About

​Sharp Copy Transcription, in business since 2013, is an independently owned transcription company based in Oak Park, Illinois. Sharp Copy harnesses the power of human listening to create transcripts of exceptional quality for its customers. Sharp Copy transcripts help customers generate useful insights and keep their projects moving forward. Sharp Copy believes in the transformative power of stories and the ways in which thoughtful, accurate, and culturally respectful transcription can contribute to a better world.

Sara Baum

About The Owner

Sara Baum transcribed her first recording in 1999 at the Survey Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Nearly 20 years later, she still loves transforming voices and conversations into written form.

While at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Sara earned a
Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. She went on to earn a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and Policy, with a focus on Disability and Human Development, from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Sara followed her passion for helping others, becoming the Assistant Director at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Disability and Learning Resource Center. She has also held positions at the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Voorhees Center on Neighborhood & Community Improvement.

Before launching Sharp Copy and while still transcribing part-time, Sara combined her expert listening and project management skills with her love of women’s health to form a doula business in the Washington, DC area. During Baum’s 10 years as a doula, she was present for the arrival of over 100 babies. Doula work gave Sara plenty of opportunities to develop her keen eye and ear for detail, excellent bedside manner, and the ability to stay calm under pressure--all skills that come in handy in her work as a transcriptionist.

When she’s not busy transcribing, Sara can be found staying up too late, spending time with her three children and husband, and continuing her quest to find the best vegetarian restaurants in the Chicago area. Sara lives in Oak Park, Illinois.