Transcriptionist Spotlight
Paula Kamen
Transcriptionist Spotlight
Q & A with Jane Dillingham
Since 2014, Jane has specialized in working with challenging scientific and medical research.
Q: What is your favorite long-term project you have worked on for us?
A: I was given the honor of transcribing all of the interviews with the astronauts, the engineers, and the administrators who were involved in the development and launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, which culminated in the ebook, “Not Yet Imagined: A Study of Hubble Space Telescope Operations,” by Christopher Gainor. I was even thanked for my work in the book.
While the Hubble project was challenging, other medically based interviews were more so. For example: Interviews with patients regarding transplants and the procedures they went through; and the exploration of a newer diabetes diagnosis and treatment with doctors and patients.
The longest ongoing job would probably be the one that I did for a psychiatrist, who worked exclusively with pilots. I won’t comment further on these, due to confidentiality issues. That one lasted from 2014 to 2020, with regular one to three hour interviews every ten days, or so.
Have you always been interested in science?
I’ve always been around science. My dad was a microbiologist/toxicologist and my brother is an MD. So, I’ve always been comfortable with scientific, medical, and pharmaceutical terminology.
What are your degrees in? How does transcription complement your other career as a psychotherapist?
I have both a BA in Psychology, from Lawrence University, and an MA in Community Counseling from Loyola University. The degrees were obtained 15 years apart.
Transcription is a perfect foil for my psychotherapy work. As a psychotherapist, all of my cases are ongoing, with only occasional closure. Transcription, on the other hand is a beginning/middle/end kind of job. It is intellectually stimulating in a totally different way than the therapy is. I get joy from both jobs. I learn so much from both my client work and the interviews I transcribe.
Where are you from? When did you leave Chicago for Georgia?
I am originally from Appleton, Wisconsin, where I grew up and went to college. Then in 1977, I moved to Chicago. In 2020, I moved to Georgia to be close to family, especially my sister and my grand-niece’s family.