In an era of digital accessibility, South Dakota’s Legislature is falling behind by not providing written transcripts of committee and floor testimony online.
Thank you. Mr. Haggar. Transcripts ought be available within hours given the status of voice transcription software. Clearly we want near real time transcripts as opposed to the dressed-up nonsense that appears in the US Congressional Record.
Please demand transcriptions from your state senators and representatives.
This is a non-issue. Converting audio files to written transcripts is fast, inexpensive, and widely available using existing private-sector tools. There is no compelling reason for the state to be involved in this function. As long as audio files are provided in a standard format, individuals or organizations can independently convert them to text in minutes using readily available online services—many of them free. The market already solves this problem efficiently.
Examples of Free Audio-to-Text Transcription Tools
(This is only a partial list; there are many other comparable services readily available.)
Thank you. Mr. Haggar. Transcripts ought be available within hours given the status of voice transcription software. Clearly we want near real time transcripts as opposed to the dressed-up nonsense that appears in the US Congressional Record.
Please demand transcriptions from your state senators and representatives.
This is a non-issue. Converting audio files to written transcripts is fast, inexpensive, and widely available using existing private-sector tools. There is no compelling reason for the state to be involved in this function. As long as audio files are provided in a standard format, individuals or organizations can independently convert them to text in minutes using readily available online services—many of them free. The market already solves this problem efficiently.
Examples of Free Audio-to-Text Transcription Tools
(This is only a partial list; there are many other comparable services readily available.)
• Otter.ai
• Whisper
• Sonix
• Descript
• Google Docs
For $10,000, I’ll wire up the capability to have every committee meeting transcribed and automatically posted on the SDLRC website.
I’d add my thanks as well—I’ll be letting my senators and representatives know my position.
Lack of transcripted meetings is basically due to lack of good faith...