Insights Articles

It seems deceptively simple.

You have an audio or video recording, and you require a written transcript. In an age of artificial intelligence and automated speech recognition, surely the process is simply a matter of uploading the file and waiting for the words to appear.

For casual transcription, perhaps. For legal transcription, absolutely not.

A legal transcript may be used to prepare an appeal, analyze testimony, identify admissions, draft submissions or establish precisely what occurred during a proceeding. Accuracy matters…but so does context, speaker identification, legal terminology, formatting and confidentiality.

That is why creating a reliable legal transcript is a process, not a software function.

With Array's acquisition of HTB Transcripts Ontario, we have expanded our Canadian transcription capabilities and added decades of specialized experience in official Ontario court transcripts and audio/video legal transcription.

So, what does it actually take to turn a recording into a transcript counsel can rely upon?

1. Understand What the Transcript Is For

Before transcription begins, we need to understand the assignment.

Is the recording from a trial or hearing being prepared for appeal? A tribunal proceeding? An interview or recorded statement? A body-camera or surveillance recording? Is counsel looking for an internal working transcript, or is an official court transcript required?

That distinction matters.

In Ontario, for example, certain court transcripts must be prepared and certified by an Authorized Court Transcriptionist.

The first step in good transcription, therefore, is not typing. It is understanding the purpose of the record.

2. Start With an Informed Estimate

One of the first questions we are often asked is: “Can you give me a quote to transcribe this recording?”

We can, but it’s important to understand that a transcription quote is necessarily an estimate.

Unlike a document where the number of pages is already known, a recording contains variables that can’t always be fully assessed in advance. The quality of the audio, the number of speakers, overlapping conversation, accents, technical or legal terminology, background noise and the amount of research required can all affect how long a recording takes to transcribe.

Even the length of the recording doesn't tell the whole story. One hour of clear audio with two easily identifiable speakers is very different from one hour involving six people speaking over one another on a poor-quality recording.

We review the available recording and information as carefully as possible before providing an estimate. But clients should be cautious about relying on any transcription quote with 100% certainty. Until the work is completed, it is simply impossible to know exactly how much time – or how many pages - will be required to produce an accurate transcript.

Our goal is to provide a thoughtful, informed estimate upfront; and, just as importantly, to communicate if the complexity of the recording means the final cost is likely to differ materially from that estimate.

With legal transcription, certainty about quality matters more than false certainty about cost.

3. Build the Context

One of the biggest differences between basic transcription and professional legal transcription is context.

Names, case citations, technical evidence and legal terminology can all be misheard, particularly by automated speech recognition systems.

Where available, supporting materials such as pleadings, witness lists, counsel names, expert reports, exhibit lists and previous transcripts can help ensure that what was actually said is represented accurately.

This is not about changing the evidence. It’s about understanding enough about the matter to transcribe it correctly.

4. Use the Technology as a Tool, Not the Final Decision-Maker

Technology plays an important role in modern transcription.

Speech recognition and AI can help create a first pass and make lengthy recordings easier to navigate. But a first pass is not a finished legal transcript.

Automated systems can struggle with the very things that commonly occur in legal proceedings: overlapping speech, rapid exchanges, unfamiliar names, case citations, technical terminology, accents and incomplete sentences.

In legal transcription, plausible is not the same as accurate.

That is why trained people remain at the centre of our process. Technology can assist the transcriptionist, but it cannot replace the judgment required to create a reliable record.

5. Review, Verify and Quality Control the Transcript

Perhaps the most important part of the process happens after the initial transcription.

The transcript must be reviewed against the recording.

Questionable sections are replayed. Names and terminology are checked. Speaker identification is verified. Inconsistencies are investigated. And where words genuinely cannot be determined, the transcript should say so, rather than guess.

A professional transcriptionist also understands that the job is not to "improve" what someone said.

People speak in fragments. They interrupt one another. They change direction halfway through a sentence, and the transcript must faithfully reflect the record.

Finally, the document is reviewed for formatting, pagination, speaker designations, spelling, consistency and, where applicable, certification requirements before secure delivery.

Why Array Acquired HTB Transcripts Ontario

When Array acquired HTB Transcripts Ontario, we weren't simply adding another service to our menu.

We were adding expertise.

HTB built a strong reputation for official Ontario court transcripts and audio/video transcription for legal proceedings. Its former owner, Helena Tsapoitis-Barbesin, joined Array as Director of Transcription Services, bringing extensive knowledge of court requirements, transcription quality and operational delivery.

That expertise expands Array's ability to support the legal record throughout the litigation process, including proceedings captured live by our court reporters and recordings that already exist and need to be transformed into a usable written record.

The Record Is Only the Beginning

A recording contains the words. A professional legal transcript makes those words accessible, searchable and usable.

Doing that well requires more than technology. It requires context, careful listening, research, judgment and quality control.

Technology can make the process faster.

Experienced people make it trustworthy.