Transcription for journalists: interviews to quotes, fast

The hour of interview audio is not the story — the three quotes inside it are. Speaker-labeled, timestamped text is the fastest route to them.

Short answer: Record or import on iPhone with AI Transcribe — transcripts arrive with speaker labels and timestamps, in 32 auto-detected languages — then use the AI tools (Summarize, Create a todo list, Proofread and 12+ more) to turn the transcript into the document you actually need.

Where transcription earns its keep for journalists

• In-person interviews — record in the app; speaker labels keep Q and A separate.
• Remote interviews — import the call recording (audio or video) afterwards.
• Quote verification — search the transcript, jump to the timestamp, hear the exact tone before publishing.

What to know first

Consent on the record at the start protects you and makes attribution clean; recording laws vary by country and US state. Full workflow: how to record and transcribe interviews.

The workflow

1. Capture: record live (up to 2 hours) or import audio/video files up to 3 hours — any common format.
2. Transcribe: automatic language detection, speaker labels, timestamps.
3. Process: run the AI tools on the transcript — summary, key points, to-dos, dates, rewrites.
4. Export: text or PDF via the share sheet, into whatever system your work lives in.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are speaker labels? Reliable for two or three distinct voices with little crosstalk; fix-ups are occasionally needed after heavy interruptions.

Can it handle interviews in other languages? 32 languages with auto-detection, and the transcript can be translated afterwards — useful for foreign-language sources.

What does it cost? Free to download and try; the Pro subscription (weekly or annual) unlocks up to 3 hours of transcription per day.