How to Become a Transcriptionist: Step-by-Step (No Experience Needed)

Transcription means listening to audio and typing what is said into a clear, correctly formatted document. It is real work with deadlines, and it rewards people who are patient and accurate. This guide explains what the job involves, what you need to start, how training and certification work, and what the outlook looks like, including the effect of AI. It uses public data where it exists, and it tells you when a claim comes from a school that sells training. This is general information, not career or financial advice.

What a transcriptionist actually does

A typical job starts with an audio or video file sent by download link, usually with a due date and a style guide that says how the client wants the text formatted. You listen through a headset, type what you hear in transcription software, and often use a foot pedal to play, pause and rewind without moving your hands from the keyboard. Then you proofread. Careful proofreading is a large part of the work, because clients pay for accurate transcripts.

There are three main kinds of work:

• General transcription: podcasts, interviews, business meetings, research recordings and similar files. It has the widest range of clients.
• Legal transcription: hearings, depositions and attorney dictation. It involves legal vocabulary and stricter formatting rules, and in many settings a person has to certify the transcript.
• Medical transcription: physician dictation turned into medical records. It is a separate specialty that needs medical terminology training. Professional associations such as AHDI offer credentials for it.

Is there still work? What the data says

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks medical transcriptionists, but not general or legal transcriptionists. For medical transcriptionists, BLS reports a median pay of $40,410 per year ($19.43 per hour) in May 2025, and projects employment to decline 4 percent from 2025 to 2035. It also expects about 6,200 openings a year, mainly from workers who transfer to other occupations or leave the workforce. These numbers describe employees in that one specialty. They do not describe freelance general or legal transcriptionists, whose pay depends on the type of file, their speed and accuracy, and the clients they find.

Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Medical Transcriptionists →

What about AI? Speech recognition produces first drafts quickly, which is one reason BLS projects a decline in this field. Schools such as Transcribe Anywhere argue that automatic transcripts still struggle with accents, overlapping speakers, background noise and technical terms, so more of the work is moving toward editing and verifying drafts, and that legal transcripts need a person to certify them. That view is reasonable, but schools also have an interest in presenting the outlook positively, so weigh it alongside the BLS data. A sensible approach is to test the work cheaply before you commit money and months to it.

What you need to start

Do not rush to buy equipment. Try the free exercise below first. If you decide to continue, here are two common choices.

Typing speed and accuracy

There is no single speed that every employer requires. Many companies and agencies ask you to complete a test file instead, and they judge accuracy first. Speed comes with practice, so measure yourself before you decide.

1. Take a 120-second Speed Test on three different days and note your WPM and accuracy each time.
2. If your accuracy is below 95%, work on accuracy first. Our guide explains how.
3. Use Weak Key Drills to fix the keys you miss most.

For typical employer expectations, see our guide on typing speed requirements for jobs.

Try transcription before you pay for anything

This free exercise takes about an hour and tells you whether you enjoy the work.

1. Pick a clear 2 to 3 minute interview or podcast clip from a source that also publishes a written transcript.
2. Without looking at the transcript, type what you hear. Time yourself from start to finish.
3. Compare your version with the published transcript. Count the differences and sort them: names and spellings, punctuation, wrong or missing words, filler words.
4. Ask yourself two questions: did the time it took surprise you, and did you find the detail work satisfying or tiring?

Beginners often need several times the length of the audio to finish a clip, so a long time in step 2 is normal.

A punctuation example

Transcribers decide what the speaker means. Imagine you hear: "I have two meetings today Dana and Lee".

• With a colon: "I have two meetings today: Dana and Lee." The meetings are with Dana and Lee.
• With a comma: "I have two meetings today, Dana and Lee." The speaker is talking to Dana and Lee.

Both are correct punctuation. Only context tells you which one is right. This is why style guides and graded practice files are a big part of transcription training.

Do you need a course?

No law requires one. AAERT, the main certifying body for electronic transcribers, says it does not require any specific training before its exams. Training can still shorten the learning curve, because it gives you graded practice files with answer keys, style guides and feedback. Self-study is possible with free resources and a lot of practice.

One option is Transcribe Anywhere, a training school. According to its website:

• It offers two courses: General Transcription (seven levels of practice dictations) and Legal Transcription (ten levels, plus over 100 pages of legal terminology). It does not offer a medical transcription course.
• Each course includes video tutorials, a style guide, a final exam and a certificate of completion, with lifetime access to the material.
• It describes itself as an AAERT-approved school and says its training prepares graduates for AAERT's CET exam.
• It says most students finish a course in about two to four months, depending on the hours they put in.
• It does not offer refunds. There is a free seven-lesson mini-course, and the syllabus is available before you pay, so use both before you decide. Payment plans are available.

Which course? General transcription covers the widest range of clients. Legal transcription has specialized vocabulary and stricter formatting, and the school says this is why it pays more. If you are unsure, starting with General is a common choice, because the school says the skills carry over.

Use code AUDREY1992 at checkout for 20% off eligible offers.

These are affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you enroll, at no extra cost to you.

Certification

Certification is optional for many jobs, but it can matter for legal and court work. AAERT's Certified Electronic Transcriber (CET) credential involves an online knowledge exam and a practical exam in which you produce a transcript from a recorded proceeding. Requirements, formats and fees change, so check AAERT's website for the current details.

AAERT certification program →

Finding your first work

• Apply to transcription agencies and companies. Expect to complete a test file before you are hired. They judge accuracy, formatting and how well you follow the style guide.
• Search job boards for "transcriptionist" and "remote transcription". Our jobs board lists current examples.
• Be careful with scams. A real employer pays you for your work. Be wary of anyone who asks you to pay for access to jobs, or to cash a check and send money back.

We do not quote income figures, because they depend on the difficulty of the files, your speed and accuracy, and how many hours you work.

Is this the right career for you?

Transcription suits people who like detail, can work alone and are comfortable with deadlines. It is probably not a good fit if you need income right away, dislike repetitive detail work, or expect quick money.

Your step-by-step plan

1. Measure your typing speed and accuracy with the Speed Test.
2. Do the free clip exercise above.
3. Try a free mini-course and read a syllabus.
4. Decide between general and legal.
5. Practice with graded files until your accuracy is consistent.
6. Set up your equipment.
7. Apply to agencies and complete their test files. Consider certification for legal work.

Related guides

Sources

• US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical Transcriptionists
• AAERT, Certification Exams

Information about Transcribe Anywhere comes from the school's own website, checked October 2026.