Writing enables you to communicate precisely with a target audience to deliver your ideas, thoughts or feelings. Transcriptionists, almost always, come across new words when transcribing content for different clients. This is especially the case when the client is in an industry that you are not familiar with.

How can you learn new vocabulary when as a transcription services provider, you’re transcribing content?

Determining Meaning from Context

In most cases, you can decipher the meaning of a new word you come across based on the context that it has been used. The sentence containing the vocabulary can provide clues on its meaning and usage. Sometimes, you may need to back or go forward a few sentences to discover the meaning of the word.

One of the problems of trying to determine the meaning of a word based on context is that the process can take time. This is especially the case if you are not familiar with the industry jargon of the project you may be assigned. Moreover, you may be unable to correctly spell the words spoken by the subjects in the transcription project.

Checking contextual usage is the easiest way of determining the meaning of a vocabulary. However, in some cases, contextual usage may not be of much help. Even worse, sometimes you may be unable to correctly decipher the meaning of the word based on how it has been used. In such cases, you can use the good ol’ dictionary.

Grammar Software

Another easy way of learning new words while writing is by using a grammar software such as Grammarly. The online software makes your writing concise, enabling you to detect run-on sentences, overused vocabularies, plural and tense errors, incorrect word usage, among other grammatical errors.

Grammarly is an excellent tool for writers at all levels. The online application is like a second pair of eyes that will help you avoid common errors that make your writing bland.

For transcriptionists and translators, Grammarly is an absolute must-have. The software is a time-saver that will help you come up with excellent written content within a short time. All you need to do is paste your transcribed text on the Grammalry interface and it will detect obvious grammatical errors. These errors may have been spoken by your subject and unless you are transcribing verbatim, they won’t make sense to be included in the final transcription.

Using Thesaurus

Whether you prefer ab online thesaurus or one of the many paperback editions, one of these vocabulary aids should be within easy reach whenever you are writing. As you transcribe a client’s work, keep an online thesaurus open on one of your browser’s tab. When you come across a new word, you can type it on the thesaurus to quickly find out its meaning.

Periodically referring to the dictionary to uncover the meaning of new vocabulary is important for a transcriptionist. With clients requiring accurately transcribed audio or video files without a short time, it is critical to have deep vocabulary knowledge to understand the meaning of the sentences you are transcribing. In transcription, a thesaurus is your best friend for learning new words.

Using an online thesaurus is the best way of learning new words while writing. The whole process is fast as you usually only need to type a vocabulary on the thesaurus and you’ll get its meaning and usage examples in a few seconds.

Follow the tips above to learn new words while writing or transcribing content.