Verbatim transcription is the process of transforming spoken language or audio/video recordings into written text with meticulous precision.
It involves capturing every word, utterance, filler, stutter, non-verbal communication, and background sound exactly as they occurred.
The primary goal of verbatim transcription is to create a faithful representation of the spoken content. No content is omitted or paraphrased; instead, every aspect, including pauses, hesitations, laughter, overlapping speech, and external noises, is transcribed.
The outcome is an extensive and detailed written account of the original spoken communication.
The process requires a keen ear, great attention to detail, and the capability to precisely capture the spoken content while preserving the integrity of the conversation.
The comprehensive nature of a verbatim transcript renders it a valuable resource for those seeking an accurate and undiluted account of the communication captured in the recording.
Female: We received a lot of support from…uh from community services- [baby starts crying].
Interviewer: Oh, do you want to take a short break?
Female: No that’s okay, I just need to turn her over [talks to the baby, 60s]. So I was saying…uhm…we got a lot of support in my first few weeks back from the hospital.
In this example, the transcript includes words as well as other details like background sounds, details of the mother talking to her baby, and fillers.
That’s the essence of verbatim transcription – capturing not just what was said on the recording but also how it was said and in what context.
While the essence of verbatim transcription remains the same—transcribing exactly what’s on a recording—variations have emerged over time to accommodate different needs. There are primarily three types of verbatim transcription:
Each style offers its own advantages, suited for different needs:
Intelligent Verbatim, also referred to as Clean Read or Clean Verbatim transcription, is a transcription technique that involves precise editing and rephrasing to achieve a concise, polished transcript.
This style is preferred for print-ready, error-free transcripts and is particularly useful in business recordings.
What’s included: Everything said in the recording with minor paraphrasing only when absolutely needed.
What’s not: Grammatical errors, fillers (ums, uhs, you knows, etc.), stutters (In- In- In- In fact), false starts (incomplete sentences), repetitions, non-verbal communication, and ambient sounds.
Standard Verbatim or simply Verbatim Transcription, is more detailed compared to Intelligent Verbatim.
In this style, the transcriptionist captures all words from the recording, including any grammatical errors and false starts.
However, the transcript omits additional details such as stutters and repetitions, resulting in an accurate yet uncluttered document.
What’s included: Every word in the recording, including false starts, relevant repetitions, and grammatical errors.
What’s not: Fillers (ums, uhs, you knows, etc.), stutters (In- In- In- In fact), irrelevant repetitions, non-verbal communication, and ambient sounds.
True Verbatim, also known as Full Verbatim Transcription is the most comprehensive of the 3 styles, capturing every word, sound, and non-verbal communication present on a recording.
The precise detail of this style makes it ideal for academic research and analysis, where every detail is significant.
What’s included: Every word in the recording, along with non-verbal communication like laughter and pauses, and ambient sounds such as background noise or interruptions.
What’s not: Stutters and pauses that are irrelevant to the transcript and disrupt the reading flow.
To give you a clearer idea of each type of verbatim transcription, here’s an excerpt from an interview with Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, transcribed using each of the styles.
We’ve also included the audio file so that you can listen along.
Well, yeah I guess I hadn’t thought about that, that’s right. And then outside of that, I’ve had lots of role models throughout my life. Some of my teachers at River Oaks Elementary School that you mentioned. I had my parents who I talked about a little earlier. I didn’t talk too much about my grandfather but he was a gigantic influence in my life. I had the great good fortune, because my mom was so young, my grandparents would take me every summer; starting at age four, every summer – kind of to give her a break really – for the whole summer.
Well, yeah I guess I hadn’t thought about that, that’s right. And then outside of that, I’ve had lots of role models throughout my life. Yeah, some of my teachers at River Oaks Elementary School that you mentioned. I had, I had my parents who I talked about a little earlier. I didn’t talk too much about my grandfather but he was a gigantic influence in my life. I had the great good fortune, because my mom was so young, my grandparents would take me every summer. Even..starting at age four, every summer – kind of to give her a break really – for the whole summer.
Well, yeah I guess I hadn’t thought about that, you know, that’s right, yeah. Uhm but [swallows] and then outside of that, you know, I’ve had lots of role models throughout my life. Yeah, uhm [swallows]some of my teachers at River Oaks Elementary School that you mentioned. I had, uhm, you know I had my parents who I talked about a little earlier. I didn’t talk too much about my grandfather but he was a gigantic influence in my life. I had the great good fortune [swallows because my mom was so young, uhm my grandparents would take me every summer. Even.. starting at age four, every summer, kind of to give her a break really, uhm for the whole summer.
For those new to verbatim transcription, several questions may arise, such as “Should I paraphrase certain parts of the recording?” or “How should sounds be transcribed?” Here are four rules for verbatim transcription, depending on the desired level of detail required in the transcript:
Some transcriptionists paraphrase statements to convey the general idea rather than typing the exact words. This approach is taken in intelligent verbatim transcription, which is preferred in business settings due to its readability.
However, academic researchers and journalists often require precise word-for-word transcriptions.
Here’s an example:
Paraphrased sentence: “I was screaming. I was screaming for my mother. And she was maybe 30 yards away in the house. She wouldn’t have heard me even if she was outside.”
Verbatim sentence: “And I’m screaming. You know, I’m screaming for my mother. And she was uh maybe 30 yards away in the house [pause]. I mean…she could not have heard me. Even if she was outside, she probably would not have heard me.”
Both sentences convey the same meaning, but the emotion is far more pronounced in the second one.
Depending on the purpose of the transcript, this distinction may be significant. Therefore, in verbatim transcription, typing every single word is essential.
Communication extends beyond words, encompassing laughter, pauses, ambient sounds, and more.
Verbatim transcription captures all these components to provide an authentic account of the conversation.
Here’s another example:
K: What does your mother think?
N: Not much. She agrees with me. Yeah.
K: Really?! [Laughs] Are you sure?!
[N laughs]
To adequately transcribe non-verbal communication, consider the following guidelines:
When two speakers talk simultaneously, indicate this with /, e.g.:
N: Yes, I have been /living here.
K: /Oh you have?
N: for three years.
For short pauses, add a full stop (.), ellipses (…), or [pause].
K: So in retrospect [pause] that was a bad decision.
For pauses lasting longer than 4 seconds, put the time in seconds inside brackets, e.g., (6) or (6 sec).
For interruptions, use a short hyphen (-).
K: I was sort of thi-
N: -there was just so little time.
For laughter, use (h) or (hhh) or [laughter/laugh].
N: I still can’t believe we managed it [hhh].
Fillers like “um,” “ah,” “you know” and false starts are often used by speakers to buy time while thinking.
False starts are unfinished sentences like:
“I would say that’s not such a… I mean that may not be… it’s best to check with an expert before proceeding in such matters.”
Although these elements disrupt the flow of speech, they can provide valuable insights into the speaker’s thought process. For this reason, verbatim transcription should include these elements instead of editing them out.
Qualitative research requires understanding the surroundings and context during an interview or conversation. External sounds such as doors opening, people walking in, or side conversations etc. are all important for drawing insights from recordings and should therefore be noted in the transcript within brackets and with time stamps.
Read More: A Step-by-Step Guide to Interview Transcription
The primary goal of verbatim transcription is to capture both the content and the manner of speech. However, not everyone requires the same level of detail, so depending on the purpose of the transcript, certain elements may be transcribed or omitted. For example, you may decide to include non-verbal communication but remove any external sounds/events noted on the transcript.
Think about how the transcript will be used to figure out what should be transcribed and what should be left out.
So there it is. You now know (almost) all there is know about verbatim transcription.
Still have questions on this topic? Leave your question in comments and we’ll do our best to answer it!
Read more: 3 Examples of Transcribed Interviews
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Great site. A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!
I wonder could you add one thing, please? How often should I drop in a time stamp when I'm transcribing an interview? At the moment, I'm putting in a time stamp for every question but should I be doing it at set times instead.
Great question. How often you should add time stamps depends on what the transcripts is being used for. For e.g., for video editing time stamps would be required every few seconds, for research they would be required every few minutes, for general reading along with a video they would be required with every speaker change etc. The best thing is to ask your client what they want. If you're not able to reach your client, then it's best to go with something not too frequent and not too far apart - like every 3-5 minutes.
What is your opinion with regard to numbers? For instance, if the speaker says 20-11 for the year. Or another speaker says 10 o'clock, and yet another says 380 thousand dollars? And how about measurements, such as "bout half bottle? I have several more like these and I am not finding a site that specifically addresses numbers. In the first case, 2011 - I feel that is read as two thousand eleven and not twenty-eleven.
From my understanding, you should use the actual number if it is over nine or ten I believe. For example, 'I saw 20 ducks at the park.'
Versus, 'I saw four ducks swimming in the pond at the park.'
Over 10 = 11, 12, 13, 14, etc.
Under 10 = Nine, Eight, Seven, Six, Five, etc.
Hope this helps
Great article! This is helping me learn transcribing, thank you.
I use time stamps especially when there are awkward pauses or extended pauses to questions...or any other situation where time is a factor, for whatever reason :-) but I do criminal defense interviews
This is a very helpful site. Thanks! I just want to know if "I mean" and "I think" can be considered as fillers and hence could they be omitted of course using good judgment. I would love to hear from you. Thanks again.
I think these should not be treated as fillers. "I mean" could be followed by some sort of explanation and, "I think" gives out a speaker's viewpoint or opinion or belief regarding something.
The four rules that you have shared through this post are very much important to me and I am looking for the same information from last few hours so thank you for this post. Keep posting and keep growing.
Very helpful article thank you very much. I live in a country where English is a second language and grammar is a serious challenge. Is it better to correct the grammar for the sake of outside readers or leave it as it is?
I would be also really interested in this. Did you come up to an answer?
Great question Florence. It depends on the what the end-user needs. If the transcript is for research, they would probably want everything transcribed as is and do the interpretation themselves. If however the transcript is for wider circulation/publication then 'cleaning' out the grammatical errors would make sense (that would of course mean that the transcript is now intelligent verbatim - not verbatim). I generally provide examples of both styles and let the client decide. - Vinti
What an excellent website and article - it just saved me hours of research! Exactly everything that I need to know in a concise and precise package... and very beautifully designed site, to boot! Thank you! :)
Thank you Elena :)