Why 3Play Media’s Accuracy Rates are Better Than Others

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Learn about accuracy in speech recognition technology [Free Report]

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When trying to find the right captioning vendor for you, it’s best to look for one that promises accurate captions. The industry standard for the accuracy rate of closed captions is 99%, and inaccurate captions are actually considered legally inaccessible.

 Needless to say, accuracy is vitally important to the comprehension and accessibility of your caption file (and your content in general).

At 3Play, we have mechanisms and processes in place to ensure your files are always at least 99% accurate. Keep reading to learn more about how we measure accuracy rates, what they mean, and why 3Play is better at accuracy.

What does ‘accuracy’ mean?

Accuracy rates are a measurement used in the captioning and transcription industry to gauge the precision and quality of a file – including punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

In the captioning world, accuracy is measured as a percentage and the acceptable industry standard is 99%. A 99% accuracy rate means that there is a 1% chance of error, which anecdotally translates to a leniency of 15 errors total per 1,500 words.

While there are variety of methods to deliver captions (like automatic speech recognition software or professional transcriptionists), neither humans nor technology can deliver truly 100% accurate captions. However, accuracy rates below 99% can become insufficient to appropriately convey complex material.

In any case, it’s a good rule of thumb that automatic speech recognition (ASR) software should not be relied on independently. Accuracy rates of ASR software alone hover around 80%, so it’s safe to say this will not produce sufficiently accurate captions or transcripts for your audience.

How does 3Play Media measure accuracy?

As mentioned, neither humans nor technology can deliver 100% accuracy – but we can get close.

3Play Media produces a measured accuracy rate of 99%, even in cases of poor audio quality, multiple speakers, or complex material.

We measure accuracy rates based on grammar, punctuation, and spelling, but we also consider additional elements (like speaker identifications, non-speech elements, and transcript completeness) as essential elements of a truly accurate transcript.

Many captioning vendors promise industry-standard accuracy rates, but when you actually measure their files the results range from 84.7% to 94.4%. From an accessibility perspective, such low accuracy rates are unacceptable.

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Learn about measuring ASR accuracy 📊

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The perfect process (for near-perfect accuracy rates)

The process used to create closed captions can directly impact the resulting file quality.

As we’ve said, using ASR software alone will result in poor accuracy rates. But, when combined with the power of professional human transcriptionists, the captioning process can drastically improve in quality and efficiency.

3Play Media’s innovative three-step process delivers high-quality and competitively priced captions. We start with ASR software to create a rough draft, first-round transcript of the content for our editors. This transcript then undergoes two rounds of human editing: the first focused on cleaning up the transcript and adding essential non-speech elements, and the second focused on quality assurance and reviewing the transcript to ensure completion and utmost accuracy.

How does 3Play differ from our competition?

3Play Media cares about the quality of your captions. Therefore, we have processes in place that help us achieve a higher accuracy rate than other captioning vendors.

1. The Process: our innovative process maximizes efficiency and quality. When you transcribe a file from scratch, it’s still prone to errors – incorporating ASR technology puts less work on the human transcriber, allowing them to focus on the quality.
2. Quality Assurance: every single file we process undergoes a final round of quality assurance, while other vendors may charge extra for transcript review (or simply leave the reviewing up to you).
3. One File, One Editor: 3Play will never split your file. Each complete file is assigned to one specific editor, ensuring that file accuracy is consistent throughout. Alternatively, some captioning vendors will split up large files among a pool of editors, potentially resulting in a file with spelling and grammatical inconsistencies.
4. 3Play Standards: in addition to the DCMP Standards for caption quality, we have our own internal standards to ensure every file is accurate and readable.
5. Word-for-Word Synchronization: to ensure maximum accuracy and completeness, we timecode your files based on every spoken word – no other vendor offers this.
6. Technical Glossaries: our account system allows users to upload their own glossaries, which gives the assigned transcriptionist a better idea of how to spell potentially unfamiliar words, names, or places.
7. Consistent Accuracy with Every File: regardless of how long your file is or how many files you upload, we always guarantee a minimum of 99% accuracy. With other captioning vendors, accuracy rates tend to crumble as the file gets longer.

Which vendor is right for you?

When it comes to captioning vendors, there are many to choose from – just be careful! Many vendors promise a 99% accuracy rate, but the reality is that their accuracy rates tend to fall short. Always question your captioning vendor about how they measure accuracy rates, what their process looks like, and how files are processed to ensure that you’re selecting the best provider.

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