Places of worship of all shapes and sizes can take steps to ensure equal messaging for all members, regardless of their ages, backgrounds or abilities. Whether listening to a sermon in-person or online, sermon transcription is a valuable tool. Transcripts are a resource for many church attendees who need additional support to meaningfully engage.
Verbit offers a wide range of audio and video transcription solutions, including live and post-production transcripts, that work within popular platforms such as Zoom, Panopto, Vimeo, YouTube, Webex and others.
Table of Contents:
- What does it mean to transcribe a sermon?
- How do you transcribe sermons?
- What are the benefits of sermon transcription?
What does it mean to transcribe a sermon?
Transcription refers to the process of converting audio and video recordings to text. There are two standard styles of transcription: Verbatim transcription and non-verbatim transcription.
Verbatim transcription will account for all the spoken text of a recording, as well as other non-speech audio elements like sound effects or applause. Verbatim transcripts do not undergo editing for grammar. These transcripts also don’t note things like pauses, stammers and filler words.
Non-verbatim transcripts, on the other hand, offer an edited and distilled version of the text. As a result, non-verbatim transcripts clearly convey the main ideas of a sermon, lecture or conversation.
Regardless of the medium of a sermon, audio transcription or video transcription can support a wide range of digital content. Users can take existing audio and video recordings, as well as livestreams, and preserve them as text. This makes it possible to offer more equitable experiences to all attendees, regardless of whether they are attending a service virtually or in-person.
Though there are no set sermon transcription guidelines, it’s still important to take steps to ensure the accuracy of any published content or transcripts. Transcription errors can be funny, but they can also be embarrassing and even offensive. These errors are often distracting, and they can compromise the overall message of a sermon. Additionally, audio and video transcripts must achieve a high level of accuracy to support accessibility guidelines like the Americans with Disabilities Act.
How do you transcribe sermons?
Depending on the need, worship leaders have a few different methods to choose from when it comes to sermon transcription. Some may ask staff or volunteers to manually transcribe video or audio recordings of previous sermons. This process can be extremely time consuming, particularly if they have a hefty backlog of recorded content. It’s also important to note that individuals without professional transcription training can be prone to making errors and compromising the messaging of the piece.
For that reason, many choose to outsource sermon transcription to professional transcribers. While human transcribers are able to achieve high accuracy rates, they are similarly limited by bandwidth issues. Instead, church leaders should consider using a cost-effective professional sermon transcription service like Verbit. Verbit combines both artificial intelligence and professionally trained human transcribers to tackle large-scale transcription projects with industry-leading turnaround times and accuracy rates.
Verbit offers top-tier sermon transcription services for existing audio and video recordings and integrates with live-streaming platforms like Zoom and WebEx. As a result, Verbit’s experts can transcribe live church services as they occur, making it possible for remote viewers to engage and participate in real time. Once a service has concluded, our experts will then review and edit the live transcript for accuracy before making it available for download. Unlike some other sermon transcription companies, Verbit’s final transcripts are also fully searchable, making them an extremely valuable reference tool for both attendees and staff.
What are the benefits of sermon transcription?
Over the last few years, not only have the demographics of congregations changed, but so have the ways in which members attend and engage with weekly services. Here are some of the key ways sermon audio transcription services can support the changing needs of members and staff.
Improved accessibility
Offering accurate transcripts is one of the best ways to support congregants who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Transcripts may be especially necessary for members who are viewing a livestream of a service, rather than attending in person. Though some services provide assistive listening devices or even ASL interpreters, members who are unable to physically attend a service would not have access to those resources. Additionally, not everyone who is Deaf or hard of hearing knows sign language.
Offering an accurate, real-time transcript of the sermon for online viewers is an alternative solution. Transcripts allow for equal messaging regardless of physical location or knowledge of sign language. Transcripts can also provide a resource after the service concludes, making them a valuable reference and study tool. Additionally, transcription is a great way to support members with ADHD or auditory processing disorders, as well as those whose first language is something other than English.
Since everyone should be able to engage equally with each week’s sermon, transcription services should be offered proactively to all members. It’s not enough to provide these to just those who explicitly request accommodations. This solution can help all attendees feel welcome and included, regardless of whether they are first-time visitors or long-time members.
Increased efficiency
Searchable transcripts can be an invaluable resource when it comes to record-keeping. Having written accounts of past sermons on hand can help streamline and organize a church’s archives. Furthermore, it’s not uncommon for ministers to refer back to previous messages when preparing for a new sermon. With Verbit’s platform, they can simply search for specific keywords in a transcript and locate the corresponding portions of existing recordings. This function cuts back on time they would otherwise spend digging through old audio and video recordings in search of a specific segment of a previous sermon.
Wider messaging
Churches can make transcripts of sermons available online as part of their outreach efforts. Making transcripts available is a great way of reaching new parishioners who may not have access otherwise. In today’s landscape, houses of worship may want to focus not just on growing membership at a physical location, but also on growing their online following. Posting sermon transcripts online makes the text discoverable by search engines, thus boosting website SEO rankings and increasing traffic to webpages.
With Verbit’s sermon transcription, fellowship comes first
Everyone deserves equal access to their faith communities.
Verbit is a proud provider of a wide range of accessibility technologies because we believe in the importance of building inclusive communities. Tools like captioning, transcription, translation and audio description can support churches looking to expand their outreach and support attendees of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
Reach out to learn more about how Verbit’s team of experts can help churches of all shapes and sizes deliver more accessible experiences for all their congregants.
