What is Video Transcription?
Video transcription refers to the process of converting spoken language in a video or any form of audio speech into written text. Doing so can improve the discoverability and usability of various video materials in different contexts.
There are many applications of video transcription in the digital landscape - from making online videos more accessible to facilitating Search Engine Optimization (SEO) by providing a written version of the video's content to be indexed by search engines.
Benefits of Video Transcription
Businesses and content creators alike are actively looking for convenient and free video transcription services because of the wide range of benefits associated with the process.
Here are some primary upsides of investing in video transcription:
- Improved Accessibility: Transcribing the auditory content of a video into a textual format makes the information more accessible. Doing so can help individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing understand the context and purpose of the video. It ensures everyone can comprehend the content, promoting inclusivity and equal access to information.
- Search Engine Optimization and Discoverability: Adding a transcription can significantly improve the SEO performance of any video uploaded online. By embedding textual information, transcripts allow search engines to index visual content and make the video more searchable. This leads to enhanced visibility over the web.
- Convenient Content Repurposing: Transcribed text can also provide multilingual support and make content repurposing more convenient for creators. With this, the video can easily be repurposed into other forms like blog posts, articles, social media updates, etc. Moreover, the transcription can also be translated, giving content repurposing a whole new dynamic.
Top 5 Free Video Transcription Tools
For many creators, adding video transcriptions has become a necessity. But not everyone can afford premium solutions for the same.
Fortunately, many free video transcription tools are available on the internet to make videography more accessible to everyone. Here's our pick for the top five:
1. Gumlet Video
Gumlet Video is an all-in-one video hosting and streaming solution that offers an AI-powered video transcription that offers unlimited transcriptions. It's a great option for anyone who needs to transcribe videos quickly and easily. It is powered by an in-house AI and results in super-fast, accurate subtitle generation for all users. Since it is done through an in-house AI, none of the videos are sent to a third party for this purpose, which means even better security for all your proprietary content. It is included for free for all of Gumlet's paid plan subscribers.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Log in to Gumlet Video.
- Make changes to the profile settings and enable automatic transcriptions.
- Upload your desired video.
- Voila! Your video now has a video transcript.
Gumlet Video is easy to use and has a variety of features, including:
- Video hosting and Streaming: Stream your videos securely and reliably with Gumlet. Deliver high-quality, uninterrupted video playback to viewers on any device.
- Video security: With Gumlet. you can protect your videos from piracy and unauthorized access with features such as DRM, geo-blocking, password protection and other security features.
- Video analytics: Track your video engagement and performance and gain valuable insights into your audience.
Gumlet is a great option for businesses and creators of all sizes who need a reliable and scalable video hosting and streaming solution.
2. Descript
Descript is an all-in-one solution for all audio/video editing requirements. Apart from offering free video transcription services, the platform also provides tools for screen recording, podcasting, and more.
The tool allows one hour of free video transcription per month. Beyond that, you will have to upgrade to a paid plan.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Sign in to your Descript account and click on the "New Project (+)" button.
- Upload the video that you want to transcribe.
- Wait for the transcription process to complete. After that, you can review and edit the prepared transcription for complete accuracy.
- Add timestamps, annotations, and effects to make the final product more interactive (optional).
- Export the completed version of the transcription. Many options are available, including exporting the subtitles, saving the transcription as a text file, or even downloading videos with on-screen captions.
Descript is a powerful tool for transcribing videos. It integrates AI solutions to make the whole process more convenient, both for creators and viewers. It offers up to 99% accuracy while transcribing videos and can perform video transcriptions in 22 languages.
While a free platform version is available, most professional content creators prefer the paid plans. The two packages available are for $12/month and $24/month (with added benefits).
3. Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe is one of the most popular online free video transcription services. Unlike most other alternatives, this tool is entirely dedicated to subtitle-based solutions and transcribing.
The free version of the software only allows video transcription for a few minutes each month.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Sign in to your Happy Scribe account, choose the "Transcription" service, and choose your preferred settings.
- You can choose either "Automatic Transcription Services" to let AI do the job or "100% Human-Made Transcription Services" to hire professional scribes.
- Upload the video and wait for the transcription process to complete. The turnaround time is different for varying settings.
- Review and edit the final version.
- Export the final transcription in your preferred format.
The main selling point of Happy Scribe is that it also lets you hire professional transcribers for almost 100% accuracy rates. They do have limitations on video size, plus you can timecode videos, incorporate APIs seamlessly, and integrate with major video platforms. The tool is capable of transcribing videos in more than 60 languages. The basic plan starts from $10/month and can go up to $29/month for enterprise-level solutions.
4. Veed.io
Veed.io is another all-in-one solution that offers services like video editing, screen recording, and video transcription.
While it can be used for free, the unpaid version only allows transcription worth 30 minutes and has a 1 GB upload limit.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Sign in to your Veed.io account.
- Click on the "Subtitles & Transcription" service.
- Click on the "Add Subtitles to Video" button.
- Upload the video to be transcribed.
- Review, edit, and animate the transcribed version.
- Export the final version in the format that you prefer.
VEED uses powerful speech recognition software to generate and add captions to their visual content instantly. You can add text files (SRT, VTT, TXT formats) and customize the transcribed text. You can also change the text's style, font, and colors. Its Basic Package starts at $3.5/month, and the Pro Package starts at $7.2/month. The Business Plan with maximum features costs around $18/month.
5. Kapwing
Kapwing is the ultimate go-to platform for all kinds of video-related services. It is a comprehensive tool that offers a wide range of solutions, including editing, recording, and transcribing videos.
The free version of this tool can export videos that are (at most) 4 minutes long and allows auto subtitles worth 10 minutes per month.
Step-by-Step Guide
- Create your account on Kapwing and log in.
- Choose the specific transcription service you want: speech-to-text, video-to-text, podcast transcript generator, or any other.
- Upload the video to be transcribed.
- Review and edit the transcribed version.
- Export the final version in your preferred format.
Kapwing is completely cloud-based. This allows for convenient video sharing and transcription for content creators. You can get videos from YouTube, LinkedIn, or any other major platform and add auto-generated subtitles or transcription as per your needs. The platform supports transcription and subtitle-based services in up to 70 languages. The paid version of the tool costs $16/month.
Use Cases of Video Transcription
In today's digitally-motivated landscape, video transcription plays a huge role in our lives. Different industries have dynamic use cases for this process.
Some prominent applications of video transcription services are as follows:
Content Creation and Marketing
Video transcription allows content creators like YouTubers and Social Media Influencers to reach a wider audience by making their videos more accessible to the audience. Many surveys report that around 92% of online videos on mobile phones are watched with the sound off. This can only be possible if video transcription measures are taken seriously.
Education and E-Learning
Educational institutions can use video transcriptions to get accurate and searchable transcripts of lectures and other learning resources. These transcripts can also help students with different learning styles and abilities to understand the material better.
Market Research and Business Insights
Transcribing group discussions and interviews allows market researchers to analyze insight-based conversations more effectively. It can aid marketers in identifying trends, patterns, and customer preferences on a large scale.
Customer Support and Service
Transcribing real-time customer service calls and support interactions can help in quality assurance and training. It also allows organizations to assess the crisis-handling capabilities of the current workforce.
Finally, it enables companies to analyze customer feedback more comprehensively and transparently, allowing them to improve their support services.
Conclusion
For any content creator, a video transcription tool can be of great value. The process of manually writing transcripts and subtitles for hundreds of videos each day can be an inefficient and time-consuming job.
To help you out, we have compiled a list of the best free video transcription solutions available online. All of them offer something different and unique. Based on your requirements, you can find the perfect service for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can video transcription be used to improve the SEO of my video content?
Yes, video transcription can enhance SEO by providing searchable text that search engines can index easily, making videos more discoverable.
Can Google transcribe a video?
Yes, Google offers automatic transcription services for some languages. However, the accuracy and other additional features may be limited compared to specialized transcription tools.
How do I enable transcripts on YouTube?
You can enable transcripts on YouTube by following these steps:
- Go to YouTube Video Manager.
- Select your preferred video.
- Click on the "Subtitles/CC" option.
- Click on "Add New Subtitles or CC."
- Upload the transcript file or add subtitles manually.
Does YouTube transcribe videos?
YouTube does provide the option of generating automatic captions for uploaded videos. This may be considered a form of transcription, but the accuracy may vary. So, YouTube's auto-generated captions often require reviewing and editing by the creators themselves.
