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entries are strictly the opinion of Carolyn Bodley and may not reflect the opinion of others
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BLOG - $0.75 an audio minute -- not on my watch ...
Every since a few years ago when my webpage got stolen, I routinely cruise
the Internet to see if anyone else is stupid enough to have done the same thing.
Tonight what I found, was not
that my site had been stolen or hi-jacked, but rather that I now have local competition [cough, cough] proudly (I might add)
charging $0.75 and audio minute.
Now, before jumping to conclusions, let's figure out exactly what this means.
A good, one-person audio takes 3:1 -- meaning it takes three hours (or minutes in this case) to type one hour or again one
minute. What that means is that you are earning $0.25 a minute. W-O-W! Breaking it down further, that equates to $15.00 per
hour. It just gets better and better, doesn't it. Out of that $15.00, you are responsible for paying your own self-employment
taxes, purchase supplies and equipment, pay utilities -- I hope you aren't planning on making rental, lease or house payments
with this money. Now, that's a GOOD audio.
Let's talk about not-so good audio, with 2, 3, 5 or more people. You
are now talking 5:1 upwards to 12:1 or even more. Let's start with 5:1 -- that means if you are being paid $.075 an audio
minute, your minute rate has dropped to $0.15 a minute and now you will earn $9.00 an hour. Let's compare 8:1 -- minute rate
now drops to -- are you ready? -- $0.094 and you will now earn $5.63 hour. Flippin' hamburgers is beginning to look pretty
good, huh? Let's go to the worst, unbearable, riddled with [inaudibles] at 12:1 -- minute rate is $0.063 with an hourly earnings
rate of $3.75.
Yep, it appears that this is my local competition -- gosh, I'm shaking in my boots. Nah, not a chance. [end of blog]
With a typing speed of 120 wpm, Carolyn Bodley began
offering independent contractor/secretarial and transcription services to the Denver metro legal community in 1992.
I am not a court reporter or medical transcriptionist and I don't
videotape depositions -- I'm strictly a legal transcriptionist which means putting spoken words on paper. All my transcripts
contain a certification stating that to the best of my knowledge, belief and ability, the audio/video I received has not been
altered in any way, and the transcript is true, accurate and complete. I have never been advised that
a court rejected one of my audio or video transcripts. If my transcript is rejected by the court, you will
be reimbursed in full for my services. Because I certify that the transcript is true and complete, the entire audio/video
must be transcribed--I am unable to transcribe "just a portion" that you need.
I guarantee
that your transcripts will be typed confidentially, accurately and with attention to detail at a fair price.
Discovery is often turned over in a format other than hard copy.
This discovery includes, but is not limited to, recorded telephone conversations, police interviews, depositions, investigations,
witness statements, and more. The audio and video "words" need to be put to paper,
and your already overworked legal staff often don't have the skills, equipment, the inclination or the time.
Discovery is often the deciding factor of whether a
case goes to trial. Most of us hear, but do we listen? Recently I transcribed a video that had been viewed and listened to
several times and by several people before I transcribed it. There was a one sentence statement that not one person caught
-- this one sentence was not the only reason the case was dismissed one day before trial--however, it carried quite a
bit of weight -- and I'm the only one that "heard" it. Had the video
never been transcribed, how many other words would never have been heard?
Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this website, or any portion of it, without
first obtaining the express WRITTEN permission of CAROLYN BODLEY, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will
be prosecuted to the maximum extent under the law.
