Compared with the way it is done today
Most transcript production still runs on a stenotype writer, a computer-aided transcription suite, and a dictation package, held together by years of training. Here is where that setup and ours part ways.
| On | A typical stenography workflow | Truth Transcription |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | A stenotype writer, or a stenomask and headset for voice writing. Bought outright, serviced, and eventually replaced. | The multichannel recorder already in the room, or the phone in your pocket. |
| Software | A computer-aided transcription suite with a per-seat license and an annual support plan, plus a dictation package such as Dragon, each installed and updated on a specific machine. | A web application. It runs in the browser on any computer, and every improvement arrives without an upgrade purchase. |
| Training | Years of school to reach certification speed on a steno keyboard, and a personal dictionary that takes years more to mature. | An afternoon. If you can review a document and use a web browser, you can produce a transcript. |
| First draft | Immediate only with a certified realtime stenographer. Otherwise the notes are translated and scoped after the fact, often by a second person. | On the device while the proceeding is still going, then a fuller draft from post-production. |
| Who said what | Tracked live by the reporter, who also has to keep up with the words. Audio backups are mixed to one track, so a later check cannot separate voices. | Recorded, not inferred. Each microphone is its own channel from capture through export, so attribution cannot drift. |
| Remote proceedings | A separate setup: a laptop on the call, screen sharing for exhibits, and speakers identified by ear over a conference line. | A recording participant joins the Zoom, Teams, Webex, or Meet call and captures each remote participant on their own stream. |
| Correcting a name | Fix the dictionary entry, then hunt each occurrence in the translated notes. | Find and replace across the record in one action, with the audio a click away at every hit. |
| Cost model | Capital purchases up front: writer, software, dictation license, and a computer able to run them. Then support renewals and version upgrades. | A monthly subscription. Nothing to buy, nothing to renew, and it stops when you stop. |
What we do not replace
A certified stenographer producing a realtime feed for counsel is a skill this software does not have, and a certified transcript still carries a reporter's signature and judgment. Truth Transcription changes what the reporter has to buy and how long the production takes, not who is responsible for the record.
Where the savings come from
Not from cutting corners on accuracy. The on-device draft is fast because it is preliminary, and the post-production pass is accurate because it works one microphone at a time. The money saved is the equipment and the licenses that a browser makes unnecessary.
Compare it on your own recording
The fairest test is a proceeding you already have a transcript for.