Microsoft announced today that the Transcribe in Word feature is now available for users who would like to transcribe audio files instantly.
With the pandemic still out of control, more and more online interactions are made. This is true for students and professionals. Unfortunately, the light at the end of the tunnel is still not visible for the COVID-19 cure.
As such, heavy assistance from advanced technology is needed. The attention span of users online is getting shorter and shorter as they fatigue from staring down on their screens day after day.
As a result, they tend to miss out on certain details from their classes and meetings. Fortunately, Microsoft has rolled out Transcribe in Word, which can help solve this problem.
Microsoft Transcribe in Word now available
The feature will only be available for Microsoft 365 subscribers that use Microsoft Word online. In other words, it is not open for Word users in Windows or Mac. Neither will be available of Word on Android or iOS.
Another limitation of the feature is that it only transcribes English for now. However, Microsoft is expected to expand the language options in the next updates.
Using the feature is simple, users have two options to choose where their audio comes from. First, they can upload an audio file up to 200MB in size. Transcribe in Word supports multiple audio file formats such as WAV, MP3, and MP4. The Verge reports that the processing time of the audio files will vary on the size of the upload. However, it generally just takes a short time for the AI to flesh out the conversations on the audios.
The second way to transcribe files is to record on the Word program directly. This feature gives an almost real-time transcription, which is beneficial for students and journalists alike. The audio captured can either come from a playing video on the device or any external audio recorded by the device’s microphone.
Limitation on the feature
As mentioned earlier, the usage of the feature is still limited to an online experience. This is most probably attributed to the real-time AI speech-to-text conversion feature that the app needs.
Another limitation on Transcribe in Word is that the uploaded files are only limited to 300 minutes of audio per month. This is a step back from the 600 minute limit on its main competitor, Otter. Nevertheless, Microsoft makes up for the threshold by giving an unlimited transcription service on audio directly recorded online.
Image from The Verge/ GIF screen capture