Which is better-automated transcription software or manual transcription service?

Answer 1

Automated transcription software is quicker, cheaper but more inaccurate. Their accuracy levels can be as low as 90%. Depending on what you an to do with the final transcript (e.g. personal use vs. identifying quotes for a magazine article) this may or may not be acceptable level of error. Automated programs also require 'training' i.e. correcting the program till it recognises the speakers voice. The programs have been around 10 or more years and are getting better but still 90% accurate means 1 in ten words is still going to be wrong! Though Google have been trailing a 'new' method but it is a long way off release. On the other hand, manual transcriptionists are not as fast or as cheap in the long run but can (if the company has some sort of quality control process) produce transcripts that are near 100 cent percent accurate.