When you think of flexible work, you are bound to think of transcription almost immediately.
From the comfort of your own home, you get to earn money by performing a relatively simple task. Once you get past the hiccups—like, say, an inaudible segment or occasional distractions from your home environment—it’s mostly smooth sailing on your way to payday.
Want to enjoy this type of flexibility? You may want to check out CrowdSurf.
This community of freelancers eases you into the world of transcription so that you can start earning cash on the side. Whether you’re a seasoned hand or a brand-new transcriber, CrowdSurf can bring a fresh spark to your career.
What does CrowdSurf have to offer?
According to its website, CrowdSurf is on a mission to provide “on-demand transcription and captioning services that make online media more accessible and enjoyable for deaf and hard of hearing as well as second language users.”
What kind of media, you ask? CrowdSurf processes a wide variety of clips, including news broadcasts, university lectures, interviews, and even popular cartoons. The plethora of task types makes each transcription session exciting for the CrowdSurf team members.
How do you join CrowdSurf?
Here are the qualifications that CrowdSurf is looking for:
- A valid U.S. or Canadian ID
- Proficiency in reading, writing, and editing English texts
- Solid typing skills
- A computer set with a reliable internet connection
To become a transcriber, you need to create an account on the Work Market platform. There, you’ll be taking the CrowdSurf Transcription Assessment.
Once you pass, CrowdSurf will create an account for you on the CrowdSurfWork platform. Be sure to check your Work Market email to get login instructions for your CrowdSurfWork account.
What will your work on CrowdSurf entail?
Each transcription task you’ll carry out for CrowdSurf is called a Human Intelligence Task (HIT). Lasting from 15 to 35 seconds, each HIT needs to be transcribed verbatim. Once you submit your transcript, you have essentially laid down a piece of a puzzle that other transcribers are also working on.
When all the HITs are complete, one entire audio/video file has been successfully transcribed. (Hooray!)
All CrowdSurf transcribers begin at Level 1, which calls for you to edit an existing transcription. As you work your way through the different levels, your tasks will become more complex and your pay rate higher.
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To maintain quality standards, CrowdSurf implements a scoring system for all submitted transcripts. Poor scores can lead to a transcriber’s Qualification Standing going down, and if a transcriber gets too many substandard scores, they could lose access to HITs. Conversely, perfect scores will improve a transcriber’s Standing.
In order to become familiar with CrowdSurf’s technical standards, you can check out its General Guidelines page along with its Glossary. The more you study these resources, the better you can perform your transcription duties.
How do you get paid?
All payments will be processed through your Work Market account as Work Market is the platform used by CrowdSurf for both hiring and payment.
Ready to get started? Then waste no time setting up your Work Market account!
