Transcription
Our Goal & File Download
Our goal for the Captioning & Accessibility Operating Procedure is for faculty and staff alike to aid in giving all A-State students equal access and experience to/with content. Because of this, we are prioritizing captioning content used across campus. If for some reason the content being used cannot be captioned, then we strongly encourage the instructor(s) to supply the transcripts necessary.
The hope is that we don’t just meet the bare minimum compliance requirement but set a standard beyond our legal obligation.
Download the full Simple Transcription Guide
Full or Clean Verbatim?
AAS recommends using a type of transcript known as clean verbatim. This type of transcription does not change the text’s meaning or paraphrase it. Content (verbal and non-verbal) that does not add value to the transcript is left out, including but not limited to stammering, “um” or “ah”, background noises, verbal pauses, coughs, etc.
Below, we will be comparing clean and full verbatim transcripts so you can see the difference.
Full Verbatim:
Max Taylor: Real quick, uh, Max Taylor of Sports Direct here talking to, uh, Jamal Hadid. Let’s discuss your strong finish this afternoon, man. Congratulations, Jamal.
Jamal Hadid: Oh, thank you very much. [coughs]
Max: What brought you back to, um, this track? I understand you stayed away for a while.
Jamal: Oh, it was just-- [laughs] It’s-- If you love racing and it’s in your bones, you can’t really, like, stay away. Uh, it’s true that I haven’t been back, um, for a few years. I was on a roll trying to discover new places. But-but now I’m back. You know, it’s been incredible. The fans are-- Well, uh, nothing beats the fans, right?
Clean Verbatim:
Max Taylor: Real quick, Max Taylor of Sports Direct here talking to Jamal Hadid. Let’s discuss your strong finish this afternoon, man. Congratulations, Jamal.
Jamal Hadid: Thank you very much.
Max: What brought you back to this track? I understand you stayed away for a while.
Jamal: [laughs] If you love racing and it’s in your bones, you can’t really stay away. It’s true that I haven’t been back for a few years. I was on a roll trying to discover new places, but now I’m back. You know, it’s been incredible. The fans are-- Well, nothing beats the fans, right?
Notice the clean verbatim shows a smoother flow and is more concise.
Again, when content is not relevant for the purposes of the transcription, these elements can be removed to create a clean verbatim transcription. The goal of this mode of transcription is to achieve a balance between readability and completeness.
Formatting
When you are ready to format your transcription, the title and page numbers are added, and text is grouped into distinct paragraphs. Elements that must be considered when formatting the transcript include:
Font Type and Size
AAS recommends using Calibri or Arial at 12 or 14 points, for size. The font type and size can be changed, just ensure your choices are accessible to all.
Paragraph Length
It is recommended to avoid large chunks of text in one paragraph to improve readability. If your transcript is long, break it into paragraphs of 400 to 500 characters each. Do not indent the paragraphs. Generally, a new topic or speaker warrants a new paragraph.
Speaker Labels
Speaker labels are the terms you use to identify speakers in your content. When labeling a speaker, use their full name, role, or a generic label such as “Speaker 1”. Only use generic labels if you cannot identify a speaker or their role. It’s best to write the speaker label in bold. For example:
Jane: Hello.
Speaker 1: Hello, Jane.
Interviewer: Hello.
Inaudible and Crosstalk Tags
Insert inaudible tags where you cannot hear the speaker’s words, and crosstalk tags when there is input from multiple speakers at the same time, making it impossible to comprehend what they are all saying. Mark the tags with a timestamp. You can always return to this part during the proofreading process. For example:
[inaudible 00:30] or [crosstalk 01:30]
Sounds
In clean verbatim transcriptions, you do not have to annotate background sounds and any other non-speech elements if they are non-essential to understanding the content.
- If you determine nonverbal cues are essential to understanding the meaning of the dialogue, remember not to interpret the nonverbal cue.
- For example, you would write “This clown is obnoxious [laughing]”. You would not write “This clown is obnoxious [laughing out loud].”
- If there is a pause you need to document in your transcription, we recommend using “...” for this.
- For example, you would write “I just... couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Capitalization
For capitalization, use the standard grammar capitalization rules. Capitalize the first letter in names, places, companies, and job titles. Do not use all capital letters unless you are trying to signify shouting or screaming.
Grammar
Use “[sic]” to denote grammatical errors in the transcription. For example, if you heard “They is confused” in the recording, transcribe it as “They are [sic] confused.” Do not just write “They are confused.”
Example of Clean Verbatim Transcript
Steve: Welcome back, Brad. This Is the second part of our Interview, and I want to get through all these as quickly as possible because I know you have somewhere to be.
Brad: Thank you. It's my pleasure.
Steve: It says on the website you worked doing graphic design for a local branding agency before branching out and starting your own business.
Brad: Yes.
Steve: Was that a conscious choice?
Brad: Yes.
Steve: Sorry, one sec. We can hear the fan.
Charlene: (inaudible 00:27)
Steve: No, no, that's perfect. Thanks, Charlene. Good. Was starting your own company intentional, or did you just sort of fall into it?
Brad: Actually, sort of both. I started out doing it as a favor for a friend. I didn't really know what I was doing at the time, but at some point I found out I was having some success with that, and so I started doing it for local businesses and restaurants.
Then it kind of took off from there, and then I figured, well, if I'm going to be taking on all these new clients I might as well get a website going and make something out of this, you know?
Steve: Sure. What kind of challenges did you experience when you were starting out, that you weren't expecting?
Brad: Hmm, challenges I wasn't expecting.
Steve: (laughs) I keep putting you on the spot. I don't think I put that one in the questions either. We're just ad-libbing here.
Brad: No, it's fine. So, challenges ...
Steve: Yeah. It could be funding or anything. I forgot to ask you earlier, did you bootstrap?
Brad: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I had literally, like, $200 in the bank when I started out. And that's Canadian dollars, so that's like, what, two cents US? [laughs] Nah, just kidding. Pretty sad though.