Rates

The table below summarizes the cost to transcribe various types of work. We give a range because some speakers may actually speak twice as fast as others. We can slow the audio down to transcribe it, but if someone speaks twice as quickly as another, there will actually be twice as many words to type within an hour of audio.

We regret that we can't be any more specific in advance than the range shown below because unanticipated things may come up during the transcription that are not evident on a quick listen.

Our clients have come to know and trust us for outstanding quality at a reasonable cost. We're exceptionally fast and we take pride in giving you top quality transcripts, so you won't have to spend your time correcting spelling and grammar, filling in blanks or correcting inaccuracies. The following is a typical testimonial:

I would highly recommend Points West Transcription. I tried out a number of transcription firms and students who'd been referred to me by friends while doing my dissertation thesis, but ultimately found that Points West provided the best value and quality. They took by far less time than other services and I spent very little time reviewing the documents because their transcripts were so accurate and complete. I regularly refer my colleagues to Points West and will continue do so. It was truly a pleasure working with them.

Sheila Wilmot
OISE / University of Toronto doctoral candidate

Please also see our other Testimonials.

Minimum Charge $70 (equivalent to 24 minutes audio (0.4 hrs) at a ratio of 5).

We can waive the minimum charge if we can combine a number of small files into one Word document, so that the cumulative total is more than 24 minutes, but in order for us to do this, you must let us know at the time you upload the files by mentioning it in the message area on the Upload Files page. We can't waive the minimum charge if you let us know later on that you wish to have the files combined, because the minimum charge is meant to help cover our time in assigning the files and we will already have assigned the files if you let us know later. Whenever we combine multiple audio files into one Word document, we create a mini "Table of Contents" on the first page, with hyperlinks to headings within the transcript where each audio file begins.

Explanation of Rates Table

One-on-One Interviews, Lectures, Conferences: We charge $35 per hour of our transcription time but it takes us approximately 4-6 hours to transcribe one hour of a one-on-one interview, lecture or conference, so the total cost is $140 - $210 per hour of audio.

$35/hr x 4 hrs of our time = $140 per hour of audio (low end of quote)
$35/hr x 6 hrs or our time = $210 per hour of audio (high end of quote)

Focus Groups: We charge $35 per hour of our transcription time but it takes us approximately 5-7 hours to transcribe one hour of a Focus Group, so the total cost is $175 - $245 per hour of audio.

$35/hr x 5 hrs of our time = $175 per hour of audio (low end of quote)
$35/hr x 7 hrs or our time = $245 per hour of audio (high end of quote)

The cost may be below the low end of our quote

If it turns out that it actually takes us less time than the low end of our quote, we will only charge you the actual time it took us. This sometimes happens with exceptionally slow speakers and/or if there are a lot of long pauses.

It's very rare that we find that anything falls outside the range shown in the table above, but if at any point during the transcription we find that the work is going to be above the high end of our quote, we'll contact you to explain the issues and the anticipated cost and check to see if you still wish to proceed.