Tools
YouTube is the second most viewed site in the world, with over 106 billion annual visits (Google is the first). The platform is incredibly popular because it serves as a hub of information, education, and entertainment. Simply put…it’s your one-stop-shop for learning new stuff.
Whether you’re watching tutorials, lectures, interviews, or user-generated content, sometimes you must “read” what’s happening. Maybe the audio is too soft, the language is unclear, or you need to see the data in writing. These are all good reasons to look into how to get a transcript of YouTube videos.
YouTube provides a feature that allows you to access the transcript of videos, but you cannot directly download them. This is where a little creativity comes into play!
In this article, we’ll explore why YouTube transcripts are beneficial, how to access them, and simple methods for using them, like quotes, note-taking, or SEO purposes.
There are several reasons why you might want to use a YouTube transcript. These include:
YouTube is full of educational and explainer videos. However, many of these move fast, and pausing 100 times to take a few notes is incredibly time-consuming. There has to be a better way. YouTube transcripts help you extract key points from a video without needing to pause or rewind.
Transcripts provide a means for individuals who may be hard of hearing or deaf to access video content. As the video plays, they can easily read along, enabling greater accessibility and more opportunities for the impaired.
Inspirational quotes are powerful, especially when it comes to digital marketing. Transcripts can be used to extract specific quotes from a video. The text makes it easier to search and find exactly what you need.
For content creators, adding or using transcripts will greatly improve a video's search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines will crawl the text from the transcript, pushing the video up to a higher ranking on the search engine results page (SERP).
Opening a transcript on a YouTube video is fairly painless. YouTube has a built-in feature that allows you to view the transcripts quickly. Here’s a step-by-step process:
If you still need assistance, this video demonstrates the process of opening the transcript of a YouTube video.
YouTube automatically generates transcripts when videos are uploaded correctly. However, they are not available as a standalone file. In other words, you can’t really “download” these captions at all.
But no rule says you can’t copy YouTube transcripts. You can simply copy and paste them into online document management systems like Google Docs (which is free with a Gmail account).
To copy a YouTube transcript, follow these quick steps:
Another way to access a YouTube transcript is to utilize a third-party service that can extract the transcript. This method is typically used when someone needs the transcript in a more structured format (copy and paste can get messy), the text is long, or they need it for multiple videos.
These types of tools extract the data and sometimes offer the transcript in a downloadable file (like .txt or .srt). The following are some examples of third-party tools you can use to skip the whole copy-and-paste process:
If the video you need to transcribe doesn’t have captions, you can use transcription software or services to manually generate the transcript. Here’s how:
For the best results, your chosen video should always have clear audio. If you cannot understand what the subjects are saying, chances are the algorithm can’t either. Any type of background noise or poor-quality sound will create discrepancies in the transcription.
Additionally, once the transcript is pasted into a document, you will likely need to fix the formatting. Adjust punctuation, speaker tags, and spacing to improve readability.
It must also be noted that while automated services are cheap and fast, human-generated transcription services are generally more accurate.
The accuracy of your transcripts will vary depending on factors like:
For greater levels of accuracy, consider using third-party transcription services or editing auto-generated transcripts.
No. You may only access the transcript of a private YouTube video if you are the owner or have been given specific permission to view it. Public and unlisted videos, on the other hand, can be transcribed using the methods mentioned above.
It depends on how you use it. Using a transcript for personal use—like note-taking or reference—is typically considered fair use. However, repurposing or redistributing transcripts for commercial use may violate copyright laws, depending on the copyright status.
47% of all global internet users access YouTube monthly. The ability to create YouTube video transcripts significantly enhances the viewing experience, whether you’re taking notes, searching for specific data, or improving accessibility.
YouTube’s built-in transcript feature and various third-party tools make obtaining a transcript pretty straightforward. Additionally, for videos lacking captions, the right transcription software and services generate accurate transcripts that you can rely on!
Regardless of your needs, these strategic methods make it easier than ever to engage with YouTube content in a way that enriches your knowledge and deepens the experience.
