Searching for an honest Transcribe Anywhere review?
If so, you’re in the right place.
Unlike 99% of Transcribe Anywhere reviews, I actually took the time to go through BOTH courses — General Transcription and Legal Transcription — in their entirety.
(Which took forever, I might add. So hopefully it helps in your decision!).
Most other reviews just regurgitate general information about the program…without ever spending a minute inside the course itself.
How are they supposed to help you decide if the course is good or not if they haven’t even taken it?
With that in mind, this Transcribe Anywhere course review will not only cover everything the program includes…
But I’ll also show you if Transcribe Anywhere is legit, based on first-hand experience.
If you find this in-depth review helpful and decide the course is for you, you can say “Thanks, Mitch!” by purchasing through my affiliate link at no extra cost to you.
Alrighty, let’s jump in!
Psst! If you’re still unsure after reading this brutally honest review, check out Janet’s free transcription course to test the waters.
👀 This is a Level 3 review. Read more about our in-depth course review process.
Table of Contents
TL;DR – Is it Worth it?
While not perfect, both Transcribe Anywhere courses live up to their expectations. They are jam-packed with all the training you need to go from zero to a successful transcriptionist.
That said, it takes hard work to learn the material and master the skills. If you’re prepared to put in the work, Transcribe Anywhere is worth it. If you’re not, save your money.
Before making your decision, make sure to check out my sneak peek video below for a better idea of what the course is actually like.
If, after reading the review, you decide the course is right for you, scroll to the bottom of this page to get a special sign-up bonus (and a money-saving tip).
Alrighty then! On to the nitty-grittys!
Let’s start with a behind-the-scenes look at the course itself…
Inside Look at the Transcribe Anywhere Course
I’ve sprinkled screenshots throughout this guide to give you an inside look at the course. But for an even better idea, watch this behind-the-scenes video review.
Disclaimer: I received access to Transcribe Anywhere in exchange for an honest review. As you will clearly see, all opinions are my own.
What’s Included In The Course
If you skipped the video above, here’s a recap of everything that’s included in both the General Transcription and Legal Transcription courses.
The course layouts are super simple. It’s broken down into three main parts:
- The Learning Modules
- The Facebook Group
- The Support
#1.) The Modules
The modules for each course are broken into chunks.
As you can see, the legal transcription course has way more modules than the general course.
I would estimate that if you took the legal course, you’d learn 80% of what’s covered in the general course. So if you start with legal and later decide to switch to general, you could most likely fill in the gaps yourself without having to buy a whole other course.
The opposite is not true. If you took the general course, you will not know how to become a legal transcriptionist. You’d still have TONS of additional learning.
Just something to keep in mind.
Ok, so each module is broken down into units, like this:
I won’t go into a unit-by-unit breakdown of each module because all of that is openly available in the course syllabi (choose General or Legal – then hit Ctrl + f and type “syllabus”).
But just imagine each unit like a chapter in a university textbook.
It’s mostly text with screenshare videos sprinkled throughout. There are also quizzes and tons of practice assignments, which are essential to mastering your transcription skills.
At the end, there is a final exam with two parts—a knowledge portion, and a practical portion.
Passing the exam unlocks a bonus module that teaches how to build your freelance business and find clients.
#2.) The Facebook Group
2024 Update: The Facebook Group has been moved to a forum within the Transcribe Anywhere ecosystem because the majority of students agreed that Facebook sucks. Members can still go through old threads in the Facebook group to find useful info, but all new posts are in the community group.
Many online courses include Facebook groups that are completely useless.
Fortunately, the Transcribe Anywhere Facebook group isn’t like most Facebook groups. It’s actually pretty awesome.
There are over 4,000 members, and it’s a poppin’ group. At the time of writing, 78 posts have been published in the past month. That’s about 2-3 per day on average.
Whenever someone asks a question, there is usually a quick response.
I love how everyone helps and supports each other.
Janet and her admin team pop in to answer questions. But you’ll also get answers from other members in the group, including Transcribe Anywhere graduates who’ve overcome the same problems you’re facing.
#3.) The Support
You will have questions and doubts when training to become a transcriptionist.
Fortunately, this isn’t another one of those courses where the creator takes your money and throws you to the wolves. Janet and her team genuinely want you to succeed.
In fact, they practically beg you to ask them questions. For example, if you can’t seem to get your practice assignments to match up with the answer key, you can send them your transcript, attach your questions, and they’ll send you back feedback.
The students who take advantage of this personalized help are the ones most likely to succeed.
Just take a look at a (very small) portion of this thread I found in the Facebook group. It’s in response to an ex-student who attacked the course because she failed her exam, even though she never asked a single question.
These are just 4 of 50+ comments in the thread. If this little snippet doesn’t show how satisfied students are with the support, I don’t know what does.
What Transcribe Anywhere is NOT
Janet makes it super clear that “this is not a get-rich-quick course, it’s a work-hard-and-succeed course”.
I agree with this statement 100%.
Reading through the course material will not make you a transcriptionist.
You have to STUDY and PRACTICE (a lot!).
Think of it like becoming a professional guitar player. Reading about how to play the guitar won’t get you very far. You need to actually practice, struggle, and learn from your mistakes.
That’s how you learn any skill. And if you expect something different with transcription, you’ll be disappointed.
It’s sad to have to clarify this. But that’s the world we live in.
I still believe transcription is one of the best freelance jobs for beginners, but it’s still a skill you have to master.
Transcribe Anywhere Review: Pros and Cons
My Transcribe Anywhere Complaints
❌ Walls of text. Maybe it’s my ADD. Or maybe it’s my generation’s short attention span. But this course involves a LOT of reading and plain text. It’s great information, but it’d be more entertaining and engaging if she broke up the text with some helpful graphics or images.
❌ Could improve explanations. Some concepts are much easier to understand visually. She explains everything in text, but sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words. There were times when I didn’t completely understand concepts until I got to the practice assignments.
❌ Price. It’s easy to balk at a $500 – $600 (ish) price tag, but it all depends on how you look at it. If you just view it as a glorified textbook, then yeah, it’s expensive. But if you consider it an investment, it’s a different story. You’re learning an entirely new career. A career that allows you to earn a full-time income from home, without an expensive university degree. You’re also learning from an expert with over 30 years of experience, who can shave hundreds of hours off the learning curve and offers personalized feedback. What is that worth to you?
❌ No refunds. This course represents over 30 years of Janet’s transcription knowledge. It’s understandable that she doesn’t want people signing up, stealing all her work, then asking for a refund. In today’s refund-friendly world, this may seem harsh, but put yourself in her shoes. Don’t buy unless you’re sure you want to become a transcriptionist and you’re willing to work for it. If you’re not 100% sure, take her free course to test the waters first.
What I DID like
✅ Everything you need to learn. There’s no stone left unturned. Is it the most entertaining course in the world? Not exactly. But does it include everything you need to become a successful transcriptionist? It sure does.
✅ Accredited by the AAERT. This isn’t just a random course that some random lady uploaded to the interweb. According to their website, Transcribe Anywhere is the only online general transcription course approved by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT).
✅ REAL practice assignments. Most of your practice assignments are from real clients, including projects with poor audio quality, heavy accents, multiple speakers who interrupt each other, etc. Access to these challenging practice assignments gives you a taste of real-world transcribing. This is a huge advantage over other courses that invent their own assignments, many of which are “too perfect” and way easier than what you’ll encounter in real life.
✅ Continual updates. Janet wants her students to always be ahead of the curve, so she keeps the course updated with cutting-edge information. For example, she just added new training on how to take advantage of AI to speed up your workflow. (She also covers whether transcriptionists should be worried about AI).
✅ Clever tips and tricks. The courses are full of hacks that Janet has picked up through her decades of experience. These hacks allow you to finish work faster. In transcription, time is money. And if you find tricks to cut your typing time in half, you essentially double your income.
The Verdict: Is Transcribe Anywhere worth it?
Transcribe Anywhere is a great course, but it isn’t for everyone. It’s only worth it if you are 100% certain you want to become a transcriptionist and you’re willing to work for it. The training includes everything you need to succeed, but you have to actually implement it.
Is it a perfect course? No.
It could be more fun. In today’s online course world, people expect things to be a bit more spicey and engaging.
That said, it’s still the best transcription course on the market (and the only online general transcription course endorsed by the AAERT).
If you follow her instructions, you’ll drastically cut your learning curve so you can start earning more as a transcriptionist, faster.
As with any course, you get out what you put in.
And if you go all-in with Transcribe Anywhere, you won’t be disappointed.
Where Can I Sign Up?
Money-saving tip: Janet offers several different packages for the courses.
If anyone else tells you to buy both courses upfront as a bundle, it’s probably because they just want to earn a bigger commission off your purchase.
Well not on my watch. Uncle Mitch has your back, and I don’t want you to spend more than you have to…
If you’re interested in both courses, it is NOT necessary to buy them both right off the bat. There are two reasons for this:
- If you buy the legal transcription course, you will automatically learn most of what is in the general course.
- If you buy the general course and later decide you want to upgrade to legal, you just need to send them an email to add it on. At the time of writing, buying them together upfront as a bundle doesn’t save you any money.
With that said, here are the links to each of the courses. I hope you found this review helpful!
✨ Bonus Offer ✨
If you purchase using any link on this page, I’ll throw in my Work from Anywhere Toolkit ($25 value) for free. This mega-resource is packed with 200+ free (or very cheap) tools to help automate your business — and even do it while traveling the world!
Just forward me a copy of your receipt with subject line “WORK FROM ANYWHERE TOOLKIT BONUS” and I’ll give you access to the toolkit.
Transcribe Anywhere Alternatives
As far as I’ve seen through our own research, there are some alternatives to Transcribe Anywhere, but many of them fall short.
The majority of the transcription courses that I’ve found online are offered on Udemy and are short, one-hour courses that just cover the basics of transcribing.
While this may be a good starting point for those who are interested in this field, they aren’t nearly as comprehensive as Transcribe Anywhere.
If you are serious about making money with transcription, I highly recommend going with Transcribe Anywhere as it’s way more in-depth, has a ton more real-life exercises to help you practice, and more guided support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Transcribe Anywhere is not a scam. In fact, It is one of the only transcription courses approved and endorsed by the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT). It teaches you everything you need to know to become a transcriptionist.
There are no ongoing discount codes for Transcribe Anywhere. However, there are special promotions every once in a while. To get notified of the next promotion, you can sign up for their email newsletter by enrolling in the free transcription course.
Transcribe Anywhere is self-paced, so it depends on how much time you commit to the course. Their website states it can take between two and six months to finish. You could potentially finish much faster if you dedicate a few hours to the course every day.
Transcribe Anywhere is a legitimate transcription training course. You must pass a final exam to earn your transcription certification, and the course setup is similar to an online technical school training you would find at a university, including quizzes, midterms, exams, and expert feedback.
The General Transcription course costs $797, while the legal transcription course costs $897. If you want extra hand-holding, you can also purchase the top-tier bundle for $3,997, which includes both courses, transcription equipment, a done-for-you website, live Q&A calls, and priority email support.
Several Transcribe Anywhere graduates share their income information within the private Facebook group. While you are unlikely to make a six-figure income, most graduates are happy with the money they earn as transcriptionists and are glad they chose the career path.
Mitch is your typical nomadic backpacker. Or at least, he was. But after stopping in Colombia to take “one week” of salsa lessons, his life took a sharp left turn. He met a cute Colombian girl in dance class, fell in love, and got married. Over half a decade has passed since he left his career to travel the world as a digital nomad, and he’s never looked back.
Nowadays, he’s the blogger behind Project Untethered — where he runs an awesome email newsletter and Youtube channel teaching adventure-craved wanderlusters how to escape the rat race, earn money from anywhere, and build an “untethered life”.
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