Step by Step Tutorial on How to Transcribe a Video Automatically


If you’ve ever tried to transcribe a video or an audio file manually then you have definitely gone through some challenges in the process. Manual transcription is a tiring and time-consuming task. You are trapped sitting down listening to every word, writing them down, and proofreading the outcome for any misspelling, or wrong sentence structure.

What if you are asked to manually transcribe a video in a foreign language? You have probably clicked on the repeat button so many times that you just can’t bear looking at your final written material for further inspection. A very burdensome task indeed!

A burdensome task if you consider that a human’s average attention span is down from 12 seconds in the year 2000 to eight seconds now, which is less than that of a goldfish. This was the case in 2017 and it is still proven in 2021.

Transcription shouldn’t be challenging or demanding. The ability to convert audio or video to text material automatically can save you countless hours, especially if this is your daily task. 

Following a video and writing down the text can take up to 8 hours for a video of 1-hour duration. Now imagine if you can transcribe video to text in less than 1 minute!

With the proper video transcription software, it’s now possible. 

You can use automated video transcription if you are a podcaster and you’re planning to reach more audiences. The text material of a podcast can be used as a blog post for example. 

For journalists, it will be advantageous to pay attention in an interview by recording either a video or audio format than trying to catch up while writing at the same time. This method has long gone. 

Transcribing video to text can also help radio broadcasters to offer their content to non-listeners. They can post the transcript online for easy reach. Lecturers can also offer a written transcript of their lecture or dissertation to their students. 

In the business context, companies may transcribe a video to search for any mentions of their brand, reuse quotes or facilitate the transmission of content for people with hearing impairment. 

How to Transcribe a Video Automatically

There are different video transcription softwares that can convert your video to text in a matter of seconds. They all vary in terms of features, pricing, and video format supported. 

The following tutorial explains how you can transcribe video to text using Streamr Software.

Streamr allows you to explore beyond boundaries and reach out to customers from around the world. The software is not only an automated video transcription software, it can also translate videos, add subtitles and customize them, voiceovers, and more. 

Streamr can be considered pretty cheap and has a one-time payment policy compared to other online video transcription softwares. Once you purchase, you will receive your login details. 

1- Add Any Video You Want

The first step is to add your video to Streamr. You have the possibility to add your own video or add any youtube video. You can also use the search tab to browse Youtube videos with Special creative commons license for free.


2- Add Subtitles To Your Video

One of the many exciting features in Streamr is the ability to add subtitles to your video. These subtitles will then help you automatically transcribe video to text. 



You will be asked to name your video and choose its language. This option is definitely valuable for people who are not English speakers. Streamr software is universal, meaning you can add videos with any language you want. For people who are learning a new foreign language, this could be a pretty cool tool.



3- Video Transcription

The transcription process of a video in Streamr is done in a few seconds. Users can download the text material in an SRT format.

SRT file is a plain-text file that contains critical information regarding subtitles, including the start and end timecodes of your text to ensure your subtitles match your audio and the sequential number of subtitles. You will be able to track certain key points in your video using the timecode feature.





4- Translate Text

Streamr offers the opportunity to translate your text material as well. The original language text material can be used for reference for students or in a business context a source to archive any meetings. The translated text material, on the other hand, can help you tap into a whole international market. Streamr has a wide range of languages.

To do so, you can generate subtitles in your video and then translate them.



At this stage, the same video transcription process is done. You can click on the Export SRT file to download the text version of your translated video.