If you ever have a need to transfer an audio recording into text format, you’ll likely love this little Chrome Web converter.
Aimed at journalists, students or anyone with a need to convert interviews and such like to the written from, Transcribe does exactly as it says on the tin. And it’s so incredibly simple to use.
You can either access the app through the Chrome Web Store, or simply go straight to the webpage (http://transcribe.wreally.com/), bookmark it and add it to your toolbar for easy access. Transcribe is geared towards Google Chrome because because the Web app requires the HTML5 functionality.
It’s also worth noting that Transcribe works entirely offline – which allayed my initial fears that this tool would be heavily restricted by a dependence on connectivity.
Here’s how the audio to text converter works. You choose a file from your computer – mp3 or WAV:
When you’ve selected a file, an audio player pops up at the top of the screen, which can then be controlled using the keys on your keyboard:
There are only five keys you’ll need to remember to control the player – and it’s likely you’ll only ever use two of them with any kind of regularity:
- Esc: Pause/Resume
- F1: Slow Down
- F2: Speed Up
- F3: Rewind 2 Seconds
- F4: Fast-Forward 2 Seconds
You type directly into the browser and, when you’re done, you can copy/paste the text into WordPress, Word or wherever else you need to use it.
I used this app for the first time this week and, well, it was a godsend. I only really needed to use the Esc and F3 keys, so it wasn’t difficult to get to grips with. I’ll certainly be using this again.
We’re told that work is currently underway for a companion iPhone and Android Transcribe app, which will let users record an interview on their smartphone, and the app will automatically upload the recording to their Transcribe account. This is expected by around the end of this month.
Feature Image Credit: 2Tales | Flickr
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