by admin on January 26, 2011
Whether you are writing an article, email, letter, business proposal, or resume, your documents should be completely error-free. How can you achieve this goal? Simple: Proofread, proofread, proofread and then proofread again! It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to produce high-quality, professional documents that contain absolutely no typos and/or other grammatical mistakes.
Although the easiest way to make sure a document is error-free is to have multiple people look over it, this may not always be the most practical method. That being said, there are a few tricks you can utilize yourself during any proofreading stages.
First and foremost, if you are using a program that has a built in spelling and grammar check, use it, but don’t allow it to be your only form of proofreading. If you are able, try printing out a hard copy of whatever you are revising and editing as well. Sometimes it is easier to catch a mistake when the document is in front of you on paper versus a computer screen.
Reading your document out loud is another helpful tip. Not only are you reading to find errors, but you are also hearing what is written and this will help you determine if sentences make sense, the structure of the document flows, etc.
Instead of reading the content from beginning to end, read it from end to beginning or even out of order entirely. A lot of times when we read something over and over again we train ourselves to read what we want it to say and not what it actually says. By changing the order at which you read, this may help you catch errors you normally would miss.
Lastly, take your time proofreading. If you rush through the proofreading stage, you are highly likely to neglect minor typos that could have been easily fixed.
What proofreading suggestions do you have? Share your ideas; we’d love to hear from you!
by admin on January 12, 2011
As a transcriptionist, you may be thinking to yourself, “Why should I join the American Transcription Association?” Well, glad you asked! Aside from the obvious benefit of being a part of something bigger—a credible trade association—the ATA offers other member benefits that we just had to share!
Everyone enjoys saving money, right? Fortunately, becoming a member of the ATA enables members to receive discounted pricing on various transcription equipment (including headsets and foot pedals) which can be found within our Member Store.
Also, as a member you can learn about different opportunities for health insurance through The Administrators Incorporated.
Plus, if desired, members have the option to create a free company listing that gets added to our entire member directory. Free advertising? Sign me up!
Moreover, as a member of the ATA, you have authorization to display the ATA Member Emblem on your website and/or other printed marketing materials giving you that extra credibility that clients look for and prefer.
Lastly, keep in mind that the ATA is a great way for transcriptionists and transcription companies to gain information about the industry as well as have the ability to network with other like-minded people through our website, Facebook and Twitter pages collectively.
If you are interested in joining the ATA, click here!
by admin on December 22, 2010
Whether it is your first time working from home or you’re basically a veteran, there’s no time like the present to fashion your very own home-office environment. Consequently, if you will be spending a good amount of time in your office, you need to perfect a space that is both enjoyable and welcoming.
First, establish a “work station” in your home where you can actually go to and can separate yourself from outside disruptions and distractions. If possible, form your working space in an area in which you can close the doors behind you; this will help achieve that working mindset. Next, add in office supplies that will make your work experience most suitable for your needs. Some possible materials that you may find useful are an ergonomic keyboard, an ergonomic chair, and/or a large computer monitor. You may also want to invest in a high-quality transcription headset.
Moreover, having a high-speed Internet connection may be very beneficial as well. This will save you both time and headaches if you ever have to download large audio files or upload completed transcription documents to a particular server. Additionally, you may find a printer, fax machine, copier and scanner to be convenient office equipment too. Fortunately, there are all-in-one products that contain all four!
Lastly, keep in mind that organization is key; wall calendars, filing cabinets and file folders will soon become your best friends. After all, an organized office is a productive office.
What suggestions do you have for creating a home office? Share your thoughts; we’d love to hear from you!
by admin on December 8, 2010
Staring at your computer screen for hours on end can significantly put a strain on your eyes just as sitting at your desk for long periods can have a negative effect on your body. This is even more of a concern for transcriptionists whose daily activities revolve around their computers. Luckily, though, there are some relaxation techniques you can try.
Tense, tired, dry eyes?
· Try focusing your eyes on an object in the distance; then focus on an object closer in range. Repeat. Doing this for a few repetitions may help lessen eye strain.
· Closing your eyes for 10-15 seconds every 20 minutes may help to reduce eye strain too.
· Need another way to exercise your eyes? Simple: blink more. By blinking more consistently you are naturally helping reduce dry eye.
· Give palming a try! Simply rub both hands together until they are warm and then gently place your palms over your closed eyes; the heat generated by your hands may help to reduce tension of the eyes.
Aside from relaxing your eyes, there are also some techniques you may want to try to relax your body just the same.
· Deep breathing. This is a great stress relieving and relaxing technique in general. Inhaling slowly and deeply through your nasal cavity and exhaling slowly through your mouth can put you in a more relaxed state within minutes.
· Progressive muscle relaxation. This is when you tense various muscles in your body (starting with your feet and ending with your facial muscles) for a few seconds and then relax them. Not only does this relax your body muscles, but it also puts your focus on something besides your current tasks at hand.
· Shoulder and neck rolls. Roll your shoulders forwards and then backwards for a few repetitions. Similarly, slowly rotating your head and neck in a clockwise motion and then in a counterclockwise motion can help reduce tension too.
· Yoga. This is a great way to unwind both your body and mind at the end of the day.
What helps you relax after a long day of transcribing? Share your thoughts!
by admin on November 24, 2010
The ATA offers US transcriptionists the opportunity to become a part of something bigger—a nationally established trade association! That being said, the ATA provides various ways to keep its members active and, as always, openly welcomes new ideas in regards to expanding our association.
If you would like to become more involved with the ATA, you may want to consider becoming an ATA Advisory Board Member. Simply email a Letter of Intent to our Executive Director, Donna M. Littrell, stating why you feel you would make a good candidate and how you will contribute to the overall success of the ATA.
Additionally, the ATA has realized just how important social networking sites have become in terms of connecting people from all over the country. Needless to say, the ATA posts blogs, tweets and can be your friend on Facebook. If you would like to become a more active member, join the ATA on one or even all of these social networking sites.
Moreover, be sure to visit the ATA’s website on a frequent basis to learn what’s new within the ATA. Currently, the ATA has a petition to Congress to stop the off-shoring of personal medical, legal and financial records. If you agree with putting an end to the off-shoring of such records, please take the time and sign the petition. The ATA believes there is strength in numbers and the more support from US-based transcriptionists, the louder our voice will be in Congress. Thus, as a member of the ATA, make it your responsibility to educate those around you and spread the word about who we are and exactly what we have to offer as an American trade association.
As you can see, there are a variety of ways for you to become a proactive member of the ATA. Remember, if you have any ideas that you feel will advance our currently established association, feel free to drop us an email; we’d love to hear from you!
by admin on November 10, 2010
Learning to transcribe one dictator can be a difficult process at first; therefore, the addition of multiple voices within one dictation can seem almost impossible. The good news, however, is that this is not impossible; rather, it simply takes more patience and discipline.
As a transcriptionist, there are a few things you can do in order to tackle this task with efficiency and ease. First, make sure you are in an area that has minimal interruptions and/or competing background noise. It is important that you are able to hear and identify each individual’s voice as effortlessly as possible. Keeping yourself free from distractions throughout the entire duration of the dictation will help with your overall concentration.
It is important that you dedicate the appropriate amount of time needed to complete the transcription in full; you do not want to feel rushed or pressed for time especially when beginning a new challenge. Transcribing a dictation with multiple voices may take you longer than usual to finish. Consequently, if you do not give yourself adequate time, you may be faced with unnecessary frustrations.
Before transcribing, try listening to the beginning of the dictation to help familiarize yourself with the different voices present within the audio and to account for how many people are actually speaking (if this is not already provided in a list form). Not only will this give you an idea of the sound of each voice, but it will also provide you with a sense of how the remainder of the dictation will flow.
If the dictators do not introduce themselves each time before speaking, you may want to assign a number to each voice. This will allow you to better identify who is speaking and keep you organized throughout the dictation.
Once you have finished transcribing, it may be a good idea to go back and listen to the audio while reading along with what you have typed. This will help to ensure that you have not missed anything or made any mistakes.
Have you ever had to transcribe a report with multiple dictators? Share your stories!
by admin on October 6, 2010
If you own a PC, at one point or another, you have most likely experienced the dreadful “blue screen.” Typically, a blue screen accompanied by an unusual noise signifies that your computer experienced a crash.
There are a variety of factors that can affect the proper functioning of a computer and/or cause it to result in an actual computer crash. Some common factors are: a virus, insufficient memory space, overheating, hardware malfunctions, improper software installation, fragmented hard disk drives, or conflicting programs running simultaneously.
Please note that if you feel your computer has, in fact, crashed, it is recommended that you contact a computer specialist before trying any of the below suggestions.
If you already have experience with fixing PCs and feel comfortable working on your own machine, there are a few tips you can try. Initially, if your computer shows a blue screen, you may consider rebooting. If you still get a blue screen even after you have rebooted, you may want to restart your computer in safe mode. In order to access safe mode, press the F8 button at startup.
Once in safe mode, you may want to run registry cleaning software. A lot of the times, computers tend to crash when something is wrong with its system’s registry files. Consequently, registry cleaning software searches for problems or errors within your computer’s registry and then works to correct them.
Aside from there being an issue with your computer’s registry files, there is also the possibility that your computer crashed because new software was not properly installed. If you recently installed software, you may want to see if uninstalling it makes a difference.
If you still cannot determine the cause of your computer’s crash, you may have to use your recovery/restoration disks. HOWEVER, PLEASE CONSIDER THIS AS A LAST RESORT! You can lose all your data and any programs you have installed. Again, if you feel that your computer needs to be restored, it is recommended that you call a computer specialist to look at your system and to assess the problem first. They may be able to back up your data before having to restore your whole system—saving you time and aggravation.
Have you ever experienced a computer crash? What did you do? Share your stories!
by admin on September 22, 2010
As a transcriptionist, you already understand the importance of accurate grammar usage when preparing medical, legal and/or corporate documents. However, even the best grammar gurus make mistakes from time to time. Below is a list of some common grammar mistakes that will make any transcriptionist cringe when used improperly…
There – Their – They’re
There: refers to location
Their: shows possession
They’re: the contraction for “they are”
To – Too – Two
To: refers to a point of direction
Too: meaning also, in addition
Two: refers to the number; one plus one
You’re – Your
You’re: the contraction for “you are”
Your: shows possession
Than – Then
Than: used as a form of comparison
Then: next in order of time
Except – Accept
Except: with the exclusion of; excluding
Accept: to take or receive; to agree to
Its – It’s
Its: shows possession
It’s: contraction for “it is”
Do you ever find yourself making these mistakes? Share your stories!
*Source: www.dictionary.com
by admin on September 16, 2010
Recently, the ATA started a petition to Congress in order to establish a law that bans the off-shoring of transcription services along with any other services that handle personal medical records, classified financial information and/or confidential legal business.
The ATA believes that, as a nation, we should say NO to the off-shoring of such work not only because of the obvious privacy issues, but also to keep jobs within the United States. By doing so, we will be taking a step in the right direction to help strengthen our current domestic transcription industry. Additionally, keeping work here will provide Americans with more job opportunities.
In terms of personal medical records, keep in mind that foreign transcriptionists are not held to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as US-based transcriptionist are, which is meant to protect a person’s medical records in terms of transporting and storage—just something to think about…
If you disagree with sending your personal information overseas to be transcribed by businesses and individuals in a foreign country then make your voice heard and spread the word!
You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk? Sign the petition here: http://www.ataus.org/ata-petition/
by admin on September 8, 2010
We all know that in the transcription industry, speed is, without a doubt, an essential requirement. That being said, having the ability to type at a rapid pace has the potential to increase your productivity on a day-to-day basis. Thus, as a transcriptionist, it is safe to say that you are always looking for ways to improve your typing speed.
Do keep in mind; however, that when typing legal, medical, or corporate documents, accuracy is just as important as speed. Transcribing reports that are filled with countless mistakes, typos and other errors is simply undesirable. Not only can this make your employer look bad, but it can also lower your credentials as a transcriptionist just the same. Therefore, instead of focusing mainly on improving your overall WPM count, strive for a faster, yet accurate, speed altogether.
On the whole, being a good transcriptionist not only requires speed, but accuracy as well. Having the ability to type at a fast pace is useless if your work displays multiple typos. Generally speaking, you will be wasting more of your time if you are constantly going back and correcting your mistakes.
Do you agree that, as a transcriptionist, speed and accuracy go hand-in-hand? Tell us what you think!
