How to Transcribe Zoom Meetings and Recordings in 3 Steps?

“So I was recording a Zoom call and didn't realize I hadn't enabled the audio transcript. Is there a way to transcribe an already recorded Zoom meeting?” – A Reddit user

This relatable question highlights a challenge many Zoom users face. Recording a Zoom meeting has become an indispensable feature for countless individuals. However, you’ll need to listen to the recording back and forth to extract essential information, and it’s too time-consuming.

This is why the demand for accurate and comprehensive Zoom meeting transcripts is continuously rising.

And in this article, we'll guide you to transcribe Zoom recordings to text with the best practices and tools to help you optimize your transcription workflow. Doing so lets you have all the valuable information from your calls in an easily accessible and shareable format.

The Benefits of Transcribing Zoom Meetings

Transcribing Zoom meetings offer a wealth of advantages that cater to the diverse needs of your team members and audience. These include;

• Improved accessibility

A Zoom recording transcript makes the meeting content easily accessible to individuals with hearing impairments, as well as non-native speakers, as they can read the text at their own pace and refer to it for clarification. This ensures everyone stays in the loop. 

• Enhanced note-taking

With a Zoom meeting recording and transcript, the meeting participants can improve their notes and collaborate to correct errors or highlight critical takeaways. 

• Easy reference

A man’s memory may not last long. Having a written meeting transcript allows team members to review key points, follow-ups, or decisions made during the session. We can easily pinpoint keywords by searching and therefore save time.

• Enhanced accuracy for meeting minutes  

Maintaining precise records of meetings and discussions is vital in various industries to comply with regulations and legal requirements. While writing meeting minutes, you can refer to a complete transcript to ensure accuracy.

How to Transcribe a Zoom Recording?

Transcribing Zoom recordings can be a breeze if you follow these simple steps.

• Record the Zoom meeting

• Upload the recording file to Airgram

• Get the transcript

Step 1: Record the meeting in Zoom

Before diving into transcription, ensure you have a recording of your Zoom meeting. By default, only the host has permission to record a Zoom meeting. 

Once the meeting commences, the host can initiate the recording by selecting the "Record" button at the bottom of the window. 

After the Zoom call ends, Zoom will convert the recording and save it in MP4 format. Here is how to find the recording: 

If you start a local recording, go to these directories

• Windows: C:\Users[YourUsername]\Documents\Zoom

• Mac: /Users/[YourUsername]/Documents/Zoom

If you are using a paid Zoom subscription, and chose ‘Record to the Cloud,’ then 

• Launch Zoom and click ‘My Account’ on the navigation bar.

• Click on "Recordings" in the left-hand menu to find the Zoom meeting recording there.

 Step 2: Upload your Zoom recording for transcription

After successfully getting the Zoom recording file, it's time to utilize Airgram for transcription. Airgram is a versatile, user-friendly transcription service designed to streamline the process of transcribing various media files, including Zoom recordings, into text format.

1. Sign up for Airgram for free with Google/Microsoft account or an email.

2. Open the Airgram dashboard and select the ‘import files’ option in the upper right-hand corner.

   

3. A pop-up box will appear, allowing you to choose your preferred transcription language and providing a section to import your file.

   

4. Drag the Zoom recording file to this section, and it will start transcription immediately.

A 200 MB file typically takes around 2 minutes to transcribe, ensuring a quick turnaround for your convenience.

Step 3: Get the Zoom meeting transcript

Once you've completed the transcription process using Airgram, you can easily access your Zoom recording transcript and the meeting video in the same dashboard.

And Airgram can do more than this: 

• Review your transcript: Carefully go through the transcript to spot any inaccuracies or inconsistencies. Even though Airgram's technology is quite accurate, double-checking is always a good idea, particularly for industry-specific terms or accents.

• Edit within Airgram: Make any necessary changes directly in the Airgram interface to achieve a polished and professional transcript.

• Utilize playback tools: Use the playback options to listen to the audio forwards or backward, ensuring the text accurately represents the spoken words.

• Share important moments: Use the "Share a Clip" feature to create a shareable video link for a specific transcript segment, perfect for sharing critical information or highlights with colleagues who couldn't attend the meeting.

• Export and save: Once you're happy with the transcript's quality, download and save it in your preferred format. Airgram offers various export options, including Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Notion, HubSpot, and Slack. 

With these steps, your transcript will be ready to share, store, or edit further, ensuring you make the most out of your Zoom meetings.

How to Transcribe Zoom Meetings Live?

Airgram is essentially a meeting productivity tool that allows you to record a Zoom meeting and generate a transcription simultaneously, eliminating the need to upload recordings every time. This innovative feature enhances meeting accessibility and promotes effective communication.

While Zoom also offers a live transcription feature, it has certain limitations. The service currently supports only English and is sensitive to background noise, which may affect transcription accuracy. 

These constraints make third-party services like Airgram an attractive alternative for your transcription needs.

Live transcribe Zoom meetings with Airgram

Follow these steps to set up automatic recording and transcription with Airgram:

1. Log in to the Airgram web app.

2. Click ‘Quick Record’ in the top right corner and select 'Zoom.’ (Alternatively, if you have connected Airgram to your calendar, navigate to 'Meetings' on the left menu and find the Zoom meeting.)

   

3. Choose a transcription language, paste your Zoom meeting link in the provided field, and click ‘Start Recording.’

   

4. Admit the Airgram assistant to your Zoom call, and you'll instantly receive live transcriptions during the meeting alongside a recording.

   

By leveraging Airgram's live transcription feature, you can enjoy a seamless and efficient transcription experience, making your Zoom meetings more productive and accessible to all participants.

Comparing Transcription by Airgram and Zoom

Transcribing Zoom recordings has become essential for many businesses, and choosing a fitting transcription service is crucial. While Zoom offers native audio transcription for its licensed users, Airgram presents a strong alternative with several added benefits. 

To guide you toward the best choice for your needs, let's unpack the crucial differences between how to transcribe on Zoom vs. Airgram.

Pricing and accessibility

Zoom's native transcription is only available to users with a Business, Education, or Enterprise license. However, Airgram offers a more accessible solution, with transcription services available to all users, making it a budget-friendly choice for individuals or smaller teams.

Accuracy and language support

Though both Airgram and Zoom provide accurate transcriptions, Airgram's advanced technology delivers a slight edge in terms of precision. 

Additionally, while Zoom only supports English transcription, Airgram supports various languages, including Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, English, and German, among others, making it a more versatile choice for global businesses and diverse teams.

Readability and editing

Airgram's transcriptions are structured to be more human-centric and natural, with speakers differentiated, offering better readability compared to Zoom's transcriptions. 

Furthermore, Airgram's user-friendly interface allows easy editing, making refining and perfecting your transcripts simpler.

Export formats and sharing

Airgram provides multiple export formats and integrations, allowing users to download and share transcripts flexibly. Zoom only offers the VTT format for transcripts. 

Airgram also excels in shareability, allowing you to share entire transcripts or key meeting moments as short video clips. In contrast, Zoom's transcripts are only shareable in their entirety.

Processing time and filler word removal

Airgram transcripts are available a few minutes after uploading to the dashboard, while Zoom's transcripts typically take twice the meeting duration to process. 

Moreover, Airgram removes filler words from transcripts, making them even more concise and professional. Zoom, however, does not provide this feature.

Zoom Recording Transcription Is Easy

Ultimately, transcribing Zoom meetings empowers participants to focus on the content and discussions, ensuring everyone gets the most out of every meeting

By leveraging AI-powered transcription services like Airgram, you can transcribe Zoom meetings live as well as existing Zoom recordings in simple steps and with a high accuracy rate.

Take advantage of its free trial and start now; don't let valuable insights get lost in the shuffle.