New testimonial from Rutgers professor and author on national security

"Paula and her team of transcriptionists are the best in the business. Their work is accurate, and completed promptly. Paula was very accommodating when my university took its sweet time in paying her. They transcribed over 35 hours of interviews and I had not a single issue with any of them. I recommend Transcription Professionals to all my colleagues and will continue to do so. Prices are fair and reasonable, well worth it! Don't waste time comparing other services. I have been a professor for over 30 years and this company is the best I have ever worked with."

Marie Isabelle Chevrier, PhD

Professor Emerita of Public Policy and Administration

New testimonial from CUNY professor

"We received a quote within one day of contacting Paula. The turnaround time for the transcripts was quick (usually within 3-5 business days) and their accuracy superb. Highly recommended.

--Dr. Katie Zuber,
Assistant Professor of Political Science,
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY.

Out in paperback this month -- using interviews we transcribed!

Check out Felicia Kornbluh’s A Woman’s Life is a Human Life, now out in paperback. For almost thirty years, we have worked with many other fascinating authors, museums, and archives on long-term book and oral-history projects, on topics ranging, most recently, from jazz to sexual politics to Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley to the Hubble Space Telescope.

 

We correct AI-generated transcripts!

This is becoming a more common request. So far, we have found it more efficient to start over and transcribe the recordings from scratch, which takes similar time but is cheaper per hour of labor. (But AI is improving every day; for editing a very good AI transcript, our charge is $30/hour.)

But so far, while improved, current AI technology, in platforms such as Otter, still lack judgment to deliver the most accurate transcripts possible. The still lack the ability to distinguish between speakers, contextualize and redact identifying information, and decipher accents.

This service is for clients who need absolute accuracy to make the most of their research.

Re-certified as: Woman-Owned Small Business & Woman Owned Business!

With the United States SAM (System for Awards Management) system at sam.gov.

Find us in their registry listed as Paula Kamen, under NAICS code 541930, UEI MBHCC2CQE6Z6

Transcriptionist Spotlight

TRANSCRIPTIONIST SPOTLIGHT
An interview with Margie

Our greatest asset is our people, many of whom have been with us for 15 years or more. This provides both consistency and security. Here is our conversation with Margie, who has been working for us since 2006.

 
Where are you based?

I live in Chicago, on the far South Side. I moved to the city to be immersed in diversity. I moved to my current house for my dog! It has a big backyard, very few steps (for his injured legs), and lots of nearby parks.
 
What are your favorite types of jobs?

My favorite types of jobs are those for researchers, journalists. and oral historians. I’ve worked for a well-known Japanese journalist for many years. His interview subjects range widely, and include scientists, economists, and sports figures. I never know what to expect when I see his name pop up, but it’s always interesting, and I learn a lot all the time.

You are very overqualified for your job. What degrees do you have?
 
I have a BA in English, studied comparative literature at the University of Chicago, and have an MA in clinical psychotherapy from the Insitute for Clinical Social Work in Chicago. I am licensed in Illinois as an LCPC (Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor), and in another part of my life I am a counselor in private practice.
 
What do these two very different jobs have in common?

The ability to listen and an interest in story, storytelling, and in learning about what makes people tick. I enjoy using my skill in both, and also appreciate the different challenges each job entails. I think the variety is balancing and helpful for my wellbeing, and this ultimately benefits all the clients I work for, whether in counseling or transcription.
 
 

ORAL HISTORY REFERENCES

New list available on request, from clients from past several years in United States and Canada

Our secure advantage over Otter and other AI transcription services

Journalists and others with confidential information are taking a risk with free AI services, such as Otter, to lose control of data, according to a new Politico investigation:

Otter “shares your personal data with a whole host of people, including mobile advertising tracking providers, so it strikes me that there’s an awful lot of personal data and the potential for leakage of sources for journalists,” said Paul Rosenzweig, former deputy assistant secretary for policy in the Department of Homeland Security, and founder of Red Branch Consulting.

Avoid going down the rabbit hole with our highly personalized — and accountable — service. We have a very limited and transparent chain of command (human manager Paula supervises human transcriptionists), so you know exactly who sees, and then deletes, your data. We never share your data with anyone and never use AI programs to transcribe. (In fact, we have a good business correcting clients’ AI transcripts — or more commonly, starting from scratch.)

Here, you have choices of levels of security. If you have a secure online dropbox — either private or based at a university of corporation — your material will never even go through email. One transcriptionist, whom you personally approve and be in direct contact with, can then retrieve recordings and deposit completed transcripts. That can be the only person at our company who ever accesses your interviews.

For maximum security, we have in-person non-internet options: As we have done with sensitive immigration cases and internal corporate research, we can even arrange for you to drop off a thumb drive personally to a transcriptionist and then pick it up, with completed transcripts added. For several years, we have also sent typists to work onsite at a market research firm in Evanston that handles health research for the federal government. For these services, we are mainly based throughout the Chicago area, but we also have long-time transcriptionists based in the Denver area, Fort Worth area, Ohio, South Carolina and Washington, D.C.

We are available for phone or email consultation to discuss your own preferred strategy. In business since 1995, we have a long track record of trust and security and can likely provide a relevant reference for your type of business.

See our confidentiality policy here.

We are a preferred vendor at dozens of universities, university libraries and medical schools

We are “in the system” at these universities and many others:

Northwestern University (Kellogg School of Management, Feinberg School of Medicine), MIT, University of South Carolina, University of Washington, University of California-Irvine, University of Chicago, Kansas University Medical Center, the University of Illinois (Chicago and Champaign-Urbana), University of Vermont, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Virginia.

Now offering closed captioning .SRT files

For adding captions to videos.

Ultimate remote-interviewing resource guide

From the Oral History Association. Includes software recommendations for phone interviewing, backup recordings, digital signatures, and accessibility of interview subjects.

Transcriptionist spotlight: An interview with Cindy Hansen

Our best feature is our personalized (yet confidential) service with very experienced transcriptionists, many of whom who have been with us and working with our same clients for many years.. Here is our conversation with Cindy, who has been working for us for ten years.

College degrees and other work experience?

I have a BA in journalism from UW-Madison and an MPA (Masters in Public Administration) from the Uniersity of Illinois at Chicago. I worked in public relations for 10 years, first at Planned Parenthood and then at Chicago Public Radio. I also worked as an executive assistant for nearly 10 years at the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago

What types of jobs are your favorites to work on?

My favorite jobs are the ones with clear audio :) Aside from that, I love any kind of storytelling, and working on long projects for clients that are doing important work. I learn something new from every job I do.

Any special interests?

My husband and cats are keeping me good company during the quarantine. We've been going for more walks and cooking more at home. I also love yoga.

What are you streaming nowadays?

When I need to take a break from transcribing, I like to listen to a podcast (My Favorite Murder) or an audiobook. I just finished Severance by Ling Ma, very timely.

Practicing Social Distancing Since 1995!

We are open for business. Ask about Zoom and Webex call transcription special.

New skills and certifications, including in cybersecurity awareness from HHS

Contractor now qualified with Certification in Cybersecurity Awareness from Health and Human Services. We also have HIPAA compliant transcriptionists and those with CITI certifications. And new ones with experience in AAVE (African American Vernacular English). Plus some with some very impressive Southern accents. :)

Transcription Profesionals featured in NYT!

For amazing and nearly heroic feat in this gig economy for paying workers a living wage. A reminder that a majority of the money you pay us goes to the people actually doing the work on your job.

TRANSCRIPTIONIST WITH ORAL (PUBLIC) HISTORY DEGREE

Transcriptionist Chris Heidenrich has a masters degree in public history from Loyola University. She and others with extensive oral history experience, including for the Chicago History Museum, are available.

A testimonial from Dr. Tim Gilfoyle about our oral history transcription work:

"I have worked on more than 50 oral-history projects during the past 17 years for such institutions as the Chicago History Museum and the University of Chicago.  Transcription Professionals provides just that: near-perfect transcriptions which require little editing and minimal guidance. [Before Transcription Professionals,] I worked with one voice-based (voice-recognition-software-based) transcription service, but the transcriptions were so poor I was forced to have them re-transcribed. I went to Transcription Professionals!"

Dr. Gilfoyle is also Professor and Chair of History, Loyola University, Chicago; Associate Editor, Journal of Urban History

NOW OFFERING EXPERT PROOFREADING SERVICES

Of documents, manuscripts and websites. Here is a complex website that we recently proofread, for a long-time client, in a job taking about 16 hours of labor.

Now HIPAA certified with encrypted file transfers!

We use Sookasa and Dropbox Plus to transfer and encrypt interviews, on request. This is in response to clients' growing demand for this service with health-related and highly confidential/sensitive interviews.

Now certified as "Small Woman-Owned Business"

With US Small Business Administration. See our profile here.

NAICS code 56440

PSC Code: R603