Do you want to learn how to make bread, travel on a budget, or invest in crypto? There’s probably a YouTube video for that.
Millions of people around the globe turn to YouTube’s video-sharing platform to learn and connect — so it’s no wonder video content creation has become an essential strategy for businesses looking to engage with their audience in meaningful ways.
If you want to get even more eyes on your videos, YouTube transcripts can boost your search engine optimization (SEO), enhance accessibility, and ensure your message resonates with a wider audience. Read on to learn how Otter.ai can help.
Transforming video to text is as easy as binge-watching your favorite YouTube channel. Here’s how to do it on desktop and mobile.
YouTube makes it easy to view, copy, and paste any video’s transcript in your browser. Here’s how:
Open YouTube in your web browser and search for the video you want a transcript of.
Go to the video description. Underneath the title is a set of options. Click “More” to expand the description. Click on “Show transcript” to open the video’s transcript, which should appear on the right side of your screen along with relevant timestamps. This transcript is essentially a copy of the auto-generated captions but in long form.
YouTube’s captions support multiple languages. Select your preferred language for the transcript. YouTube doesn’t allow direct downloads, so you’ll need to copy and paste it into a separate file, like Google Docs. Reformat to fit your preferred font and sizing.
Generating transcripts from YouTube videos has never been easier, as Otter’s audio-to-text feature simplifies transcription while increasing accuracy at the same time.
Launch Otter in a separate browser tab while you press play on your YouTube video of choice. Otter will automatically begin transcribing the audio as the video plays.
Once the YouTube video is complete, your transcription will also be complete. Head back to Otter so that you can review the text. This is where Otter will stand out, as you can easily make edits, highlight important sections, and use Otter’s keyword search for quick access to specific parts of the video.
As well as this, Otter has another method that can be used for generating a transcript for a YouTube video:
Upload an MP3 or MP4 for Transcription
This method is more direct, as you can simply download the YouTube video’s MP3 or MP4 file and upload it to Otter for transcription. Here’s how to do this:
For the best accuracy, importing the audio file directly into Otter (second method) is recommended over audio-to-text transcription (first method), as it reduces background noise and interruptions.
Keep reading below for more on why you should use Otter to generate transcripts of YouTube videos.
Although you can pull up a YouTube transcription on iPhone or Android, you can’t copy and paste the entire transcript. Here’s how to navigate text on the YouTube app:
Open the YouTube app and search for the video you’re interested in. Tap on the video and select “More” beneath the title.
Tap the “Show transcript” button to view the video transcription. It’ll pop up below the video, allowing you to skip to a specific part of the video via timestamps.
Unfortunately, you can’t copy and paste the transcript with iPhone or Android. To record text, you’ll have to manually write it down somewhere else.
Many people prefer video content to learn new things or entertain themselves. Whether you’re a creator or a viewer, opting for built-in subtitles or optional closed captioning are useful tools for making videos easier to follow.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to generate a video transcript as a viewer:
And if you’re a content creator, here are some ways transcripts can improve your videos and your business:
You don’t have to depend on YouTube’s automated transcripts to transform video into text. Here are two other options:
Before advanced speech recognition technologies entered the market, professional transcriptionists were the go-to for converting audio to text. Here are the pros and cons:
As machine learning technologies evolve, more automated transcription services become available. Here’s what they have to offer:
To generate a transcript using YouTube's audio files, check out our step-by-step guide.
Otter’s audio-to-text speech recognition technology is the tool you’ve been looking for. It produces transcripts from various audio sources, including YouTube, in just a few intuitive clicks. All you have to do is open Otter in a separate browser tab while the video plays, and the tool automatically transcribes it for you. It really is that easy.
Need more reasons to choose Otter? Here are five:
Take YouTube content to the next level with Otter. Effortlessly convert your videos into clear, accessible transcripts that increase searchability and improve your experience. Plus, with an Otter subscription, you can transcribe any video file, live stream meetings with real-time text, and generate summaries in seconds. Get started today.