Reduct Trancription Guidelines
Grammatical rules
→Grammatical correctness is conveyed by word order or other grammatical signals. It is something that should be consistent throughout transcripts.
Common errors
→There are some common mistakes that beginner transcriptionists make which end up changing the entire meaning of the transcripts. These include confusing similar-sounding words, punctuation, informal words, etc. Here are some tips to avoid these errors.
False sentence starts
→It's possible for a speaker to start with a question, finish it suddenly, and then begin again with a statement. This kind of unusual break is called a false sentence start. Here are some examples to help you learn how to transcribe content with a false sentence start.
Background audio and sounds
→Background audio or noise are unwanted audio that can be heard on a tape player or a radio broadcast which can be unnecessary sometimes. These examples will help you when to avoid these audio and when to include them.
Filler words and phrases
→Relatively unimportant word, phrase, or sound used to indicate a speech interruption or hesitation is considered filler words.Here are some tips to deal with filler words and phrases while transcribing.
Dashes/Hyphen
→The use of a dash is pretty common in the type of transcription that we do. There are a lot of instances where a speaker may change the topic mid-sentence, or may be interrupted by another speaker, and the dash is used in all these cases.
Long pauses
→At the start of the audio file, if there’s a pause or if the speaker speaks after more than 5 seconds, press enter and start transcribing so that you get the correct time stamps.
Commas
→Commas are used to indicate a short pause. But a short pause in the audio while you are transcribing DOES NOT warrant a comma all the time. Use commas after transition words.
Proper nouns
→Always research the proper capitalization e.g. iPhone, UCLA, SaaS, and write them in the transcript in the same format.
Inaudible material and crosstalk
→In cases of confusion with the word or if you cannot detect some phrases, transcribing can be hard. Here’s how you can deal with undetectable words and speakers talking over each other.
Numbers
→Numeric transcription has a certain format that creates consistency within all transcription files. The rules for transcribing numbers are mentioned below.
Inverted commas
→Inverted commas or quotations are also referred to as ‘quote marks’, ‘quotes’, ‘double inverted commas’, or ‘speech marks'. For beginner transcriptionists, using quotes can be confusing. Here are some helpful tips to correctly use quotes and single-inverted commas.
Stutters and repetitions
→When there are disruptions or breaks in a flow of speech, it can be hard to know where to start. Here’s how to deal with transcription that has stutters and repetitions.