Question About Transcription Practices Auteur du fil: perevodchitsa33
|
|---|
Hi,
I am new to the translation field and was wondering how to best go about transcribing from audio. Should you write the content exactly how it was spoken, grammatical errors and such included, or should you make necessary adjustments to the content so that it reads a little more clearly? I know with straight translation one shouldn't attempt to "fix" the original content, but I'm not sure if the same approach should be used for transcription (such as writing out interviews).
| | | | | Write exactly as spoken | May 1, 2013 |
Transcription is the transferring of the spoken word to paper. A transcript should be as faithful to the audio as possible. Your client should indicate you if it has to be "verbatim" (writing all Uhh, Umms, uh-huhs, etc) or if you should skip that.
You should be very detailed on your punctuation.
Hope this helps
Ileana
| | | |
Thank you, Ileana! Your answer is very helpful.
-Mollie
| | | | Phil Hand 
Chine
Local time: 23:27
chinois vers anglais
| Depends on the purpose | May 2, 2013 |
It really depends on the purpose of the job. There are various levels of transcription (you can look them up - try googling "intelligent verbatim"), and if your client specialises in this kind of work, they will tell you the term of art. But if they don't, you'll have to guess for yourself. A police/legal interview should probably be transcribed verbatim, as close to word-for-word as possible. But if it's a media interview, that level of transcription would be inappropriate. If you or someone el... See more It really depends on the purpose of the job. There are various levels of transcription (you can look them up - try googling "intelligent verbatim"), and if your client specialises in this kind of work, they will tell you the term of art. But if they don't, you'll have to guess for yourself. A police/legal interview should probably be transcribed verbatim, as close to word-for-word as possible. But if it's a media interview, that level of transcription would be inappropriate. If you or someone else is going to translate the text, then verbatim can be highly unhelpful, as verbatim speech is often very difficult to understand.
Your comment about "fixing" the content is rather too absolute as well: again, it depends on context. There is nothing to be gained by perpetuating a typo - unless the work calls for it (e.g. legal translation).
If in doubt, ask the client! They'd prefer you to do what's best for them than rather than stick to some imagined and unrealistic professional code. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
| Depends on the Purpose | May 2, 2013 |
That seems reasonable to me!! Thank you for your help, Phil.
| | | | Petr Jan Vins
Tchèque (République)
Local time: 16:27
anglais vers tchèque
+ ...
| Purpose, purpose, purpose | May 2, 2013 |
I fully agree with Phil. It really depends on the purpose. I've been working on a "Spoken Language Corpus" project recently and there we would transcribe everything exactly as said, including all errors etc. On the other hand when transcribing for example an interview with someone (which I do regulary in one Oral History research project), you can go as far as correcting grammar or substituting too colloquial words.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Question About Transcription Practices | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
Translation news
