oTranscribe Help

My audio file doesn’t work!

Try the following steps:

Convert your file to WAV or MP3 format with media.io. (This is an external service and is not affiliated with oTranscribe.)
Try a different web browser. oTranscribe works best on Chrome 31+ and Safari 7+.
Still no luck? You can contact me directly at otranscribe@elliotbentley.com.

Where is my transcript stored? How secure is it?

oTranscribe is designed in a way that your data (both the audio file and the written transcript) never leaves your local computer. The transcript is not kept on a remote server or “in the cloud”, but is instead in the browser’s localStorage. The downside is that it is not possible to access your saved transcripts from another computer.

oTranscribe's automatic backup system saves the current transcript every five minutes, and stores each copy until the browser's storage is full. Click on the button to view backups and restore an old copy of your transcript.

oTranscribe is not a permanent document store, as browser storage is notoriously unreliable (even with this backup system). Please make sure to export your work regularly to prevent loss of data.

What keyboard shortcuts are there?

Audio playback

Esc: Play/pause
F1: Rewind
F2: Fast-forward
F3: Slow down
F4: Speed up

Text editing

Ctrl+B: Bold
Ctrl+I: Italics
Ctrl+J: Insert timestamp
Ctrl+S: Manual backup

Note: On OS X, using Cmd instead of Ctrl.

Chromebook / Chrome OS alternative controls

Ctrl+1: Rewind
Ctrl+2: Fast-forward
Ctrl+3: Slow down
Ctrl+4: Speed up

(Because they don't have Function keys.)

What audio formats does oTranscribe support?

oTranscribe is limited by the formats supported by each individual browser. The formats supported by your own browser will be listed below the “Choose audio file” button. In general, WAV files are widely supported, and MP3 files mostly work on everything except Mozilla Firefox. Certain video files, as well as YouTube videos, are also supported.

How do the interactive timestamps work?

Pressing Ctrl+J (Cmd+J on OS X) will insert the audio file’s current time into the document. This timestamp is hyperlinked and will skip to the specific time in the audio file.

Will oTranscribe automatically convert my audio into text?

Sadly not - but it may make the manual job a bit less painful. Perfect speech-to-text conversion software is still in the realms of fantasy (ever tried using Siri with a broad Scottish accent?).

Why can't I change the speed of a YouTube video?

Some YouTube videos simply don't support it. This isn't something oTranscribe has any control over, unfortunately.

How do I import and export my transcript?

oTranscribe can only import one type of file, the .OTR oTranscribe file format. This format preserves the clickable time stamps.

Open the export panel by clicking on the button. You can export .OTR files, along with plain text (.txt) and Markdown (.md) files.

Who made oTranscribe?

Elliot Bentley (that’s me) created oTranscribe, and is currently the sole developer. If you’re interested, Journalism.co.uk did a neat article on oTranscribe’s origins.

Translations have been provided by the following talented and generous volunteers:

Catalan: Joan Montané and Jon Sindreu.
Chinese: baiqj, Cindy Ng and Andy Pan.
Danish: Christian Bruun.
Dutch: Patrick Mackaaij and Marjolein Quist.
French: Olivier Aubert, @goofy-bz and Dr J Rogel-Salazar.
German: Dr J Rogel-Salazar and Lisa Bernhardt.
Indonesian: Joy Tikoalu.
Italian: Dr J Rogel-Salazar, Edoardo Putti and Federico Lasta.
Japanese: harupong.
Polish: Emil Maruszczak and Piotr Tarasewicz.
Portuguese: enVide neFelibata.
Brazilian Portuguese: Leonardo Barichello.
Spanish: Cristian Duque, Dr J Rogel-Salazar and Adrián Blanco.

Can I help translate oTranscribe?

Yes! Find out more about providing translations here.

My question isn’t answered here.

You can contact me directly by tweeting at @oTranscribe or emailing me. I try to respond as soon as possible - but please note that this is a hobby, not my job.