Transcription prices in the UK — from £2.40 per minute plus VAT for professional audio transcription.

Audio transcription prices

Audio transcription is priced per minute of audio plus VAT, with a minimum charge for short recordings. English transcription starts from £2.40 per minute (minimum £55). Transcription in another language starts from £6 per minute, and transcription with translation — turning foreign-language audio into English text, or the reverse — starts from £13 per minute. The exact price depends on the language, whether you need timecodes or a translation, the audio quality and the number of speakers, and longer recordings qualify for volume discounts.

Absolute Translations provides English transcription, multilingual transcription and transcription with translation, all handled by professional human linguists rather than automated speech-to-text alone. Audio transcription, sometimes described as audio-to-text transcription, turns recorded speech into written text — and we can deliver it in the original language or translated. Our strength is the multilingual side: foreign-language audio turned into accurate written text, either in the same language or translated into English (or English audio into another language), across more than 200 languages. Because every job is done by a professional human linguist, accuracy holds up on accents, multiple speakers, difficult audio and specialist subject matter.

Transcription is priced per minute of audio plus VAT, with a minimum charge for short recordings. You pay the greater of the minutes recorded times the per-minute rate, or the minimum charge, so a very short clip is charged at the minimum. There are three main types, each with its own starting rate:

What you need	From (minimum)	Per minute from
English transcription (English audio into English text)	£55	£2.40
Foreign-language transcription (audio into text in the same language, no translation)	£60	£6
Transcription with translation (audio in one language into text in another, for example into English)	£75	£13

All prices are plus VAT. English transcription with timecodes or timestamps starts from £4 per minute. Common foreign languages start from £6 per minute; less common languages start from around £11 per minute; rarer languages and dialects are quoted individually.

Which service do you need?

Choose by what you are starting with and what you want back:

Need	Choose this	Starting price
English audio into English text	English transcription	From £2.40/min + VAT
Foreign audio into same-language text	Foreign-language transcription	From £6/min + VAT
Foreign audio into English text (or English into another language)	Transcription with translation	From £13/min + VAT
Foreign audio plus both the original transcript and its translation	Transcription with translation, both deliverables	From £15/min + VAT

This is what we do best. If your audio is in another language, you have two options.

Same-language transcription. We transcribe the recording into written text in its original language, with no translation. For common languages this starts from £6 per minute (minimum £60), or from £8 per minute with timecodes or timestamps. Less common languages start from around £11 per minute, and rare languages and dialects are quoted individually.

Transcription with translation. We transcribe and translate the audio for you, so foreign-language speech becomes English text (or the reverse). There are two ways to receive it:

Translated transcript only — we work straight from the audio and deliver the translation. For common languages this starts from £13 per minute (minimum £75), or from £14 per minute with timecodes or timestamps.
Both the original transcript and its translation — you receive two deliverables. For common languages this starts from £15 per minute (minimum £85), or from £16 per minute with timecodes or timestamps.

Where a translation is involved, it is produced to the same professional standard as our written translation service. The rate depends on the language, whether you need timecodes or timestamps, and whether you also want the original-language transcript. Rarer languages and dialects cost more and are quoted individually. If you already have a written document to translate rather than audio, our translation prices are worked out per word instead — see the signpost near the end of this page.

A few things move a transcription price up or down:

Language — common languages sit at the lower rates; rarer languages and dialects are quoted individually.
Translation — whether you also need the audio translated, and whether you want the original transcript as well as the translation.
Timecodes or timestamps — adding them adds a small amount per minute.
Length — the price is per minute, so a longer recording costs more overall, though it may qualify for a volume discount.
Number of speakers — multi-speaker recordings take longer to transcribe accurately.
Audio quality — clear studio audio is quicker than noisy, phone or field recordings, and strong accents or specialist subjects add time.

Sending us the audio, or describing it, lets us confirm a fixed price rather than an estimate.

You can choose how closely the transcript follows the speech. Verbatim transcription includes speech exactly as spoken — false starts, filler words and repetitions — where you need it, for example for legal or research use. Clean-read transcription removes obvious fillers and tidies the text while preserving the meaning, which suits most business use. Just tell us which format you need when you request a quote.

Longer recordings qualify for volume discounts, and our standard new-customer and priority discounts also apply. None are automatic; each is confirmed in your quote.

Foreign-language and transcription-with-translation work: 10% for recordings over 30 minutes, 15% for recordings of 60 to 119 minutes, and up to 20% for recordings over 120 minutes.
English transcription: 5% for recordings over 60 minutes, 10% for recordings over 90 minutes, and 15% for recordings over 120 minutes.
New and regular customers: a new-customer introductory discount from 5% (up to 15%) on a first order, and a priority-customer discount of 10% for regular clients, as on our other services.

Volume discounts do not apply to urgent or split jobs, or to rare languages and dialects, which are quoted individually.

Turnaround depends on the length of the recording, the number of speakers, the audio quality and the language. A short, clear, single-speaker recording is quick; a long or multi-speaker recording, or one with difficult audio, takes more time, and translation adds a step. We confirm a realistic delivery date with your quote. Rush handling may be available where a deadline is tight, though, as with our other services, an urgent job does not receive volume discounts.

Human linguists, not automated speech-to-text. Every transcription is produced by a professional human linguist, so accuracy holds up on accents, overlapping speakers, difficult audio and specialist subjects where automated tools fall down.

Over 200 languages, including many rarer languages and dialects — a real strength for foreign-language transcription and transcription with translation. See the languages we cover on our languages page.

Professional standards. Where a translation is involved it is produced under ISO 17100, and we work to ISO 9001. We are ATC accredited and an ITI member.

Trusted since 2001 and highly rated on Trustpilot.

Secure and confidential. Handling is GDPR-compliant, with linguists under confidentiality agreements — important for legal, medical, research and HR recordings.

You can read more about how the service works on our audio transcription service page.

What we need to quote

To confirm a fixed price and turnaround, it helps to have:

the audio or video file, or its length in minutes;
the language or languages spoken;
whether you need the transcript in the same language or translated, and into which language;
whether you need timecodes or timestamps;
the number of speakers;
your deadline.

Uploading a file does not commit you to ordering.

Send the file or the details, and we check the language, length, audio quality and what you need delivered. We then confirm the fixed price and a realistic turnaround, and you decide whether to go ahead. There is no obligation to order.

These examples show how per-minute transcription pricing adds up; your own quote depends on the language, length, audio quality, number of speakers and any translation or timecodes. Prices are plus VAT and are shown before any confirmed volume discount.

Recording	Language	Length	What was delivered	Price (+VAT)	Why
Podcast episode	English	45 min	Transcription, no timecodes	£108	£2.40/minute
Board meeting	English	90 min	Transcription with timecodes	£360	£4/minute (before any volume discount)
Research interview	French into French	30 min	Same-language transcription	£180	£6/minute (common language)
Legal recording	Polish into English	20 min	Transcription with translation (translated transcript)	£260	£13/minute
Focus group	Spanish into English	40 min	Transcription with translation, with timecodes	£560	£14/minute
Conference	German into German + English	60 min	Transcription plus translation (both deliverables)	£900	£15/minute (a volume discount would then apply on the quote)

These are illustrative figures calculated from our rate card. Discounts are confirmed in the quote, not applied automatically.

If you need a written document translated rather than audio transcribed, see our translation prices page, where work is priced per word. If you need subtitles for video, ask about our subtitling service.

How much does transcription cost?

Transcription starts from £2.40 per minute plus VAT for English audio, with a £55 minimum charge for short recordings. Transcription in another language starts from £6 per minute, and transcription with translation, which turns foreign-language audio into English text or the reverse, starts from £13 per minute. You pay the greater of the minutes recorded times the per-minute rate, or the minimum charge. The final price depends on the language, whether you need timecodes or a translation, the audio quality and the number of speakers. Longer recordings qualify for volume discounts, confirmed in your quote.

How much does it cost to transcribe and translate audio (for example foreign-language audio into English)?

Turning foreign-language audio into English text, or the reverse, starts from £13 per minute plus VAT for common languages, with a £75 minimum charge, when you need only the translated transcript. If you also want the original-language transcript alongside the translation, that starts from £15 per minute. This is a particular strength for us: we handle audio in over 200 languages and many dialects, transcribing and translating straight from the recording. Rarer languages are quoted individually. Timecodes, audio quality and the number of speakers also affect the price, which we confirm in a fixed quote before you order.

Do you transcribe languages other than English?

Foreign-language transcription is a core service, covering more than 200 languages and many regional dialects. Same-language transcription, where we transcribe the audio into text in its original language with no translation, starts from £6 per minute plus VAT for common languages, with a £60 minimum. Less common languages start from around £11 per minute, and rare languages and dialects are quoted individually. Every transcription is done by a professional human linguist, so accuracy holds up on accents, multiple speakers and difficult audio. Tell us the language and length and we will confirm a fixed price.

What affects the price of a transcription — timecodes, audio quality and number of speakers?

Several factors affect the price: the language, whether you need a translation as well as a transcript, timecodes or timestamps, the length of the recording, the number of speakers and the audio quality. Clear single-speaker audio is quicker to transcribe than a noisy multi-speaker recording, and strong accents or specialist subjects add time. Timecodes add a small amount per minute. Adding a translation, or asking for both the original transcript and its translation, raises the rate. Because the price is per minute with a minimum charge, longer recordings also qualify for volume discounts. Sending the audio lets us confirm a fixed price.

How do I get a transcription quote, and how quickly can you do it?

You can get a transcription quote by sending your audio or video file, or simply telling us the length in minutes and the languages spoken, using our quote tool. We check the language, length, audio quality and what you need delivered, then confirm a fixed price and a realistic turnaround before you order; uploading does not commit you to anything. Turnaround depends on the length of the recording, the number of speakers, the audio quality and the language, so longer or multi-speaker jobs take more time. Rush handling may be available, though urgent jobs do not receive volume discounts.