TRANSCRIPTION EQUPIMENT

There are three major types of transcribing equipment that have been used in offices, and
some are still used today. There is a portable unit, the desktop unit, and the centralized
system.
The portable unit is a small hand-held device that is used to record dictation. People
dictate into this small unit on to micro cassettes. Office professionals transcribe this
dictation by inserting the micro cassettes into their transcription units allowing them to
transcribe the material that has been dictated.
People who compose and dictate the correspondence are called originators. Originators
can use the portable unit, or they can use the microphones that can be attached to the
desktop unit and dictate material onto mini cassettes. Office professionals then insert
these cassettes into their desktop units and transcribe the material.
The centralized unit allows the originators to dictate by telephone onto a unit that uses
cassettes or endless loops on which to store the dictation. Some transcriptionists use
Express Scribe and transcribe from discs or flash drives.
In the past many people have mistakenly called all dictation/transcription equipment by
the name, Dictaphone, because Dictaphone was the most widely known brand. However,
there are other manufactures of dictation/transcription equipment.
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