Reduct Transcription Guidelines - Filler Words and Phrases
- Filler Words and Phrases
Like / You Know
Filler words or phrases like “you know” and “like” can be skipped if necessary. This is not a hard rule though, as sometimes, removing these filler words might make a sentence feel weird. Use your judgment about when to keep and remove such phrases and try to optimize for maximum readability.
When to include (when ‘you know’ and ‘like’ are used as verbs):
He is like me in many ways.
I like the fact that it’s quite windy outside today.
Do you know why I chose this particular spot over the other, more flamboyant one?
When to omit (when ‘you know’ and ‘like’ are used as filler words and don’t add much value to the sentences):
Incorrect
But I’m like wondering whether like that is the best approach to this problem.
Correct
But I’m wondering whether that is the best approach to this problem.
Incorrect
This is you know the way that things are done around these parts now.
Correct
This is the way that things are done around these parts now.
Umm / Ugh
Remove filler statements such as “ugh”, “um”, “ah”’, “mm”, unless they provide value to the transcript.
Incorrect
Um,that sounds like a great plan
Correct
That sounds like a great plan.
Incorrect
Maybe this will be, um, a good day for the whole team.
Correct
Maybe this will be a good day for the whole team.
Words like ‘oh’ should however be written. The ‘oh’ below adds a sense of excitement making the transcript richer and conveys the speaker's excitement.
Example:
Oh, that’s a great plan.
However, you should not skip the use of these kinds of words when they are used to indicate positive or negative responses.
Use the following for minimal positive responses:
[Speaker 1]: Are you going out tonight?
[Speaker 2]: Uh-huh
OR
[Speaker 1]: Are you going out tonight?
[Speaker 2]: Mm-hmm.
Use the following for minimal negative responses:
[Speaker 1]: Are you from Sacramento?
[Speaker 2]: Nuh-uh.
