If you want to make money online, one of the more popular ways to do so is via transcription. It’s a topic I have covered a few times and have found it to be a great way to earn $8 to $15+ per hour with minimal experience. And, the great thing is that hundreds of companies are hiring at any given moment.
While this very job may sound of interest, you may feel as if you don’t have the appropriate training to succeed. I get it. It’s always best to research a job and feel you’re good at it before you start working. The transcription world is no different.
Even though you may feel you can type at a speedy rate, it doesn’t automatically mean you will thrive as there are other factors to consider, such as terminology, formatting, etc. You don’t need to be a master, per se, but it’s always wise to know what you’re getting yourself into.
In today’s post, I wanted to focus on the many free medical, legal, and general transcription training courses out there. Sure, while you can find some paid options, I have always found that combining the many free courses out there can be just as good. This is a great option if you’re on a limited budget and/or you’re not ready to invest in this career. I will mention a few lower cost options but the majority will be 100% free with no strings attached, I promise!
If you’re interested in the transcription field, then the following free transcription training courses may be one to book.
Free General Transcription Training (Medical, Legal, etc)
Udemy
I have mentioned Udemy so many times and can’t recommend it enough.
If you’re unfamiliar with the platform, it allows people like you or me to create a course on anything. You can create videos, powerpoints, documents or whatever you need to do in order to help someone succeed. Then, you can sell your courses and make money.
Like any of these platforms, your ratings matter, so if you put out a great product and people love it, then you rise in the ranks as people search for the topic you’re teaching.
While a lot of the courses found here do cost money, you can find some great courses that don’t cost a cent. For example, the “How to Transcribe and Excel In General Transcription” by Team TCI will cost you nothing. As I write this, it has more than 4,500 ratings with a solid 4.4/5 rating.
As you can see in that graphic, you can learn a variety of skills, from grammar and punctuation basics to learning how to transcribe with multiple speakers.
And, the great thing is that this course isn’t the only option as there are many more, with many retailing for less than $11!
Udemy offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you join and find out it’s not some thing of interest, you can get your money back.
- Website: Udemy
Skill Share
Skill Share is similar to that of Udemy, and I consider it more of an up and comer. You won’t find as many classes, but some transcription classes do exist.
Now, the thing is that you do need to sign up for a premium account to view the classes, but the company often has a free trial period, sometimes lasting as long as a few months. Like most trials, you can sign up and then cancel when the trial is about to expire. If you fear you’re going to forget to cancel, then consider creating a one-time use credit card with Privacy.com. This company will create a temporary credit card number tied to your credit cards to ensure you won’t get charged. You get to choose how the credit card works and can be a fantastic choice for subscriptions.
If you do decide to use Skill Share, be sure to set aside some time to take full advantage of the trial.
- Website: Skill Share
Free Test at GoTranscript
GoTranscript is a company often hiring online transcriptionists. It’s one I have mentioned a few times, such as in my 22+ closed captioning jobs from home and get paid to type posts. Consider checking it out to see if they have any openings if you’re interested in applying.
The cool thing about this company is that they publish older editing and transcription tests to show you what their tests look like. After finishing, you can see what mistakes you made. These are very similar tests that they use when they screen incoming applicants.
If you’re interested in applying as an online transcriptionist, almost all companies will require that you take some sort of test to prove your ability to type efficiently. With that being said, it’s very important that you at least attempt a few of these tests to master your skills before applying. That way, you can greatly increase your chances of getting approved.
- Website: GoTranscript
Download Files at Express Scribe
Express Scribe is one of the leaders in transcription equipment. If you have ever shopped for equipment, there’s a good chance you came across this name.
The company offers a variety of transcription practice files to help aspiring transcriptionists who use the Express Scribe software, no matter what kind of transcription you plan on typing.
While these tests aren’t scored in real-time, it’s more of a way to type and then compare your work to the sample provided. It will just take a pinch more work on your part, but it’s a test, nonetheless.
Even though it is offered by Express Scribe, which offers its own software platform, you do not need to own it nor do you have to use it in the future to benefit from these tests.
- Website: Express Scribe
Test Your Skills at Listen-and-Write.com
While the website is hard to navigate, at least to me, it does offer a ton of value once you get to know where to click to test.
Whether you want to challenge yourself or take a practice YouTube audio test, there are hundreds of free tests you can take to help your transcription skills. Tests range from scoring your speed to different modes of transcription, such as editing.
If you do test out the site, consider signing up for an account as it will help keep track of your progress as you use it.
- Website: Listen-and-Write
Free Mini Course from TranscribeAnywhere
TranscribeAnywhere is an online transcription training company that many bloggers recommend because they pay a hefty affiliate fee. I mean, who wouldn’t want to promote a company that pays you 20% of a $697 course! It’s pricey. So, just because you see it plastered everywhere, it doesn’t mean it’s worth the price. Just keep that in mind.
While I don’t have experience in this course, I can’t justify spending nearly $700 on a course, when I could get just as good of education from the many Udemy lessons. I have yet to come across an online course worth this much.
Now, while the courses are expensive, they do offer a small seven lesson mini-course. Listed below is what you will get when you sign up for a course using this link.
These courses are free, but of course, they do use it as an upsell their main course, just keep that in mind. And, as a fair warning, use a disposable email because they will start to spam you selling their services. You can always block their email, but I would just recommend the disposable for now.
I played around with the course and found it have some value, but you can’t expect much when it’s free. Give it a shot if the lessons above look of interest.
- Website: TranscribeAnywhere.com
What Skills Do I Need to Transcribe?
After you take advantage of these courses, you may be wondering what skills you need in order to succeed as a transcriptionist.
Simply put, a good transcriptionist should have the following common skills:
- need to know the right terminology (legal, medical, etc)
- typing speed of at least 40+ WPM
- a good grasp on punctuation and spelling
- pay attention to details
- basic technology skills (Microsoft Word, etc)
And, while you don’t need to master these skills, you should have at least a basic understanding to be considered a good candidate.
Final Thoughts
When you feel confident in your skills, start applying to the hundreds of companies hiring right now. As long as you have a good grasp on grammar/spelling and you can accurately type what you hear, then you shouldn’t have a problem snagging a job. These transcription jobs won’t make you rich, but if you don’t mind $8, $10 or even $15+ per hour, it can help pay a few bills throughout the month.
Now, as always, I leave the comments open for you.
Am I missing any great free transcription resources?
What did you use to help yourself succeed?
Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below to help others!
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Udemy does NOT give you your money back even if they tell you that the course you’re buying has a 30-days money back guaranteed!
Today, I bought a course, and then I realized that I had already learned what the course was teaching. So, I asked a refund right away. The way I was “refunded” was in “Udemy Credits”! Not by them crediting my credit card!
That’s something Udemy doesn’t tell you! They don’t tell you in advance that, if you ask for a refund, they’ll only give you “Udemy Credits” for you to buy another course. What if you don’t want to buy another course!? Well, forget about being able to reach them because they “conveniently” omitted to include an email address and/or phone number where you can reach them to have your credit card refunded instead of getting inane “Udemy Credits”!
The only email I found was for “Business Development”! So, if you have a problem with Udemy, contact them through that email address of there’s because there’s absolutely no other way to contact anyone at Udemy!
Udemy not being upfront with the way they conduct their business (they only tell you about “Udemy Credits” when you ask to be refunded! And they entice you with their lie of “30-days money-back guarantee” so that you can feel secure in buying a course because you think you can get your MONEY back, when in truth they don’t give you any money back!). I find that they completely lack integrity by not disclosing that!
“30-days money-back guaranteed” does NOT mean “Udemy Credits”!!!
It means MONEY! And they come up with the excuse that they have the teachers to pay, and that’s why they keep your money and give you “Udemy Credits” instead!
Udemy is a totally dishonest company and I really don’t recommend them to anyone!
Thank you for the heads up. This page should be ashamed for recommending an untruthful website.
Let it be known that Udemy is very reputable. I have had no problems with it, but I know people have different stories, which I can respect.
I am interested I working as a medical transcriptions. But right now I am unemployed. Because of COVID-19 and. on unemployment. But I am interested in training and learning to become a transcriptionist. But right I don’t have the money can you please help with. Classes that I can take to get the training and. Learning that I need to become a transcriptionist.