Productivity Hacks
Productivity Hacks

How to Generate a Transcript For a Youtube Video

Updated on:

How to Generate a Transcript For a Youtube Video
Article Breakdown

Youtube is an excellent source of information and entertainment, with millions of videos on just about any topic that you could imagine. Content is also available from all over the world and in just about every language on the planet. Youtube’s incredibly large reach makes the platform a godsend for many marketers and businesses looking to get their products noticed, while for many other people it’s just a lot of fun.

Why Create a Youtube Video Transcript?

Video content is typically a lot easier to absorb than written content is, but plain text can still be useful to accompany video, and there are several reasons why somebody might want to add a transcript to a Youtube video.

Searchable Content

Generating a Youtube video transcript makes it easier for people to search through the content. Searching for certain keywords or phrases will take them to the place where certain things were said, and timestamps let you know where they can find the corresponding content on the video.

SEO Benefits

Having a website that ranks well in Google’s search engine results can mean the difference between flourishing or failure for many businesses, and keeping youtube transcripts on your website can help you to rank highly. When people use the right search terms on Google, your Youtube transcript may come up in the result pages, thus directing people to your website. This means plenty of great quality traffic coming your way.

Easier Note Keeping

Keeping notes from videos can be very difficult. It’s very difficult to write and listen at the same time, and people tend to speak too quickly to keep up with. This means that some things are likely to be missed, or you have to keep on rewinding to catch what people have said. When you have a Youtube video transcript, however, there’s less of a need to take notes because everything is written down for you.

Developing a Global Presence

As mentioned, Youtube reaches a vast global audience. However, a lot of the people with access to your video won’t speak the language it was created in. When you add a transcript to a Youtube video, it will help to open up your content to an even wider audience. This can help to expand your customer base further, and potentially open up new opportunities.

Help the Hard of Hearing

Many people struggle to listen to audio because they’re hard of hearing, or altogether deaf. Creating a Youtube video transcript will help hard of hearing people enjoy your content, further expanding your audience. A Youtube transcript will also be useful for people who can’t listen to audio for other reasons.

Traditional Methods of Transcribing a YouTube Video

There are various methods of transcribing a Youtube video available to you, each of which has its pros and cons. Which method is best for you depends on several factors such as your needs and your budget. If you’re wondering how to get a transcript of a Youtube video, some of the most common options are found below.

Youtube’s Own Automatic Captioning

One of the most obvious ways to transcribe Youtube videos to text is to use Youtube’s own automatic captioning and subtitles service. This option is beneficial in some ways, but not so much in others.

Pros

Free:

Youtube’s automatic captioning service is completely free to use, making it potentially attractive to people on a limited budget. This includes transcripts and closed captions on videos.

Easy Set-Up:

Youtube’s automatic captions are very easy to set up.

1) Select the ellipses in the Youtube interface menu below the video and click on the 3 horizontal dots below the video and then click on ‘open transcript’ button.

2) A transcript will automatically appear below and to the right of the video

3) You can then copy and paste the text into Microsoft Word or another similar program, making the transcript easy to download.

Cons

Availability:

One of the biggest downsides of Youtube transcripts is that they’re not available on all Youtube videos. When following the brief guide above, you will often find that the open transcript option just is not there. Whether or not the function is available depends on whether or not the uploader has allowed closed captioning. You’re not able to change the option unless you have access to the account that uploaded the video.

Poor Accuracy:

Youtube’s transcription quality is often quite poor with transcripts that are difficult to follow and not accurately reflecting the audio. Even Youtube’s own help guide says that the quality of the captions can vary.

Human-Powered Transcription

Another solution for people wondering how to get a transcript of a Youtube video of your choice is simply to have a person type out the Youtube video transcript manually, which also has its pros and cons

Pros

High Accuracy:

A transcription created by a skilled human transcriber is going to be very accurate. Not only will the transcriber understand the words that are being said, but also the context, and accents, which will help them to add a transcript to a Youtube video that accurately reflects the audio. They can also go back through the video to check that they heard correctly, and to make sure they don’t miss anything.

Cons

High Cost:

Transcriptionists are skilled workers that require voice typing equipment like foot-pedals that control the playback of the video. Even a 1-hour video can take 4 hours, or longer, to transcribe and the cost of paying a skilled worker makes the price high.

Long Lead Times:

Having videos transcribed often means passing the job to a pool of transcribers or outsourcing the job to another company. There will often be a queue before you meaning that you could have to wait days for your Youtube video transcript to be complete.

Automated Transcription Tools

Pros

Works in Real-Time:

Automated transcription tools work in real-time, meaning you get access to transcriptions as and when you need them. They are also always readily available meaning there’s no lead time.

Low Cost:

Automatic transcripts are also affordable, and they provide a decent standard of accuracy

Multiple Formats:

Automated transcription tools can work with various formats such as wav, mp3, mp4, aiff.

Cons

Less Accurate Than Humans

Although auto transcription tools are fairly accurate, they’re still not as good as human transcriptions. They’re probably not a good option if you need your transcriptions to be accurate.

Otter Makes It Easier

Another option when it comes to transcriptions is Otter. Otter is sophisticated audio to text speech recognition technology that produces transcripts from a wide range of audio types and platforms, including Youtube. Otter is also made to be easy to use and comes with a range of features that makes it useful.

Easy To Use

Otter makes it almost effortless to generate a Youtube video transcript. All you need to do is to open Otter in a separate chrome tab (or another browser tab) as your Youtube video is playing and it will automatically start working.

Great Quality Transcripts

Otter’s sophisticated algorithms help to produce high-quality transcripts that you can rely on. The software can also recognize different speaker’s voices, which are labelled in the transcription, helping to make it clearer still.

Less Costly Than Human Powered Transcription

Otter is a lot less costly than using human transcribers. For a very affordable fee, you will have full access to a high-quality transcribing service that you are free to use as often as you need to. Different packages are available and there’s even a free basic package for people that don’t need all the functions.

Other Key Features of Otter

Otter generates accurate Youtube transcripts quickly, conveniently, and at a great price, but that’s not all the platform has to offer. Other features that Otter offers include:

Compatible With Other Platforms:

Otter can be used with a wide range of other platforms in addition to Youtube. If you’ve been using your phone to record notes, for example, then Otter will generate a high-quality transcript for you with minimal effort on your part. Otter also integrates seamlessly with Zoom, Google Meets, and Dropbox.

Easy to Organize Files

Otter makes it easy for you to keep and organize your available transcripts. It’s made easy for you to create a transcript file as you need and you can also share access to the files with individuals or groups of people.

Search For Files Using Keywords

Otter makes it as easy as possible for you to find the files that you need thanks to the ability to search for keywords. This helps to make it much easier for you to manage your fuels and share them accordingly

Can Highlight Words and Sentences

It can be easy to miss key statements and phrases in large transcriptions. Otter makes it easy for you to highlight the parts that you want to bring to other peoples’ attention, as well as for your own future reference.

Can Edit Text

With Otter, you can easily edit the text in transcriptions as needed. This helps to ensure clarity so that everybody else reading the transcript fully understands what has been said, while also adding your own comments for context and further clarity.

Summary

Of the numerous Youtube video transcription options available, Otter is among the best there is. Otter’s ease of use will appeal to a lot of people as the only thing you need to do is to have Otter open in a separate tab.

Not only is Otter easy to use but it also provides excellent results, with greater accuracy than many of the other options available on the market. Otter’s functionality also makes it a great choice, with features that make it easy to record, store, manage, share, and edit transcriptions.

Otter is also available at very affordable prices, with a selection of plans available to suit different needs.

Common Transcription Questions

Q: Does Otter provide accurate transcriptions?

A: Otter’s advanced software produces one of the most accurate transcriptions available.

Q: Is Otter easy to use?

A: Otter is very easy to use. To generate a Youtube transcription, you only need to have it open in another tab.

Q: Will Otter help with SEO?

A: Having transcriptions created by Otter on your website will help with SEO

Q: Is Otter compatible with other platforms?

A: Yes, Otter is also compatible with a selection of some of the most popular platforms available.

Q: Is a free Otter plan available?

A: A free Otter plan is available that’s suitable for people whole only need limited features.

Youtube is an excellent source of information and entertainment, with millions of videos on just about any topic that you could imagine. Content is also available from all over the world and in just about every language on the planet. Youtube’s incredibly large reach makes the platform a godsend for many marketers and businesses looking to get their products noticed, while for many other people it’s just a lot of fun.

Why Create a Youtube Video Transcript?

Video content is typically a lot easier to absorb than written content is, but plain text can still be useful to accompany video, and there are several reasons why somebody might want to add a transcript to a Youtube video.

Searchable Content

Generating a Youtube video transcript makes it easier for people to search through the content. Searching for certain keywords or phrases will take them to the place where certain things were said, and timestamps let you know where they can find the corresponding content on the video.

SEO Benefits

Having a website that ranks well in Google’s search engine results can mean the difference between flourishing or failure for many businesses, and keeping youtube transcripts on your website can help you to rank highly. When people use the right search terms on Google, your Youtube transcript may come up in the result pages, thus directing people to your website. This means plenty of great quality traffic coming your way.

Easier Note Keeping

Keeping notes from videos can be very difficult. It’s very difficult to write and listen at the same time, and people tend to speak too quickly to keep up with. This means that some things are likely to be missed, or you have to keep on rewinding to catch what people have said. When you have a Youtube video transcript, however, there’s less of a need to take notes because everything is written down for you.

Developing a Global Presence

As mentioned, Youtube reaches a vast global audience. However, a lot of the people with access to your video won’t speak the language it was created in. When you add a transcript to a Youtube video, it will help to open up your content to an even wider audience. This can help to expand your customer base further, and potentially open up new opportunities.

Help the Hard of Hearing

Many people struggle to listen to audio because they’re hard of hearing, or altogether deaf. Creating a Youtube video transcript will help hard of hearing people enjoy your content, further expanding your audience. A Youtube transcript will also be useful for people who can’t listen to audio for other reasons.

Traditional Methods of Transcribing a YouTube Video

There are various methods of transcribing a Youtube video available to you, each of which has its pros and cons. Which method is best for you depends on several factors such as your needs and your budget. If you’re wondering how to get a transcript of a Youtube video, some of the most common options are found below.

Youtube’s Own Automatic Captioning

One of the most obvious ways to transcribe Youtube videos to text is to use Youtube’s own automatic captioning and subtitles service. This option is beneficial in some ways, but not so much in others.

Pros

Free:

Youtube’s automatic captioning service is completely free to use, making it potentially attractive to people on a limited budget. This includes transcripts and closed captions on videos.

Easy Set-Up:

Youtube’s automatic captions are very easy to set up.

1) Select the ellipses in the Youtube interface menu below the video and click on the 3 horizontal dots below the video and then click on ‘open transcript’ button.

2) A transcript will automatically appear below and to the right of the video

3) You can then copy and paste the text into Microsoft Word or another similar program, making the transcript easy to download.

Cons

Availability:

One of the biggest downsides of Youtube transcripts is that they’re not available on all Youtube videos. When following the brief guide above, you will often find that the open transcript option just is not there. Whether or not the function is available depends on whether or not the uploader has allowed closed captioning. You’re not able to change the option unless you have access to the account that uploaded the video.

Poor Accuracy:

Youtube’s transcription quality is often quite poor with transcripts that are difficult to follow and not accurately reflecting the audio. Even Youtube’s own help guide says that the quality of the captions can vary.

Human-Powered Transcription

Another solution for people wondering how to get a transcript of a Youtube video of your choice is simply to have a person type out the Youtube video transcript manually, which also has its pros and cons

Pros

High Accuracy:

A transcription created by a skilled human transcriber is going to be very accurate. Not only will the transcriber understand the words that are being said, but also the context, and accents, which will help them to add a transcript to a Youtube video that accurately reflects the audio. They can also go back through the video to check that they heard correctly, and to make sure they don’t miss anything.

Cons

High Cost:

Transcriptionists are skilled workers that require voice typing equipment like foot-pedals that control the playback of the video. Even a 1-hour video can take 4 hours, or longer, to transcribe and the cost of paying a skilled worker makes the price high.

Long Lead Times:

Having videos transcribed often means passing the job to a pool of transcribers or outsourcing the job to another company. There will often be a queue before you meaning that you could have to wait days for your Youtube video transcript to be complete.

Automated Transcription Tools

Pros

Works in Real-Time:

Automated transcription tools work in real-time, meaning you get access to transcriptions as and when you need them. They are also always readily available meaning there’s no lead time.

Low Cost:

Automatic transcripts are also affordable, and they provide a decent standard of accuracy

Multiple Formats:

Automated transcription tools can work with various formats such as wav, mp3, mp4, aiff.

Cons

Less Accurate Than Humans

Although auto transcription tools are fairly accurate, they’re still not as good as human transcriptions. They’re probably not a good option if you need your transcriptions to be accurate.

Otter Makes It Easier

Another option when it comes to transcriptions is Otter. Otter is sophisticated audio to text speech recognition technology that produces transcripts from a wide range of audio types and platforms, including Youtube. Otter is also made to be easy to use and comes with a range of features that makes it useful.

Easy To Use

Otter makes it almost effortless to generate a Youtube video transcript. All you need to do is to open Otter in a separate chrome tab (or another browser tab) as your Youtube video is playing and it will automatically start working.

Great Quality Transcripts

Otter’s sophisticated algorithms help to produce high-quality transcripts that you can rely on. The software can also recognize different speaker’s voices, which are labelled in the transcription, helping to make it clearer still.

Less Costly Than Human Powered Transcription

Otter is a lot less costly than using human transcribers. For a very affordable fee, you will have full access to a high-quality transcribing service that you are free to use as often as you need to. Different packages are available and there’s even a free basic package for people that don’t need all the functions.

Other Key Features of Otter

Otter generates accurate Youtube transcripts quickly, conveniently, and at a great price, but that’s not all the platform has to offer. Other features that Otter offers include:

Compatible With Other Platforms:

Otter can be used with a wide range of other platforms in addition to Youtube. If you’ve been using your phone to record notes, for example, then Otter will generate a high-quality transcript for you with minimal effort on your part. Otter also integrates seamlessly with Zoom, Google Meets, and Dropbox.

Easy to Organize Files

Otter makes it easy for you to keep and organize your available transcripts. It’s made easy for you to create a transcript file as you need and you can also share access to the files with individuals or groups of people.

Search For Files Using Keywords

Otter makes it as easy as possible for you to find the files that you need thanks to the ability to search for keywords. This helps to make it much easier for you to manage your fuels and share them accordingly

Can Highlight Words and Sentences

It can be easy to miss key statements and phrases in large transcriptions. Otter makes it easy for you to highlight the parts that you want to bring to other peoples’ attention, as well as for your own future reference.

Can Edit Text

With Otter, you can easily edit the text in transcriptions as needed. This helps to ensure clarity so that everybody else reading the transcript fully understands what has been said, while also adding your own comments for context and further clarity.

Summary

Of the numerous Youtube video transcription options available, Otter is among the best there is. Otter’s ease of use will appeal to a lot of people as the only thing you need to do is to have Otter open in a separate tab.

Not only is Otter easy to use but it also provides excellent results, with greater accuracy than many of the other options available on the market. Otter’s functionality also makes it a great choice, with features that make it easy to record, store, manage, share, and edit transcriptions.

Otter is also available at very affordable prices, with a selection of plans available to suit different needs.

Common Transcription Questions

Q: Does Otter provide accurate transcriptions?

A: Otter’s advanced software produces one of the most accurate transcriptions available.

Q: Is Otter easy to use?

A: Otter is very easy to use. To generate a Youtube transcription, you only need to have it open in another tab.

Q: Will Otter help with SEO?

A: Having transcriptions created by Otter on your website will help with SEO

Q: Is Otter compatible with other platforms?

A: Yes, Otter is also compatible with a selection of some of the most popular platforms available.

Q: Is a free Otter plan available?

A: A free Otter plan is available that’s suitable for people whole only need limited features.

Get started with Otter today.
You Might Be Interested In