You might be aware of transcription, but not every one of you is cognizant of the foot pedal. And that’s fine! This post is a purview of how the foot pedal can be game-changing to your typing speed while performing transcriptions. Read on to learn more about foot pedals.
What is a Foot Pedal?
Irrefutably, transcription can be a time-consuming and tedious task. Fortunately, there are umpteen solutions available to make this process a cakewalk. However, you need to follow some of them. Accessing a transcription foot pedal allows you to free up your hands by monitoring the audio with your feet.
A typist without a transcription foot pedal is like using only the mouse on your PC, which would be time-consuming, to say the least. Think of it as a keyboard shortcut. A foot pedal lets you control audio with your foot and free your hands to focus on typing. It is an excellent tool to boost your typing speed and save time.
How to Use a Foot Pedal?
Specialized transcription software is needed to utilize a foot pedal. Different software is available in the market for you to purchase and opt for one. You can plug your foot pedal into your computer through a USB cable, open your transcription software, and all set to go.
A transcription foot pedal includes buttons that can be configured to have different functions. Individuals have a standard three-button foot pedal set to play/pause, rewind, and fast-forward functions. It has other functions, such as jump, next, or slowdown dictation, which are reliable. It depends on personal preference and the features your selected transcription software has.
Advantages of Using the Right Hardware and Software for Transcription
Many people think transcription functions as audio listening and electronic typing of the word. It is not completely right! There is so much more than that. It is essential to use the correct hardware and software when generating top-quality transcripts promptly. There are numerous advantages to using the right hardware and software for transcription.
Hardware: A Right Tool Creates a Difference
Know about the right hardware, including-
- Foot Pedals: It becomes hassle-free to play and rewind audio with the foot pedal as you don’t need to move your hands off the keywords, which saves you time and makes you type fast. Professional transcriptionists rely on foot pedals as they are quicker to rewind the audio and type, leading to more earnings.
- Quality Audio Headphones: These headphones can create a massive difference amid listening to difficult-to-hear audio or decoding between thick dialects and accents. One can expect that headphone is a fundamental and significant hardware aspect of the job. Selecting the right headphones can be tricky, but you can hear the clear audio once chosen. The best is to pick noise-canceling headphones that deliver superior outcomes. Such headphones help you hear the audio without any distortion or background noise, so you hear what is exactly said.
- Comfortable Keyboard: It sounds obvious but having a keyboard you are comfortable using brings a huge difference. A comfortable keyboard helps you increase your potential typing speed. Your typing speed determines your maximum earnings. Thus, your selected keyboard plays a crucial role.
Software: Save Time, Money, and Effort in the Long Run!
Software is crucial in the transcription process, helping you save your effort, money, and time. Using reputed software can make your task quicker and easier. There are various types of software available in the market. You can have a look at some of them here-
- Express Scribe Professional: It is a low cost player designed for typists and transcriptionists. This software features excellent speech-to-text integrations, the best foot pedal control, and supports different audio formats such as WMA and MP3. You can directly load audio recordings from a CD, FTP program, or local hard drive. It is brilliant software you can invest in.
- File Conversion Software: A good file conversion software package that can convert any file is useful to install in your system. Sometimes, you might get a file that might not be opened with another software. A good file conversion software is an excellent solution to it. A transcription task needs relevant software too. The reality is some audios are hard to hear and accents are not easy to understand even through headphones. All you need is to get audio enhancement software to get the audio clear, and you can listen to it without any hindrance. You can accomplish your job faster with these tools.
Three Features of the Best Transcription Foot Pedal
Having the right tools is a necessity for a transcriptionist. Thus, selecting the best transcription foot pedal is crucial. A lot of focus is essential to give the headphones you buy. It is a great idea to pay attention to the kind of foot pedal you utilize.
Foot pedals are helpful as they make the transcription procedure easier. Your hands can type while you can record, listen, and pause the conversation by typing the subtitles.
Fortunately, plenty of foot pedals in the market are available but picking the right one is of great help. The perfect one boasts the following three features-
- Anti-Slip Features
As foot pedals are activated with the feet, you should make sure that it does not slip away or out of reach when you use them. It might not be an issue in an office setting. You should be aware of it. However, you cannot ask others to wait during a meeting or a court hearing while you reposition.
Hardwood, carpeting, and tile flooring are complicated to work on. You should make sure when to pick a transcription foot pedal with anti-slip pads. The anti-slip features mean the floor is less likely to cause the foot pedal to slip.
- Wireless Accessibility
Introducing a degree of flexibility with wireless accessibility determines how you work. Battery-operated foot pedals with wireless accessibility are in the form of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth compatibility. Hence, it provides you with an easy ability to work anywhere and anytime.
Though wireless technology opens many doors for work and productivity, it does raise the price tag slightly. However, provided with their convenience, ease of use, and flexibility, it is a lucrative investment to binge a bit here. Alternatively, we recommend the USB option as well.
- Magnetic Switch System
Earlier, transcription foot pedals were quite noisy on clicking or typing, which became a distraction for people sitting around. At present, noise is not an issue as it does not occur in the foot pedal anymore. All thanks to the magnetic switch system! This magnetic switch system functions efficiently to not only reduce the noise but also boost the user experience.
The magnets diminish wear and tear and enhance the impartiality of the foot pedal significantly. It means your foot pedal lasts for longer, and you are less likely to disrupt a meeting due to the sound it generates.
Therefore, these three features in your transcription foot pedal signify you have invested in the right system. It is the one you should select.
Wrap Up!
Industries, including healthcare, law, education, and more, once relied on paperwork and considered technology usage expensive. A foot pedal is utilized in different industries. However, the change in time has evolved the need for equipment that no one can think of living without. For instance, the medical sector relies on the transcription foot pedal in large numbers. Medical transcriptionists hear the recorded audio files and type what they listen to.
So, the transcription foot pedal is a gold mine for typing jobs. It increases your words per minute, making your feet control the play with a simple plug-and-play install wizard. The basic thing is you need to be vigilant while selecting the best foot pedal for your work. Look for the one that can improvise your transcription turn-around time and boost productivity with typing tasks. Moreover, it works both with Mac and Windows.
