Professional transcriptions - uncomplicated and in excellent quality:

At the bottom of this page you will find explanations about the products and offered additional options (e.g. Express). Separate information on separate pages is available for a transcription with translation and for subtitles (e.g. as srt file).

Sie haben noch Fragen? Fragen Sie ein unverbindliches Angebot an!

abtipper.de is the largest German provider of audio and video transcription services. Our references:

We guarantee you: Transcriptions at prices that can be calculated in advance, without hidden costs, with a price and satisfaction guarantee!

• No prepayment: You receive the finished transcripts for review and only then our invoice with VAT shown.
• No surcharges for recordings with multiple speakers (e.g. group discussions) or with limited sound quality.
• No extra charge for foreign language transcripts in all world languages (e.g. English, French) and all dialects*.
• No file format restrictions: We create transcripts from all audio and video formats.
• No file size limit: You will receive an upload link after placing your order and can use it to send us files up to 30 GB.

* Einzige Ausnahme: Die Überführung von Schweizerdeutsch in die hochdeutsche Schriftsprache kostet aufgrund des erhöhten Aufwandes einen Aufschlag von 1,10 Euro pro Audiominute netto (= 1,31 Euro inkl. MwSt.)

We also guarantee: your data is safe with us. We are also very flexible and can also implement your organisation's separate data protection requirements and measures. You can find all the information you need here: Data protection at abtipper

Kostenvoranschlag oder Angebot: Sofern für Ihre Organisation ein schriftliches Angebot benötigt wird, so fragen Sie dies bitte einfach per E-Mail an   info@abtipper.de oder über unser Kontaktformular an. Sie erhalten dann meist noch am gleichen Tag einen Kostenvoranschlag von uns.

Below you will find:

• Services from abtipper - Details and further information
• Products from typewriter - Details and further information
• Additional options for typing - Express, time stamp, translations etc.
• More general information on transcriptions and the price per minute

Get transcribed at the best price - details of the services:

Accuracy of the transcript:

Our simple, scientific and extended transcripts are created by experienced professionals. Therefore, the results reach a very high level of quality.

The transcripts by artificial intelligence are generated via a speech recognition system specialised in transcriptions and manually corrected. They reach a good level especially for recordings with few speakers and good sound quality.

Under the following link you will find an example of each product. Transcriptto convince yourself of our quality.

Transcription rules:

abtipper.de has, as a result of years of experience, developed its own scientifically citable Transcription rules transcription rules. Of course, we are also familiar with other common procedures and can prepare your transcripts according to your individual specifications on transcription rules.

Duration of creation:

As Germany's largest provider of transcriptions, we currently have the capacity to manually transcribe several thousand minutes of audio or video per day.

We therefore also have sufficient free capacity for your project. If you also supply your files in larger volumes, then you will receive the transcripts back within approx. one week on average.

Sometimes a good transcription result can take a little more time. This is especially the case if your file is particularly challenging (e.g. strong dialects) or if holidays are coming up (e.g. Christmas time). Translations can also take a little longer in general and especially for more complicated language combinations (e.g. Arabic -> German). If you are in a hurry and need a return delivery at short notice, we recommend our express options with guaranteed return delivery dates within three days or even the next day (see "Additional options" further down the page). 

We currently have sufficient capacity to process even very large and complex orders very quickly. Here you will find all further information on the Duration of the transcription at abtipper.

Our price guarantee:

We are the lowest priced transcription service. If you find a cheaper provider before or during the project, we will undercut their price. So with abtipper.de you are always guaranteed the transcription with the lowest cost. Find here all further information about our Satisfaction and confidentiality guarantee.

Additional options:

We offer a range of additional options. Foreign-language transcripts in most languages (e.g. English, French, Spanish) and recordings with multiple speakers or with limited sound quality cost no extra! Also the other Additional options options can be booked for you at a very reasonable price.

Get transcribed - details about the products:

Simple transcription:

With a simple transcription, your recording is transcribed by an experienced typist. The transcriber writes the file and listens to the complete recording again at the end to correct any errors.

Typically, this achieves a very high level of quality even without additional editing. The spoken content is reproduced verbatim and without distortions in writing in the simple transcription.

Elements that are not relevant to the content, such as dialect, stutterers, ums and hmhs, are smoothed out slightly.

The most common fields of application of a simple transcription are market research (e.g. focus groups), journalism (e.g. interviews) and film productions (e.g. dialogue books).

Click here for more information on the Transcription rules and for an example Transcript as the result of a simple transcription.

Order your simple transcription from abtipper now!

Scientific transcription:

With scientific transcription, your recording is transcribed by an experienced typist with extensive experience in the scientific field. This person transcribes the file word for word, as in the simple transcription with minimal smoothing of dialect, stutters, ums and hmhs. The complete recording is then listened through again for checking.

Afterwards, a second separate person (proofreader) checks the transcript again completely. The double check with the 4-eyes principle thus achieves an excellent level of quality.

Scientific transcription is useful if a very accurate transcript is important to you. This is the case, for example, if the transcript is not only analysed but also published. At some universities, the impeccable quality of the transcripts also flows into the grading of final theses, for which scientific transcription is then indispensable.

The most frequent form of application of a scientific transcription is - as can be easily assumed - the scientific field. Here, we mostly transcribe qualitative interviews for research projects or for a bachelor's thesis, master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.

Click here for more information on the Transcription rules and an example of a scientific Transcript.

Order your scientific transcription from abtipper now!

Extended transcription:

In an extended transcription, your recording is transcribed by a very experienced typist. In this process, not only the content-related statements are recorded, but all verbal and non-verbal utterances (e.g. also dialect, ums, hmhs, stuttering, clearing of the throat, etc.). Furthermore, the exact time of all speaker changes is recorded with a time stamp.

The process is the same as for scientific transcription. First the first typist writes the file and then listens to the complete recording again at the end to check it. Then a second person (editor) checks the transcript again completely.

Extended transcriptions are mainly used in linguistic studies. In these, the speech content is only one of the levels of analysis. The other verbal and non-verbal signals are also transcribed and analysed later.

Wir transkribieren standardmäßig nach unseren eigenen erweiterten Transkriptionsregeln (für 2,20 Euro pro Audiominute netto = 2,62 Euro inkl. MwSt.). Gerne erstellen wir aber auch Transkripte nach anderen spezifischen Verfahren, für die dann jeweils individuelle Festpreise gelten, z.B.

• Dresing and Pehl (2013, 2018) (Please click here for more information and prices)
• TiQ (Talk in Qualitative Social Research) according to Bohnsack (1989) (price of 3,80 Euro per audio minute net = 4,52 Euro incl. VAT)
• GAT2 Basic transcript (price on request, due to training effort minimum volume of 25 minutes)

Click here for an example of an extended Transcript.

Order your extended transcription from abtipper now!

Transcription through artificial intelligence:

In artificial intelligence transcription, the transcription is done through the use of automated speech recognition. 

Our speech recognition system, specially developed for transcriptions, achieves results that would have been completely unthinkable just a few years ago - see also our separate article on the history of the automatic speech recognition.

Especially if the source file has a limited number of easily understandable speakers and a good sound quality, the artificial intelligence already results in an acceptable transcript, which nevertheless has to be revised again in any case.

However, machine recognition is limited for recordings with dialect or accent, more than two speakers or reduced sound quality (e.g. also telephone calls). 

Even if the quality of transcription by artificial intelligence does not yet reach the high level of a human, there are many fields of application for which it is particularly suitable. This is especially true for the digitisation of large amounts of data, where manual transcription would not be worthwhile in terms of price. However, for other applications, e.g. a detailed content analysis in scientific papers, the quality level is usually not yet sufficient. Here we recommend that you have your files transcribed via a manual variant.

Currently, only transcription is possible with artificial intelligence. A translation of audio files into other languages is always carried out manually.

Click here for an example of a Transcript by artificial intelligence.

While we are happy to take your individual specifications on transcription rules and formats into account for the other manual transcription types, this is unfortunately not possible for transcription with artificial intelligence due to the machine implementation.

Procedure for transcription with artificial intelligence: Acceptable results can only be achieved with this type of transcription if the above criteria are met. Therefore, we first check all corresponding submissions by our experts. If, for example, a good transcript cannot be produced due to dialect, background noise or too many speakers, you will be informed of this, including detailed reasons, within 6 to a maximum of 24 hours. You are then free to choose another transcription type.

With this type of transcription, we also offer to create two minutes of your file as a test transcript, free of charge and without obligation, so that you can check the result of this new type of transcription. You can then decide for the specific case whether the quality meets your requirements or whether a manual transcription would be more appropriate. To do this, place an order and indicate in the comments field that you would like a free trial transcription.

Order your artificial intelligence transcription from abtipper now!

Additional options for transcriptions by abtipper:

Back to the overview of basic prices

abtipper offers a range of additional options: Express service, time stamp, foreign languages, translations and smoothing. In the table you will find the conditions of the additional options, further details below the table:

Our price guarantee also applies to the additional options: we are the cheapest provider of transcriptions on the internet. If you have files transcribed by us and find a cheaper provider before or during the project, we will undercut their price. This guarantees that you will always get the best price.

Transcription with express service

If you are in a hurry, we will deliver the finished transcript is guaranteed to be back within three days or even the next day.

So if you send in a file on Monday with 3-day express, you are guaranteed to get it back on Thursday at the latest.

The calculation applies from receipt of the data. If the return delivery falls on a public holiday or the weekend, you will receive the transcript back on the next working day. So, for example, if you deliver a file on Thursday with 3-day express, you are guaranteed to receive it back on Monday.

If you need it even faster (e.g. on the same day), this is usually also possible. In this case, however, you should definitely contact us in advance by phone under 0511-51515817 in advance. Our telephone is also manned in the evenings and at weekends.

On the following page you will find even more detailed information on our Express service.

Transcriptions of foreign language recordings

We currently carry Transcriptions in 80 languages by. In all world languages (e.g. English, French, Spanish) we offer this at the same price as a German transcription. Recordings with regional accents (e.g. Hessian or Swiss speakers) also cost no extra.

Die Umsetzung von Aufnahmen in Schweizerdeutsch in hochdeutsche Transkripte kostet 1,10 Euro pro Audiominute netto (= 1,31 Euro inkl. MwSt.) extra. Darin enthalten ist eine Angleichung bzw. eine Übersetzung der Schweizer Mundart in die hochdeutsche Schriftsprache.

We also regularly implement large orders without advance notice in the following languages: German (with dialects), Swiss German, English (with dialects), Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Danish, Swedish

For the other 60 or so languages in our portfolio, we need a few days' notice. This is because orders in these languages are relatively rare and we therefore do not employ full-time staff. In this case, we have to activate our local partners for each project, which takes a few days. In most cases, however, we can still deliver your transcript in these languages within a maximum of one week!

Transcription with immediate translation into the target languages English or German

We are currently the only transcription service in Germany to offer you a Translation of audio and video files at a fixed price per audio or video minute on. In contrast to the usual calculation according to the number of words or lines, we can offer you fixed, calculable prices per minute for your translations in advance.

We currently offer these translations from 80 source languages into the target languages German and English.

The translation is done 100% manually exclusively by experienced native-speaking professionals. Our translations are frequently used in international market research studies, for example.

We carry out the translation of 80 languages into English or German for a

Flat rate of 8.99 euros per net audio minute (= 10.70 euros incl. VAT)

You provide us with the foreign language audio or video files and receive the finished translation in German or English as a Word file. You will also receive the transcript in the original language. 

Alternatively, we offer translation of texts and documents at a flat rate of 0.10 Euro per word net (= 0.12 Euro incl. VAT). 

We also offer other language combinations on request, just contact us. Find more detailed information on transcription with translation here.

Transcription with time stamps

With the advanced transcription, time stamps after each speaker change are already included in the basic price. For the simple and scientific transcription, this can be added as an option.

Typically, the timestamps are inserted before or after a speaker change. The usual format for this is #hh:mm:ss#. Alternatively, a timestamp can also be set after certain time periods (e.g. every minute) or in special formats (e.g. #hh:mm:ss-ms# for MAXQDA).

Either the recording time or a time superimposed in the video recording (e.g. for film recordings) can be used as the time.

If you only need the time stamps for citation in your scientific work, we can alternatively deliver the transcripts with line numbers at no extra charge. With these, precise citation is possible even without a timestamp.

Smoothing the transcript

Transcriptions reproduce the spoken word as faithfully as possible. In most cases, this also means that these texts contain many characteristics of spoken language or colloquial speech. This is certainly desirable for a scientific evaluation, since what is said is presented in this way in an unadulterated way.

However, if the transcript is to be approximated to the written language, additional linguistic smoothing can be carried out. Here, for example, grammatical errors and sentence breaks are removed to make the text more readable. 

See also the following additional page for a detailed explanation of the Smoothing with examples.

The price for smoothing the transcript is a surcharge on the basic price of the simple or scientific transcription. For a "print-ready" result, we recommend a combination of scientific transcription (editing, 4-eyes principle) and smoothing.

More information on transcription and the price per minute / price per minute

Where do transcriptions find application?

Transcribing spoken texts is used wherever sound recordings are to be converted into written evidence. Examples of this are the transcription of

• Individual or group interviews as part of market research studies
• Interviews or round-table discussions as a basis for newspapers, magazines or journals
• Speeches or seminars within the framework of specialist lectures, presentations or congresses
• Recorded radio and TV broadcasts for further processing by editing or translation
• Letters, memos or minutes
• Speech texts for the hearing impaired

Create transcriptions yourself or have them transcribed?

Customers or clients for a transcription are - in the order of the above examples - persons or companies such as

• Market research institutes
• Journalists
• PR and marketing agencies
• Authors and archivists
• Speakers and their audience
• Editor, sound engineer and dubbing artist
• Doctors, lawyers and experts
• Scripture Interpreter

Why should you let a specialised transcription service like abtipper.de transcribe?

Converting a spoken text into a written text requires compliance with so-called transcription rules. These guarantee that the transcription

• linguistic peculiarities
• Number and speaking order of the participants in the conversation
• Alternation of question and answer
• extralinguistic acts
• nonverbal expressions
• the spelling of industry- and company-specific terms

and incorporates it into the scriptural text.

In addition, transcription naturally takes time. Experienced "abtipper" give the effort for transcribing texts with a ratio of 1:3. This means that a speech text of about one hour requires about three hours of typing - a time span that would be lacking for people dependent on transcriptions to do their actual work. The time required varies significantly, depending on many factors such as the quality of the recording, the complexity of the topic, and possible dialects of the speakers.

What sets us apart?

As a team of highly qualified professionals, we offer transcription of audio or video recordings at a fair price per minute. In addition to years of experience in listening to and transcribing acoustic originals, our staff bring knowledge of various vocabularies and writing techniques to the table. We undertake transcriptions in 80 languages, whose respective idiosyncrasies we take into account in the writing. Our team works quickly, reliably and with absolute confidentiality. We treat the contents of the files sent to us with the utmost discretion, so that company internals, clear names, patient data, statistical surveys and similar information are used exclusively for the required transcription.

Quality for the price per minute

As is generally the case, we also charge for our work on a per-minute basis: For each minute or part thereof of your audio or video recording, a fixed price per minute is charged. The financial expenditure for the execution of a transcription is thus comprehensible at any time.

You will also be charged the same amount for any subsequent orders, because we understand our price per minute to be a fixed amount. This means that you pay the same amount per audio or video minute for transcriptions commissioned at a later date as for your first order.

(Gerne übernehmen wir auch kleinere Audio-Dateien mit einer sehr geringen Minutenanzahl ( < 5 Minuten). Aufgrund des trotzdem bestehenden Aufwandes berechnen wir hier jedoch einen Mindestpreis von 10,00 Euro.)

What's more, we guarantee that the price per minute we quote is always the cheapest on the net - measured against the service in return for performing a professional, high-quality transcription.

If you would first like some basic information on the subject of transcription, we offer you a lot more information in our guidebook about the Transcription Definition, Fields of application of a transcriptionhow to transcribe a Planning an interview, a Recording an interview with a dictation machine or a Recording with a mobile phone app perform which File format for the best Recording quality recommended, what is automatic speech recognition is already possible today and also how to Remote interviews successfully carry out subtitles and a create srt file and e.g. an interview about Record Skype or an interview about Record zoomhow to conduct a Convert audio file to textwhich Transcription rules at Transcribe are to be kept, like a Transcription set and a Transcription programme can help with this and how you finally Analysing Interviews can.

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More questions and answers - Transcription and transcription costs