Lawyers, researchers, writers, and almost all professionals know they must conduct interviews to know someone’s full story. But a raw interview is hardly of any use. Scanning through it requires a lot of time and dedication. One cannot move quickly through the sections to evaluate the links between them or extract the most significant elements. To make the most out of an interview, please transcribe it.
Transcribing interviews is a challenging and time-consuming endeavour especially if a person is not used to listening to recordings and typing whatever said within a stipulated period. Better to rely on someone qualified, right? Still go through the below-mentioned tips to implement the procedure without any assistance.
- Block Out the Time
The professionals working for a reputed interview transcription company said the total time taken to convert an audio into text depends on a series of factors. If everything goes well, an average person can complete transcribing an hour long recording in about four hours.
If the recording is muffled or have excessive background noise, it would obviously take much longer. Is it hard to comprehend a speaker? Is the accent unfamiliar? Are there jargons? All this determines the time too
- Select Transcription Style
There are two definite styles of available interview transcription:
- Verbatim Transcription– Verbatim transcription means copying the recording exactly. Every interjection, filler, stutter, etc. is transcribed. Include the laughs in the brackets. Verbatim transcription is quite touch since it requires powerful focus and cent per cent attention to details.
- Non Verbatim Transcription– Also called intelligent or smooth transcription, non-verbatim transcription aims at removing the vocal tics, fillers, and the like. One can incorporate emotional expressions only if they find them relevant to the context.
Whichever style a transcriptionist choose, he/she must make sure to apply it in a consistent manner throughout the document.
- Cue Audio File
No matter if one uses a digitised recorder or a traditional tape, they have to start, stop, and rewind frequently. Select a particular playback method that offers user-friendly controls, and then cue the entire audio to the start of the Q/A session.
- Transcribe
Play the audio and listen while typing. One must be prepared to pause the file several times otherwise they would not be able to catch up. They have to rewind and listen again certain areas. This enables them to create a precise transcription of what has been said. Pay attention to the editing guidelines under all circumstances.
Assign a label for every speaker so that the transcript shows who is speaking at what time clearly. It is best to note down the full name of every speaker the first time, and then use the initials. In case any word is unintelligible, keep it within brackets. One must place brackets for words that they are not sure of.
According to the experts working for a top interview transcription company, when the final draft is finished, including the edits, please play the entire recording right from the start. Read carefully and look out for mistakes. If one finds something that must be corrected, they must pause the file, and do the needful right away.