Boost Your Extra Income
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich / February 10, 2017
If you have a good ear, Rev may be an option for making a bit more money. It’s a company that offers captioning, transcribing, and translation services. I can’t comment on the translation part, but for captioning and transcribing, you’d apply and take a test.
For captioning, your application starts with a straightforward grammar test and a writing sample about your hometown to check your writing skills. Then, you’ll get a brief introduction to captioning and Rev’s basic formatting guidelines. You’ll then take your first captioning video test. Make sure to take the time to do it right.
Sadly, I failed mine. A crucial part of their formatting was to put captions at the top of the screen if there’s writing on the bottom of the screen, and I forgot to do that. However, if you fail, you can retake the test after six months.
In the meantime, I thought, why not try transcribing? It starts with the same grammar test and writing sample, then leads to an overview of their transcription standards. After passing an initial audio transcription test, I completed two more and became a Rookie Transcriptionist.
As a Rookie, all your work is monitored and you’re given feedback. The assignments are short and you’d choose last from the batch. Some might complain about the low fees at this level, but I saw it as a paid training.
Though the feedback felt harsh at first, I quickly improved my ratings. I stayed a Rookie for about four days and then advanced to a Revver. The change was immediate – I could now choose projects earlier. No, you can’t get rich transcribing or captioning here, but for me, while between jobs it helped me learn a new skill and earn a bit of money.
Still, it’s a time-consuming gig. A single project may take several hours for not much cash, and if the audio is bad, it’ll likely take longer. Generally, a clear 10-minute audio I can transcribe in just over an hour for about $4 to $5.
By the end of my first month, I estimate an earning of about $50. Though it wasn’t like hitting a gold mine, I was learning something new and this skill can actually pay well when you’re proficient at it. Also, I’ve made an extra $20 from UserTesting this month by investing 20 to 30 minutes of my time on it, although opportunities are fewer.
Overall, there could be easier ways to make money than Rev. But if every penny counts for you, it might be worth a shot.