As a transcriptionist, I work on a variety of projects. Anything you can imagine from reality TV shows to medical procedures to technology conferences to documentary films. My mission, not always accomplished, is to do the work quickly and well, and to find something about it that's interesting to me.
Sometimes that's a challenge. And sometimes I have to settle for being grateful for a pretty accent, someone who speaks slowly and clearly, someone who is passionate about what they do, and sometimes it's just someone who's trying really hard, because if you're not the type of person who does sound bites well, and it's that kind of interview situation, sounds bites can be really hard to do. And sometimes I can't find anything, and then all I have to be grateful for is that projects eventually end.
But there are projects that I love. And in those times, it's a great job for me, an information junkie, someone always looking to learn, to sit all day and hear people talk and capture it on a page. As a freelance transcriptionist, I've worked for one client for 15 years, ever since they started as a nonprofit organization. There was a year and a half where I was out of the loop--I quit working freelance for a while to concentrate on playing music and watching baseball--yes, I was that big of a fan--and when I wised up and wanted their business again, it was during the dot-com bust, and they weren't using freelancers. But after another six months or so, they called me up and we resumed. And now I know a lot about them and the breadth of their work.
But oftentimes it's more scattershot. Especially at the office. I work freelance and for a company. And when I work for the company, a 10 tape project can come in, and maybe I do Tape 3 and 6. So, I hear parts of the story. In my segment, the husband is the suspect, but they are yet to interrogate him. Or I hear about the events that led up to the Battle of Little Big Horn, but I don't work on the actual battle. And some days, switching from various projects, I feel like I'm sampling a veritable smorgasbord of information. Here's a touching interview on Alzheirmers, now let's find out the state of the nation of this tech company, and then we'll end the day with some conversations with Navy Seals. It keeps the synapses firing, I believe, and I make notes sometines on things I want to read about more on my own. In the meantime, every day is a mystery. What will this tape bring?
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