Can I Get a Microsoft Teams Transcription?

Microsoft Teams has been embraced by a wide range of workforces around the world for its simple functionality and versatile uses. Delivering global connectivity, students and professionals can rapidly share audio and visual information in a high-quality format.

In some instances, the topics being discussed require users to return to them later – such as a student recalling parts of a lecture or an employee revisiting a training session. In such cases, it may not be necessary to revisit the entire recording but rather to locate specific elements of it. A transcription is the best way to do this, especially if it is time-stamped.

In this blog, we will explain how you can go about transcribing a Microsoft Teams meeting, and how to obtain a more accurate transcription if required.

How can you get a Microsoft Teams transcription?

Microsoft has made the process of receiving a transcription from a Teams meeting quite simple. Before starting your call, you will need to check if the feature has been enabled on your account. You’ll need to hold an admin role on the Microsoft account to do this.

First, head to the Teams Admin Centre and click on Teams. You’ll see something called Meeting Policies. Click on this.

A section called Recording & Transcription will appear, where you will see the option to toggle transcription on or off. Set it to “On.”

Your account will now be set to include transcriptions for your Microsoft Teams meetings, but it may take a little while for the changes to take effect.

You’ll still need to prompt Microsoft Teams that you wish for a specific meeting to be transcribed, even after the transcription function has been activated.

To do this, simply start or join your meeting as usual, but click on the three dots in the meeting toolbar. This will present you with an option to select Record and Transcribe. Click it and then press Start Transcription.

The transcript will now appear in real-time for all participants in the meeting. Once your meeting ends, the transcript will be stored automatically in the meeting chat for reference, and on your OneDrive or SharePoint if the meeting was recorded.

Can you get a transcript of a meeting that has already happened on Microsoft Teams?

If you forgot to set up transcription before the meeting started but require one, you can head back to the meeting and obtain a transcript. There are two methods available:

First, go to your Microsoft Teams calendar to find the meeting, or you could look in the Teams chat if you prefer. Once you have found the meeting, open the recording. You’ll see three dots next to the recording. Choose Download.

Depending on the file size, it may take some time, so ensure you have enough space to hold the file. Once downloaded, open Microsoft Word, upload your recording and click “Transcribe.”

The second option is much more labour-intensive and is best left to professional transcription services. This method involves playing the recording back at a slower speed and typing exactly what you hear. Trained professionals can pick out tones, understand different accents, and accurately capture everything that is said.

Can you download a transcript from Microsoft?

Yes, you can. It’s a simple process, too – locate the file for your transcription and choose Download or Open in OneDrive. The file is then saved to your OneDrive or SharePoint as a .docx or .vtt file.

I can’t find the option to start transcription on Microsoft Teams. What should I do?

If you are in Teams and click the three dots to start a transcription but either don’t see the option or it is greyed out, it could be because transcription has not been enabled. Your first step would be to review the steps mentioned earlier and head to the Admin Centre.

Occasionally, it could be that you lack the correct license for transcriptions or that the version of Microsoft 365 you are using does not support the transcription feature.

Are transcriptions from Microsoft Teams accurate?

Microsoft Teams provides fairly accurate transcriptions, but much like Google Meet, it can struggle with background noise, multiple speakers, varying accents, technical jargon, and speakers who have particularly heavy accents. In some cases, Microsoft Teams may be picking up all the right words but having trouble attributing them to the correct speakers. This could prove especially problematic if a soundbite was intended to be used as a quote.

To its credit, you can choose from 41 languages for Teams to transcribe, but the language selected for the transcription must be the one that is being spoken. It won’t work as a translation tool and offer you a transcription in a language different from the one being spoken.

The transcriptions will also not add punctuation automatically. While AI aids with this to some extent, it is not yet foolproof. This can hinder the tone of the transcription, as pauses aren’t identified, and it can cause a loss of emphasis when key points are being stated. For some, this may not be an issue, but if your transcription is for something containing important legal or medical information, for instance, complete accuracy is essential.

This is why countless professionals choose McGowan Transcriptions. With over thirty years of experience in audio transcribing as well as the transcription of visual files across various industries, we put accuracy, speed, and professionalism at the forefront of what we do. If you require audio-to-text transcription or need help getting a group discussion transcribed, speak to our team. Our rapid turnaround and high levels of accuracy ensure you have full peace of mind that your transcriptions are not only correct but compliant, too.