Have you ever stopped in the middle of a transcript and gone ‘Why don’t they just get to the point!’ or ‘Hey wait a minute, this isn’t what the guy said…’ A transcript can be annoyingly hard to read, intelligently edited, or very, very detailed depending on the transcription style used. There are three basic styles of transcription: Verbatim Verbatim transcription is a detailed account of every word, sound and non-verbal communication (like laughter and pauses) on the recording. Here’s an [...]
3 Quick Ways To Find Speaker Names On A Seminar Recording
From the Client The most obvious and easy thing to do is to ask your client to provide a list of speaker names. You can also ask for a list of participants if available. From the Seminar’s Itinerary The itinerary of a seminar is often published on the organizing entity’s website along with a list of key speakers. That’s a good place to find out the spellings of the speakers’ names. From Company Websites The seminar host introduces each new [...]
The Role of Research in Transcription
Research is a critical part of transcription, i.e. research for correct spellings of names, places, technical terms etc. The accuracy of a transcript can vary greatly depending on the thoroughness of research done by the transcriptionist. For e.g., take a look at this paragraph from the oral history of Dr. Erwin L. Hahn: Well, I was destined somewhat to be a particle physicist in that I had started with Kerst as a graduate student developing a power supply, of various [...]
5 Things to Remember When Transcribing Oral Histories
An oral history is a verbal record of a living person’s experiences related to a specific period or event. It’s generally a monologue, an interview or a conversation that’s systematically recorded, verified, analyzed and stored by oral historians and researchers. Transcribing oral histories can be a rewarding experience because of the rich detail and insight they offer. Here are a few tips to get the transcription right: Transcribe Verbatim An oral history captures the unique perspective of the speaker. It [...]
How to Choose a Transcription Service
How do you decide which is the right transcription service for you? What questions should you ask? What instructions should you provide? How do you decide what you need?
Transcribing IT-related Recordings
While I'm a great fan of technology, transcribing IT-related recordings is not one of my favorite tasks. There are way too many acronyms and too few pauses