I wish I had more time to do more podcast transcripts. Not only because I get paid for it, but also because by doing it I have learnt very unusual stuff and have had a special contact with people I don't and will never know. I did a transcript once of an interview with a guy who refused to serve the Army in Israel and was therefore compelled to go to jail by periods of six months. I did another one in which a Palestinian girl was asked to formulate questions to the american soldiers occupying Iraq. I don't think I could possibly know and question myself about how people in other parts of the world think about the global situation had I not done these transcripts. It makes you wonder. It makes you pay attention to what others have to say. It makes you listen.
Podcast transcripts are generally the highest paying hits you can find, and thus are the most time-consuming. If you are not a native english speaker, transcribing a 10-minute podcast can take you as long as three hours, depending on your listening skills (BTW, this is great for improving your understanding at listening). Go for the shortest ones first, so you can get an idea of your own speed. If you decide to do the longer ones, prepare for a whole afternoon of quality listening. But this would be good spent time, as you are literally pulled out of your ordinary life and dragged into something that you would never experience otherwise ;)
Posted by Julie
It is sort of hard, when English is not the native tongue. I wish though, that some podcasts were more clear in their recordings, as in, not conducted over the phone.
Posted by: Li | August 20, 2006 at 12:22 AM