Word Index and Condensed Transcripts

[Jennie Ann]

It has been a long time since I have reviewed software that produces word indices and condensed transcripts. The technology has sailed by me.

I am not as interested in the condensed transcript as I am the word index. This would be helpful to the attendees of a conference when searching for specific portions of the meeting they are interested in.

I used to use a software called MultiPage, but I realize it is outdated today, as it was a DOS program.

Most court reporting companies in my area like E-Transcript by Real Legal: E-Transcript.
Some folks I know use ProTEXT and love it: ProTEXT. And then there's the old trusty Min-U-Script: Min-U-Script.

E-Transcript is a subscription software, requiring one to keep paying for it. ProTEXT looks like a one-time purchase price, as does Min-U-Script.

For those who have used these, I am interested in the pros and cons of each. Also, if there are other software programs that can create a word index, I would like to learn more about them. TIA to any and all responders!

[Deborah L. Willoughby]

Check out Bundler from Clarity Legal Software. It's a free download. I played around with it and it seems to work very well.

http://www.claritylegalsoftware.com/bundlerfeatures.html

[Jennie Ann]

Hey, thanks so much, Deborah, for that link. I'm going to definitely peruse it to the fullest!

[Kyung]

You can create an index and condensed within Eclipse and you can output either as an ASCII or a pdf format document.

[Jennie Ann]

Thanks, Kyung, for the info. I am not a court reporter. I transcribe client-provided audio on a QWERTY keyboard. The client-provided audio is usually digital but sometimes standard audiocassette tapes. I do not use the Eclipse software or any court reporting software. However, I hope your great suggestion will be helpful to others on this forum.

I need something that is compatible with ASCII and/or Microsoft Word.

[Ann Medis]

I use ProText and love it. I can't think of a negative. It's extremely user friendly. I'm on Eclipse and have the ability to do index and compressed, but there was quite a bit of tweaking to get it to a format that I was comfortable with. But with ProText it's intrinsic in the software. I also appreciate that there's no initial thousand dollars to load the software and a hundred a month fee. You import an ASCII. I actually recommended this to a reporter who still types and required the ability to do indexes and compressed tripts. This is the software you want to purchase for your use, and it's also reasonable.

[Jennie Ann]

BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT, BRILLIANT. Dag nab it, I only wish I had thought of offering this service first. What a great idea, and I think there are MANY folks out there who need this from time to time.

Thanks for sharing that link. I am going to be sure to refer them to others. I'll give this website a perfect 10!

[LeAnne Law]

You might want to try OTEC. They also convert to E-Tran and only charge $10 per file. www.oteconline.com OTEC also repairs steno machines. That's how I first heard about them. Allan is a member of CSRNation and has a new group called Tech Tips or something like that.

[Jennie Ann]

You are very innovative. That is a great idea providing this service to those who may not be able to afford E-Transcript and/or tweak the other software programs.

Plus, E-Transcript just looks better than the others, IMO.

I've been trying to come up with a side business, and I hope I can be as innovative as you. I was thinking about online greeting cards like Jacquie Lawson. I love her cards so much, and what a great business she must have today via subscriptions.

Here is her site if you want to check it out: Jacquie Lawson

Look at my Spooky Halloween Card to all at CSRnation: My Halloween Card

I would love to have a business like this, in addition to what I am doing now. It looks like a whole lot of fun! If you read Lawson's bio on the website, it is so interesting. I have a feeling she's making money too, and that's what I'm talking about! ;-)

[Cindy L.A.]

I wish there was a free program to accomplish this task. I have tweaked eclipse to death over and over and have settled for a workable condensed. Never happy with it, though.
Cindy L.A.

[Jennie Ann]

Cindy, I have old DOS program called MultiPage, and I also have to tweak it to death. It is a time-consuming chore. That is why I am looking into other software programs. Time is money!