Sally, Cape Town
Our Listener – Sally, Cape Town
“Finding purpose and peace in every word transcribed“
When Sally talks about her journey into transcription, it feels less like a career story and more like a quiet, natural unfolding, a transition shaped by timing, curiosity, and a deep respect for language. After her children had grown up and she and her husband became empty nesters, she found herself reflecting on what to do with this new chapter of life. She had always loved the English language, and with her husband’s encouragement, she began exploring opportunities that would allow her to work from home. Transcription seemed like a perfect fit, it became meaningful work that blended precision, focus, and independence.
Her first experiences, however, were less than ideal. “I worked briefly for a couple of American transcription agencies,” she recalls, “but there was little to no support, and I often felt like a burden.” It wasn’t until she stumbled upon Way With Words, through a simple Google search and glowing reviews, that things shifted. “I decided to give the test a go, hoping I might be accepted,” she says. “Thankfully, I was invited in with open arms and found Way With Words to be so much more encouraging, kind and obliging than I could ever have hoped for.”
From that moment, she didn’t look back. Sally immediately resigned from the other agencies and committed herself fully to Way With Words. “I actually cannot imagine working elsewhere,” she says with quiet certainty. “I have no doubt that I’m part of a very special team indeed, and I’m grateful every day to have the honour of representing Way With Words.”
Away from her desk, Sally’s world slows to the rhythm of soil, sunlight, and prayer. She tends lovingly to her small backyard permaculture orchard, cultivating fruit trees and herbs with the same patience and attentiveness she brings to her transcripts. “I’m an avid gardener,” she says warmly, “but my biggest passions are my love for my Lord, my two children, and my husband, whom I feel so blessed to have in my life.”
For Sally, transcription is as much about understanding as it is about accuracy. She has learned that language is rarely straightforward, especially when human voices, accents, and emotions are involved. “On the odd occasion,” she says, “when a speaker has a particularly strong accent, the raw transcript can read many expletives, which could be confusing or even funny, but it’s completely wrong. That’s where a human transcriber makes all the difference. We can hear beyond the literal, to what was truly said.”
It’s this human sensitivity that she believes defines a great transcriber. “Obviously, a good command of the language is crucial,” she explains, “but an advantage is being able to work with various accents and to have empathy. When you can put yourself in the speaker’s shoes, you can convey their meaning more accurately, even a small change in punctuation can alter what they meant entirely.”
Among the many recordings she’s worked on, one in particular stands out: an interview with a woman advocating for open discussions around menopause. “She wanted to educate people and remove the stigma,” Sally recalls. “Her message was about embracing the beauty of growing older and understanding these changes rather than fearing them.” The conversation stayed with her — a reminder of how transcription doesn’t just capture words, but preserves voices that challenge, heal, and inspire.
For Sally, transcription is not just work, it’s a reflection of her values. It’s about attentiveness, compassion, and respect for each person’s story. Whether in her garden or at her desk, she approaches each task with the same sense of care: nurturing something living, something that grows quietly under a patient hand.
Company Note
Way With Words provides professional transcription, captioning, and speech data services to clients globally. Our contractors, based around the world, are at the heart of what we do — bringing language to life with precision and care.