“Transcript Template”
Best Practices for Transcribing Audiovisual Files
Recording Speech Patterns and Language
- Use the initials of the person speaking and a colon each time there is a new speaker.
- For any nonverbal sounds or actions, indicate that with brackets. For example: [laughter], [chuckles], [nods], [long pause], or others. You can also use brackets to give more clarity on slang or abbreviations that the speaker uses. For example: “I worked at the MSC [Memorial Student Union] during the fall semester.”
- Fillers - Leave out fillers such as “ah” and “um” since they do not really reflect a speech pattern.
- Most people are unaware that they use words such as “and,” “but,” and “so” to connect their sentences. They should be left in unless they become overwhelming.
- Contractions and Dialects - Do not try to reproduce accents or dialects. Use contractions only if they are used by the speaker.
- Words such as “you know,” “you see,” or “like" should be left in unless they become overwhelming
- False Starts – Include false starts because they are often indicative of thought and speech patterns. They may be deleted, however, if the false start is a repetition or a stumble, or if the speaker has a speech impediment. Example: “Well I−We didn’t hear anything about that.”
- Indecipherable words – Use a question mark to express uncertainty in the test. When you are unsure of a word or phrase use [?] after what you think they said. If you cannot venture a guess, use [unclear].
Transcription Formatting Notes
Interview Title
Interviewer
Date of Interview
Duration of Interview
START00:00:00.000
RK: After you put the starting time (usually this is 00:00:00.000), you will want to type START. Then you can begin the transcription.
HJS: Use the initials of the person speaking and a colon each time there is a new speaker. Use Times New Roman font at 12 pt. size for the transcript document.
RK: For any nonverbal sounds or actions, indicate that with brackets. For example: [laughter], [chuckles], [nods], [long pause], or others. You can also use brackets to give more clarity on slang or abbreviations that the speaker uses. For example: “I worked at the MSC [Memorial Student Union] during the fall semester.”
HJS: Please also review the guidelines on Speech Patterns and Language on the next page.
00:00:15.200
RK: Enter a new time at each separate question or at the start of a new topic.
HJS: You do not need a time for every time someone new speaks. The times are meant to be guides to different sections and questions of the interview.
00:09:16.400
RK: At the end of the interview, put the ending time, and END.
HJS: Once the interview transcript is complete, save it as a PDF and upload it to its correct location.
00:16:56.380
END
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