Transcribing: means converting an audio, images, or video file to a written format. Recordings are transcribed into written form because in this way they can be studied in detail.
The representation of audible speech as written words requires:
- Reduction
- Interpretation and
- Representation to make the written text legible and meaningful.
There are three types of transcription:
Verbatim transcription: the text is transcribed exactly as it sounds and includes every spoken word as well as every laugh, background noise, jargon, broken or incomplete phrases or words. Literally, it’s a replica of the audio recording.
An edited transcript: the transcriber omits parts of the audio file as long as the meaning of the recording does not change. For example, these transcripts do not include speech errors, false starts, or sounds like “mmm”, ehh”, etc. Transcribers must differentiate between what is essential and what is not. Therefore, it is crucial that the transcriber understands the meaning and purpose of the audio content. The common uses of this type of transcription are speeches, conferences, and seminars, etc.
Intelligent transcription: The transcriber improves the text by adding personal pronouns and omitted phrases/words in the rushed speech. Also, apart from what is considered in the edited transcript, the intelligent transcript does not include filler words. The jargon words are written in
their standard version and grammar. A complete understanding of the content of the audio recording is required to maintain the meaning of the phrases.
This type of transcription is useful for academic transcriptions where high accuracy and speed of reading and comprehension of
texts are essential.