CastingWords

Discussion in 'General' started by Andy, Jan 25, 2009.

  1. Andy

    Andy Administrator
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    Hi everyone,

    Have any of you entered into transcription via requester CastingWords? I have attempted a few, but eventually gave up because the audio was of such bad quality.
     
  2. ryanbeed

    ryanbeed Member

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    I requested their qualification and never got it. So I havne't dont their stuff. My transcription skills aren't good enough to make transcription at going rates reasonable for me.
     
  3. Andy

    Andy Administrator
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    Ryan,

    For the qualification I just clicked apply and it automatically approved me. There was no test to take.
     
  4. ryanbeed

    ryanbeed Member

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    I did the same thing, but it never approved. I think It was automatic, but something got messed up as I was trying to accept it and it got confused. I now can't request it again. If the quality is as bad as you say then it's not a big deal.
     
  5. Andy

    Andy Administrator
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    I suggest that you contact CastingWords directly, using the "email this requester" feature. I am sure they will be happy to manually approve you.
     
  6. aronga

    aronga Member

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    How long does it take you to do a Castingwords hit? I was wondering if they are worth it
     
  7. SuzyQ

    SuzyQ User

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    This is a great discussion point, since I was contemplating trying to get their qualification, too. If the audio is bad, though, you can just return the hit.

    By the way, I can't seem to get an original message to post. I guess I'm the only one having this problem.
     
  8. melissa71642

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    I work on alot of CW hits and some of the audio is horrendous but in that case I just return the HIT and find a new one. The pay is questionable at times (they do pay fast though) but if you are looking to gain experience in the transcription world then it is worth it because with experience you can get contracts with other transcription companies.

    Hope this helps.
     
  9. ergo

    ergo User

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    If you've never done transcription before but it sounds interesting to you, I'd say give CastingWords a shot and see how it goes even if you think the pay might not be worth it. Read the Style Guide and download Express Scribe or something similar before accepting a HIT, and pick something short. Your first HIT will take you longer to do than later ones, so figure that with experience you'll probably complete future work in half the time or less. That will give you an idea whether transcription is for you. If it seems like something you want to stick with, then do more HITs to get solid work experience under your belt and then branch out on your own so you can make more money. Getting good clients is as easy as contacting the creators of a few podcasts you like to listen to and already have a relationship with and letting them know you do transcription and would like to offer your services to them. Not everyone will want or be able to afford transcripts, but you'd be surprised how many come back later and have some work for you to do or will recommend you to a friend of theirs who needs work done. (Providing of course you didn't act like an annoying spammer when you first offered your services.)
     
  10. tigercuddles

    tigercuddles Member

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    I attempted to do casting words also but I found the audio was at the best of times inaudible. To no avail I eventually have given up only to take a return hit. I probably could have done many .5 hits and made a little money instead of making nothing for a half hour of my time.
     
  11. XNirvanaFreakX

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    I used to do quite a few of their transcribing hits but it seems that the audio is worse than it used to be for most of them, and trying to get your PPT up to get to the good ones can be frustrating. I love doing their timestamp hits, though those are rare.
     
  12. cubbykatz

    cubbykatz Member

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    I do them from time to time. It can be a bit tricky finding one of good quality and that's easy enough to do.
     

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