- What should I do if I don’t know how to spell a city name?
Consider doing three things: make a guess at the spelling, use a phonetic interpretation, and flag it for review. Flags for edit will be addressed during the editing phase of transcription. Example: Sioux St. Marie/Soo Saint Marie** (For the curious, this city's correct spelling is Sault Ste. Marie).
- What should I do if I can’t understand what the participant is saying?
Put the word "unintelligible" in brackets and then flag it for review. Example: [unintelligible]**
- Should I indicate stuttering?
No. Sometimes artifacts from stutters may make it into the transcription, such as false starts and crutch words. While including these things sometimes makes for a more faithful transcription, indicating stutters is not part of what we prioritize for preservation.
- I found something that the style guide doesn’t cover, what should I do?
While maintaining the spirit of the project, use your best judgment to make the appropriate editing call. In addition, feel free to reach out to those working on the project. You can find contact information here.
- Should I use initials or spell out the full name?
The final product should use the full name, formatted in italics with a colon following the last name. Example: Jennifer Floether:
- How should I place a comma (should I do it correctly with grammar)?
There are two main considerations to make with comma placement: how it sounds, and how it reads. Commas should be placed when there is a pause in speaking (whether it is grammatical or not). Commas should also be placed where an English reader might expect a comma to be in order to help parse the sentence correctly (which is more likely to follow grammar rules). We have found it useful to do the "sounds" part with audio, and the "reads" part with text only. Example: "We had a few things which we were doing outside, mostly to help with the hedges." Grammar dictates that there should be a comma before the word which, but this is not necessary with the flow of the spoken sentence.
- Should I correct grammar?
Generally, no. Example: "We had a few things which we were doing outside, mostly to help with the hedges." Correct grammar would say to switch "which" with "that," but that correction would not be faithful to the audio. However, it is permissible to add words that are missing in brackets by using context clues if it aids in clarity of understanding. Example: "I knew [they] were coming to the house."
- Am I allowed to editorialize ([says in a funny voice])?
The final version of a transcript should not contain editoralizations; however, placeholders may be useful while in the editing process. Flag editoralizations so that they can be addressed during a later phase of editing if necessary.
- How long is this going to take?
While this is undoubtedly variable, our experience thus far suggests this:
Initial transcriptions take about an average of 6 minutes to type per 1 audio minute (with the recommend software, hardware, and with a "speedy" typist).
Editing passes take about an average of 4 minutes per 1 audio minute. Many editing passes are necessary, but the transcription time typically decreases.
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