Does Microsoft Skype Have a Transcription Service?

In today's fast-paced world, communication plays a crucial role in our personal and professional lives. Microsoft's Skype has been a popular choice for people to connect with colleagues, friends, and family. In recent years, the number of monthly active Skype users worldwide has surpassed 300 million, reaching 40 million daily active users.

Although there are millions of Skype users, people are unaware about the benefits of having a transcription service when using it. Transcription can be a game-changer for those who rely on Skype for their daily communication needs. From note-taking to finding important information for future research, a quality transcript can help you make the most of your Skype meeting.

In this blog, we will explore Skype's transcription service, its usage, limitations, and alternative human transcription services for those who want to get quality transcripts without any hassles.

Microsoft's Automated Transcription Service

One of the lesser-known features of Skype is its transcription service, which automatically transcribes audio and video calls. The transcription service uses cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by Microsoft to transcribe the conversation.

While AI technology has made significant advancements in recent years, it may still lack the accuracy and contextual understanding of human transcription services.

There are potential drawbacks to using an automated transcription service such as Skype's, including errors in transcribing technical terms, accents, or multiple speakers talking simultaneously.

Nevertheless, automated transcription services can still be a useful tool for users who require a basic transcript of their conversations.

Overall, while Skype's transcription service provides a convenient way to transcribe audio and video calls, it's important to keep in mind its limitations and potential inaccuracies due to the technology's reliance on AI and lack the human transcription touch.

How Can You Transcribe Your Skype Meeting with Microsoft AI Transcription Service?

Transcribing a Skype meeting using Microsoft's automated service may involve several steps. Here's how to use it:

• Record your Skype meeting: Start your Skype meeting and click on the "Start Recording" button to begin recording the meeting.
• End the recording: Once the meeting is over, stop the recording by clicking on the "Stop Recording" button.
• Save the recording: Save the recording to your computer or OneDrive.
• Request transcription: Open the recording in the Skype app, click on the "More options" button (three dots), and select "Transcribe and auto-translate."
• Choose language: Choose the language of your meeting from the drop-down list.
• Select transcription: Choose "Transcribe" to get a transcript of the meeting.
• Wait for the transcript: The transcription service will process the recording and generate a transcript. This can take some time, depending on the length of the meeting and the quality of the audio.
• Review and edit: Once the transcript is ready, you can review and edit it if necessary.
• Save the transcript: Save the transcript to your computer or OneDrive for future reference.Top of Form

There’s also a real-time transcription and translation option in Skype Meeting Broadcast for Skype Business users, but it's in the preview phase. To enable it, your company's IT admins will have to turn on preview features from the Skype for Business admin center.

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Understanding Drawbacks of Microsoft AI Based Transcription Service

As useful as Microsoft's AI based transcription service is for transcribing recorded calls and meetings, it does come with a few limitations:

1. Limited Languages Support: One of the most significant of these is the limited number of languages that the service supports. Currently, the service can only transcribe recordings in English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese (Mandarin), Portuguese, and Italian. This means that if you're conducting a meeting in another language, you won't be able to use the service to transcribe it.
2. Not Completely Accurate: The service uses AI and machine learning algorithms to transcribe recordings, and these algorithms may struggle with accents and dialects that are different from what they've been trained on. This can lead to inaccuracies and errors in the transcription, which can be frustrating for users. Human transcriptions, on the other hand, are more accurate and précised compared to the AI ones.
3. Limited Formatting Options: While the Microsoft Transcription Service allows you to edit the transcription but the options available are not as comprehensive as some other transcription services on the market. You will not be able to format the transcript exactly as you like, and you will also not be able to generate ready-to-use transcripts in any specific template of your choice.

If you want to eliminate these limitations of an automated transcription service and need a ready-to-use factually correct transcript of your Skype meeting, then you must look for professional transcription services, especially the ones that are human-based for the highest quality transcript.

Remember that the automated transcription service has an accuracy rate of around 60-80% while a human-based transcription service like GMR Transcription may achieve an accuracy rate of 99%.

Related: Microsoft Teams Transcription Services

How Much Does Skype Transcription Cost?

Skype transcription service cost depends on several factors, including whether the file contains video or audio.

Other cost variations exist depending on the conditions for recording. Rates are higher for difficult recording conditions compared with a clear audio scenario. Rates are also higher for same-day versus next-day service.

At GMR Transcription, for clear audio with up to two speakers, our rate is $3.50 per minute for same-day service, while next-day service is $3.00. If you have three or more speakers, the cost will be $4.00 per minute for same-day service and $3.50 per minute for next-day service.

If the audio involves difficult conditions, there are additional costs.

You can get discounts for slowing down the turnaround time, such as a $1.25 per minute rate for up to two speakers when you allow a three or four-week turnaround period. You can enjoy substantial transcription savings if you do not need the finished product immediately.

Check out our pricing page for more information on this.

How to Get High-Quality Transcripts of Your Skype Meetings with GMR Transcription

At GMR Transcription, you can get high-quality transcripts of your Skype meetings in three easy and simple steps:

1. Create your account and upload your file: Register yourself on our website and upload your Skype meeting recording file. Then, choose your deadline and other customizable service requests. We support all popular file types and also have a web-linking feature where you can copy-paste the link of your recording if it's uploaded on the web.
2. Wait for your transcript: Our 100% US-based human transcriptionists will start transcribing your recording and also perform a thorough quality check of the transcript.
3. Get your transcript: You will be notified when the transcript is ready. Complete your payment and download your transcript or you can also get it via email.

Related: How Do I Transcribe a GoTo Webinar?

Final Thoughts

Transcribing meetings is an effective way to organize and distribute important content relevant to your team's communication. Transcriptions provide easy references to content that come from group meetings, speeches, seminars, and webinars.

At GMR Transcription Services, Inc., we make sure our transcripts are reliable with a 99% accurate human transcription. We also customize orders so that you get the files in your preferred format and can provide you with the transcript within 24 hours.

As a US-based company, we possess a distinct advantage in comprehending English jargon, slang, and language as a whole. With our extensive experience in serving a diverse range of clients, we highest level of satisfaction to our clients.

Register today to become a part of 12,000+ happy customers we have faithfully served since 2004.