Even Government Agencies Need Transcription Services

Recent news out of the United States called a great deal of attention to the need for transcription services.  This is a profession that has spent a lot of time in the limelight in recent years, as people seek careers that allow them the luxury of working from home.  However, these most recent articles have nothing to do with such matters, but rather point out a tremendous need for people who are qualified to do the work.

In this day and age, a time when people are highly familiar with the term crowdfunding, even the United States Government isn’t above pleading for a bit of help with some of the lesser funded projects on the horizon.  In fact, there was recently a Twitter campaign that sought out transcription services online.  Those who were interested in the work were not to be paid.  This was a request for volunteer services for the sake of preserving some of the historical documents associated with the development and growth of the Nation.

While the approach is unusual, the need is not unheard of.  There are a wide array of industries that regularly have need of transcription services.  London government is certainly no exception.  Legal matters, political interviews, and government meeting minutes are often transcribed, so they can be filed and reviewed in a friendlier format.  Digital transcription also means that the materials can be saved as digital text files in online databases.  Thus, information deemed important for the nation can be made fully accessible to the public.

The United States’ attempt at crowdsourcing transcription services is unconventional, but interesting nevertheless.  This project comes as thousands of documents have been ruled declassified.  Now, there is a desire to make that information better available to the masses. They hoped to reach 1,000 transcribed pages by March 23.  You can read more about this project at Arstechnica.com.