a high quality service and meeting the needs of your clients, you'll greatly improve your chances for success in this type of business.

Here are just a few people may need your transcription services:

* College Students - Students will often record lectures on hand-held recorders. Many times they like to have these lectures and recordings transcribed.

* Social Work Agencies - Government agencies often times record their meetings and need these transcribed. Some agencies have "on the record" interviews with legal witnesses or parents who are being investigated by the courts and will often need these recordings transcribed so the transcripts can later be used during legal proceedings.

* Realtors - Realtors may record a variety of letters which then need to be transcribed.

* Insurance Companies - Insurance companies need an accurate record of all claims made. The loss adjustors will often record notes about the claims and you will need to go through a standard template and transcribe these notes for the client's records.

* Charities and similar organizations - Many charities make an audio recording of their meetings and then like to have these transcribed for their official records.

* Book Publishers - Although book publishers often have personal letters and meetings they like transcribed, they also often have work to be edited. Good transcriptionists are also good at editing as it goes hand in hand with the job. Book publishers need people with a keen eye for detail to help edit transcripts.

* Life coaches, business consultants, online marketers and speakers are just a few more busy professionals who also need transcription services. Many of these people like to maximize their content and will have their speaking events or client coaching sessions transcribed. With online marketers, there are tele-seminars, coaching events, and audio products which can all be transcribed too.

As you can see, there is a lot of general transcription work available; the key is to know how to find it and how to approach potential clients.

Grab your Moms Talk Biz Guide to Starting a Transcription Business - Step-by-step instructions, resources and inside information to start your own transcription business from home

Home Based Transcription

Home-based medical transcription is basically a process whereby the transcriber receives dictation by tape, digital system or voice filed by doctors and others. The dictation that has to be typed by the transcriber includes history and physical reports, clinical notes, office notes, x-ray reports, operative notes, consultation notes, pathology reports and so on.

Basic skills and knowledge required by a home based medical transcriber

If you?re looking to make a decent living, enhance your life and create your own standards then becoming a home based medical transcriber is probably the best option. There are some basic skills and knowledge that one needs to have in order to become a successful medical transcriber. It is not very easy to start your own home-based medical transcription business nor is it very difficult to start one. If you are of the view that having a computer at home and good typing speed is enough to become a successful medical transcriber then I am afraid, it is not.

Here are some basic skills and knowledge required on part of the home based medical transcriber

? Taking a good online Medical Transcription training course. You can also attend a good school college trade or vocational school course.
? Having good listening skills
? You need to have excellent computer skills
? Superior research skills
? You need to have high quality speed with great accuracy
? You need to have some foundation in Physiology, Medical terminology, laboratory tests, Anatomy, Pharmacology, & medical equipment & procedures.
? You must have the ability to work under pressure and also sustain deadlines for different projects.
What's The Initial Investment Needed To Do Medical Transcription? If you are planning to start your own home based transcription business then there are some initial investments that you have to incur on order to ensure a safe start. Your four major purchases will be your medical transcription training, transcriber, computer and reference books so your investment will be very minimal to get the business of the ground.

? Firstly you need a home office especially if you are starting from scratch.
? You need to have a formal Medical transcription training
? You need to have a complete medical dictionary to make sure that the work is done accurately.
? You also need to have the necessary software programs like the medical spell checker and the abbreviation system such as PRD or Smart type to complete the job more professionally.

This article may be reproduced as long as the following resource box remains intact:

For complete help and advice on transcription, read the E-book ?Home Based Transcription Guide - How to make Money Listening to Words!? created by Nathian Jackson. This E-book will give you complete details about transcription, and teach you the ways of earning money through transcription without spending a single penny. This E-Book can be found at http://www.transcriptiontips.co.uk

? 2006-2009 Nathian Jackson

Translations That Kill

Many different companies and industries rely on translation to help provide added value and better service to their customers and clients.

These translations are critical to both the companies that use them, as well as the customers that rely on those translations for information. As such, professionals who understand the role of translation and why it is so important must do translations with the utmost care.

One of the industries that must rely on precise translations for their clients is the medical field and that is why qualified professionals must do medical Spanish translations.

Medical translators translate a wide variety of medical literature, including everything from brochures about medicine to invoices and patient notices. In addition, there are many times when translators are asked to interpret for patients who are visiting with nurses and doctors. In all these instances, it is critical for the hospital or doctor's office to find someone that is professionally qualified because if not, these translations can kill.

So how can a person prepare to become a professional medical translator or interpreter? The best way is to take classes or earn a certificate or degree in the profession.

There are many schools and institutes all over the world that offer this kind of training and it is mainly just a matter of finding one that is close to where you are.

I did a bit of research on the Internet a couple of weeks ago and was able to find some resources of available medical certification programs in the United States that you might be interested in:

1. www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/is/spanmedical/details.phtml
2. www.butrain.com/cpe/interpreter-translator-ovrview.asp
3. www.harvardpilgrim.org/portal/page?_pageid=213,193564&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
4. www.cccsorg.com/training/index.html (not really a certification, but it is training nonetheless)
5. www.cambridgecollege.edu/academics/programs_ug.cfm (click on medical interpreter training)

Some companies believe that they it is too much of a bother to find a professional translation services, but in the end, they will be much better off by doing so. By preparing yourself as a qualified professional, you can take advantage of this opportunity and find additional work as a translator.

Clint Tustison is a translator interested in helping other translators improve their businesses. His website, http://www.spanish-translation-help.com Spanish-translation-help.com is filled with information helpful to translators regarding the translation industry, and his free monthly newsletter, Translator Techniques, has tips and techniques for translators.

A Career In Medical Transcription: Is It For You?

You've very likely heard of someone who is making a good living as a medical transcriptionist. He or she might even be working from the comfort of their home. And you've probably asked yourself if this might be a career option for you.

It may well be. Let's take a look at the facts.

What exactly is medical transcription? In the course of their work, doctors and other healthcare professionals make dictated recordings of various things including physical examination observations, patient history, operative reports, referral letters, discharge summaries, observations regarding imaging data and so on.

A medical transcriptionist listens to these recordings and transcribes them into medical reports, correspondence, etc. She listens to a segment of recording, pauses the playback and keys in what is said before moving on to the next segment. She may do some editing for better grammar and clarity.

The transcribed document is sent back to the health care provider who then reviews it for accuracy and gets it signed. These documents become part of the patient's medical history records and perhaps insurance records.

To be effective at this job, you should understand medical terminology well. That includes anatomy, pharmacology, diagnostic procedures, treatment assessments and more.

Many distance education programs, colleges and vocational schools offer post-secondary training in medical transcription. Having a degree is not essential. With a home-study course, you can usually pick up the necessary knowledge within a year, often in less than nine months.

You can find work in hospitals, laboratories, physician's offices, firms offering transcription services, government medical facilities and so on. Working from home is also a possibility and many employers offer work-at-home options for transcriptionists. Apart from that, many individuals work as independent contractors.

With experience, it is possible to move into supervisory positions, which include editing work, teaching, consulting, etc.

What equipment would you need, if you wanted to do medical transcription at home? Not very much -- a computer with a medical spellchecker, printer, a transcriber and reference books are about all you need. To help you save on the actual typing, a word expander utility might help. If you are on a tight budget, buy second hand equipment will do just as well.

Medical transcription work does call for certain skills and mindset. Apart from basic computer skills, you must be detail oriented. If detail work bores you to tears, this might not be the career for you.

You must know typing, although speed will come with practice. You should also have excellent listening skills and grammar skills.

If you're planning to work from home, it is essential to be comfortable with working alone and meeting deadlines. You must be a self-starter who can work consistently without being driven by a boss.

Given the growth in health practices and hospitals and the need for standardization of records, the demand for medical transcription services is likely to keep growing. You should carefully analyze the pros and cons of this field before venturing into it. Medical transcription provides a rewarding and fulfilling career for many people and it can do the same for you too.

John Travers is a business consultant who has written about medical transcription, other business transcription services and related topics