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Understanding Accents - ktm910
Posted: Sep 17, 2014
I am a studying transcriptionist and wanted to ask a couple MT forums for their opinions/help. I really enjoy healthcare, and after dabbling in coding and admissions I have landed on medical transcription, and I really enjoy it. I am almost half way done with my training program but wanted to see if there are any tips, books, any kind of resource that has helped registered medical transcriptionists have a slightly easier time transcribing from an ESL dictator. I have never really been good at understanding foreign accents, and am finding it difficult to transcribe foreign accents. I am trying to not let it discourage me, and I will not quit transcription because of this, but want to actively seek third-party knowledge or resources to help me tackle this problem. I know that with time, especially if I get hired into a company that has a regular ESL dictator, that it will become easier as I learn their style, etc. But while I am training does anyone have any information on a website or book that can help me?
accents - not really
[ In Reply To ..]Not really a website, not a book. Just experience. Listen carefully. When doing different headings (family, social, surgical history, physical), you should know what they are going to say based on the subject at hand. Social history will be about smoking and drinking and his living situation, etc. Just think about what words would probably be used and get used to listening for words that are used over and over.
It will take time, if you can even find a job without experience, that will be the biggest battle, getting the job. good luck. the rest of us are trying to get out because of lack of work and mostly LACK OF PAY. 40 years in this and I am now making minimum wage because of no work, so out I go.
Again good luck.
another thought - me
[ In Reply To ..]If possible, when you have a job, look at other reports done by that dictator. A lot of my dictators say almost identical words in their reports, following a familiar path, with the HPI, labs, and assessment being mostly patient-oriented. Sometimes you can catch a TV show or news that has a foreign speaker talking in English and you can see how they say their words. During work, I "replay" what I saw on TV. I always seem to hear better when I can see somebody talk. Like other poster said, you have to really listen. That will train your ears the best.
I will try to stick with your - question...
[ In Reply To ..]and not get off on a rant about how MT is not a great career choice at this time, but agree with the above, plus a lot of ESL are not really as scary as you might be led to believe. Many speak English quite well but just with an accent. However, when you run across the really bad ones, they really stand out and make you crazy.
ESL - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I have found, particularly of late (I have been transcribing for 30 years), that some of the worst names can be some of the best dictators. They sometimes get those names by marriage or they really paid attention to their English class!... first step of relief.
Well, if you end up with the really foreign accent, the advice already given is good. Familiarity with what they will say in certain situations is half the battle. Save us the brain dead days when you can't think for the life of you what it is they would say in that spot...then somebody else comes up with something really obvious and you feel sheepish--happens to everyone eventually.
Sometimes you will notice that Indians, for instance, have a slight British tone to them, so think about the endings of the words with a sounding like "r." There are other patterns too.
I have recently been doing VR and I think it particularly dangerous as you can get "convinced" that the speech rec is right if you don't have a better answer. If you haven't done speech rec, sometimes it is downright hysterical what it guesses might be the answer.
I used to say that, apparently, California only employed Vietnamese OB/GYN and the anatomy must not be the same cause I couldn't figure them out at all (about year 6).
Well, good luck, and there is going to have to be someone to fill in all of these jobs that we are retiring from or quitting. Maybe you won't have as high an expectation as we did for pay and such. To go from $40 an hour to $20 to $9 at some points is hard to take and makes some of us bitter. (Those numbers are highs and lows and not constants necessarily) I'm not excusing the behavior of the industry, but if it is what you have decided on, best of luck.
P.S. Try to incorporate coding with your transcription knowledge (never hurts to have a safety net)!
What I Did - see message
[ In Reply To ..]I won't go off on a rant, either. I will tell you I quit 3 years ago, so do keep in mind what many of us are saying about this field before you invest time and energy.
That being said, best thing I ever did was make sure I didn't take my foot off the pedal too soon. It is a mistake to take your foot off the pedal right away when you don't understand something.
Letting the pedal run does 3 things: (1) Helps you know if he or she is REALLY done with the word/words. (2) Lets your ears/brain process. Sometimes our ears and brain are not precisely in sync, and letting it run helps you play "catch-up." (3) You may get more content as clues.
If possible, I would make sure to get as much straight transcription experience you can before attempting speech wreck. The speech wreck has words in front of you that will prejudice your ears, so you can get more stuck than you normally would have. Even the best of the best with years of ESL experience have this problem with having the words right in front of them.
When doing straight typing, look away from the screen while listening. You can't do this with speech wreck because you are also editing, but you can do this when you straight type---another reason to get as much straight transcription experience before diving into the voice editing.
Good luck!
I worried about accents before I started, too. - sm
[ In Reply To ..]However, one thing that makes it easier is that you can listen again and again. I very much agree with the above poster who says not to take your foot off the pedal too soon. What I do is just put a blank with a time stamp for the parts I don't understand and go back at the end and re-listen. Often by the end, my ears are more in sync with the accent, so it becomes obvious what is being said. Also, AHDI puts out a Skill Building with Accents CD that might be helpful: http://www.ahdionline.org/OnlineStore/ProductDetail/tabid/55/Default.aspx?ProductId=176
What I Did Poster - see msg
[ In Reply To ..]I'm the "what I did" poster. I did want to also stress what "worried about accents" said. Don't spend a lot of time on any one blank. Just keep going as best you can. You will have more report content to troubleshoot the word and your ears will be more used to the dictator. Also, by sitting on one thing too long, you will get stressed when you can't get it, and stress is a hearing buster. Nothing messes up the ears more than stress does. Just breeze over it after a few tries, then go back at the end.
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