What do Deaf People Really Think of AI-Generated Captions?
by Bit Blair We’ve talked about automated captions and their impact on transcribers’ morale and job prospects. But what really matters the most to us is whether Deaf and hard-of-hearing people are getting their needs met. How do Deaf and hard-of-hearing people feel about AI-generated captions? Do they think that automated captions are a suitable […]
Trends in Transcription Work: An Update
In Fall 2023, we asked TypeWell transcribers to help us take a snapshot of the job market. Are transcribers getting enough work? Are we working remotely, or on site? How do feel about the future? You can read our summary of those survey results here. We then sent out a follow-up survey in Spring 2024 […]
Transcription Trends: Insights into the Future of TypeWell Work
At the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester, TypeWell polled active transcribers to gauge how much work they were assigned, what kinds of work they were assigned, and how they felt about it. Update: Our Spring 2025 survey results are now available. Remote vs. on-site work Most TypeWell transcribers were working remotely, and more than […]
Meet Intellitext: A TypeWell Agency on a Mission to Improve Access
Intellitext was founded in 2011 to serve D/deaf and hard-of-hearing communities by providing real-time communication access in classrooms, businesses, and anywhere conversations take place. Randi Castro, the agency’s founder, worked as a TypeWell transcriber in college. After she graduated, Randi was inspired to launch Intellitext because she experienced the impact of live transcription services first-hand. […]
Healthy Habits for the Transcriber
Think back, transcribers, to your first training session with TypeWell. You read through the requirements, nodded your head eagerly and said, “I can do this!” You were advised that if you had any history of pain in your arms or wrists, this job might not be for you. As you continued on through the Basic […]
Portland Community College and TypeWell: A Partnership for Equal Access
Founded in 1961, Portland Community College (PCC) is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon with over 60,000 students. PCC is an open enrollment institution, serving a diverse population of adult learners. As part of the PCC’s commitment to equal access for all students, the College has partnered with TypeWell since 2002 to offer live transcription […]
Core Competencies for Remote Transcribers
Core competencies for remote transcribers are evolving as people adjust to new ways of learning and collaborating during the pandemic. Like all skilled professionals, speech-to-text providers must continually develop their real-time skills to stay competitive in today’s marketplace. Especially if they’re working remotely—which nearly all of us are, for now—they need to update the core […]
COVID Impacts on Disability Service Coordinators and Businesses
In our last post, we shared the responses we received from TypeWell transcribers about their experiences working (and losing work) during the pandemic. We also surveyed the impacts of COVID on Disability Service Coordinators who oversee, schedule, and coordinate TypeWell services; and small business owners who run companies or agencies that contract with schools to provide […]
COVID Impacts on TypeWell Transcribers
Earlier in the summer, we asked TypeWell transcribers about their work experience during the coronavirus pandemic. We expected a range of answers from “there is no change” to “there is no work.” We got that and much more about the COVID impacts on TypeWell Transcribers. Your heartfelt responses have been difficult to read, but also […]
Pass the Tomato! The Pomodoro technique.
“Pass the tomato” you say? What does a tomato have to do with time management? Plenty, according to Dean Kissick, who penned a piece in the June 21 edition of the New York Times Magazine, about the Pomodoro technique, named for the ubiquitous tomato-shaped kitchen timer. This handy device enables the user to set undisturbed […]