Transcription of Video Content

Audio transcription is the process of converting recorded speech into a written text document. It’s most commonly used to prepare audio or video content for translation, subtitling, or voice-over production – giving linguists and editors a written foundation to work from.

A transcriber listens to your audio or video file and produces an accurate written record of the spoken content. Depending on how the transcript will be used, it may also need to be time-coded: meaning each line of text is stamped with a precise start and end time. This is essential for subtitling and voice over work, where timing is essential.

As a general guide, industry standards suggest that 10–15 minutes of speech takes around one hour to transcribe. Time-coded transcription takes considerably longer. In practical terms: a transcriber can typically process around 60 minutes of audio per day for reference use, 30–40 minutes per day for voice-over, and 20–30 minutes per day for subtitling. We’ll always give you a realistic timeline when you enquire.

Transcription is priced per minute of audio or video, with rates varying by use. Transcription for subtitles is £4.50 per minute; for voice over, £3.50 per minute; and for reference only, £2.50 per minute. The minimum fee is £60.

View our transcription rates page for more information.

Foreign-language transcription and time-coded versions are also available, just contact us for a tailored quote.

The intended use shapes the entire process. A reference transcript is a straightforward written record with no time codes: useful for internal documentation or basic review. A voice over transcript is time-coded so that translated audio can be matched to the original pacing. A subtitling transcript is the most detailed: each segment is time-coded to the frame, and text is broken into short, readable lines that viewers can follow on screen.

Subtitling transcripts include a precise time code for the start and end of every spoken segment. Each caption is typically around four seconds long to give viewers enough time to read it, and text is limited to roughly 37 characters per line, or 72 characters across two lines. This means the transcript is an edited version of the spoken word; condensed to fit the screen without losing meaning.

Yes. Alongside English transcription, we offer foreign-language audio transcription across a wide range of languages. If you’re working with multilingual content, get in touch and we’ll confirm availability for your specific language combination.

It depends on how the script will be used. If you’re recording to a storyboard, time codes for every paragraph are usually sufficient. If the script will be translated and re-voiced in another language, you’ll need more regular time codes to give translators the flexibility to adapt content to the original pacing. If lip-sync is required, time codes are needed at the phrase level, matching each line closely to on-screen mouth movements.

Search engines can’t watch videos, they read text. Adding a transcript to your video page gives search engines something to index, which means your content has a far greater chance of appearing in relevant search results.

Transcripts also increase the amount of keyword-rich, meaningful text on your page, which strengthens its overall relevance and authority without the need for separate written content.

While some AI tools can now process video and audio directly, a written transcript remains the most reliable way to ensure your content is accurately indexed and cited across search and generative platforms.

AI tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity pull their answers from content they can clearly read and reference, and a clean, well-structured transcript gives them exactly that.

Rather than leaving an AI to interpret spoken audio, a transcript provides a direct, unambiguous source that’s far more likely to be surfaced when someone asks a relevant question. For businesses serious about visibility in an AI-driven search landscape, transcription is no longer just a production step but an essential part of your brand strategy.

You’ll have a dedicated account and project manager as your main point of contact throughout. They’ll keep you updated at every stage and make sure nothing falls through the cracks — no matter how large or complex your project is.

Yes. Our project management team has many years of experience handling large-scale, multilingual localisation projects. We use a range of project management tools to document and monitor every stage of the process, so you always know where things stand.

Our studios are acoustically designed to professional standards, so every recording comes out clear and crisp. Our engineers use the latest Pro Tools technology to keep sessions efficient and minimise re-takes, saving you time and budget.

We can record wild, lip-sync, or phrase-sync to picture, and we have access to a network of professional voice artists across a wide range of styles and budgets, from documentary reads and character voices to impressionists and celebrities.

Get in touch to tell us what you need and we’ll put together a custom quote.