'Exciting experiences'

After graduating with an advertising degree from college in his native Shenyang, Liaoning province, Li worked for several months for a local ad agency. But he was not happy with the salary.

"Then I saw a newspaper ad for a stenography training school that said the industry would be one of the most promising for the next 10 years and promised high salaries," he recalled. "At that time, none of my friends and relatives had ever heard of such a job."

Li and his wife signed up for classes, paying about 10,000 yuan for tuition, and over the next six months dedicated themselves to learning how to use a stenotype, a machine that enables users to record speech in shorthand.

"The hardest part is improving your speed. To go from typing 60 words a minute to 120 words required us to practice by typing millions and millions of words," he said.

Due to the limited demand in his hometown, Li decided to move to Beijing shortly after completing his training. Stenographers typically start by transcribing audio files and then progress to conferences, which are high pressure but pay about 300 yuan an hour. Li started working conferences in 2008.

Ma from Hebei relocated to the capital in 2006 for the same reason as Li. "Most of my clients were introduced by friends in the same industry, and I was usually hired to do transcripts of media interviews," the 32-year-old said.

Before long, she was regularly working in the studios of China Central Television, the State broadcaster, and Beijing TV, and by 2010, she had helped produce transcripts of a number of high-profile shows, including CCTV's Legal Report.

"Those were the most exciting experiences of my 20s," she said, laughing. "I didn't know what a TV interview was like until I stepped into a TV studio."

Ma eventually moved back to her hometown with her husband and children, but she continues to work on interviews by receiving and sending files through the internet.

"I'm the main breadwinner in my family because this job allows me to earn more money than my husband," she said. "What's more, it keeps me connected with the outside world."