What we are referring to in this section is the types of formats you will be using.
We will break this down into two general formats:
1. Formatting Standards – is information specific to transcription assignments and the styles we spoke of earlier (Exact Verbatim, Near Verbatim and Content Only), such as standards for speaker identification, formatting documents, time coding, and so on. (e.g. for example, when doing an interview: how the transcription will be formatted to identify speakers, time of recording, etc. or, if you are transcribing a document, how to format into proper text using the usage standards.)
2. Usage Standards – are some commonly used standards that appear in The AP Stylebook, and Chicago Manual of Style as well as exceptions and additional items that apply to transcriptions. These are the way we use punctuation and grammar as a standard. Transcribers use a special style when typing their text that meets these standards. We are going to give you the style guide to follow when typing your transcripts.
This will make more sense as we will explain and show you examples through this section.
Note: We will be using an interview that was recorded by cassette tape for our example. Transcribing an interview from cassette tape will be the hardest assignment you will get. So if you can understand this example we will be showing you in training, the rest will be easy.
Formatting a Transcript
If using Microsoft Word, turn off all of Word’s “Auto Format As You Type” features. To do so, in Word, go to the Tools Menu, then Auto Correct, then the “Auto Format As You Type” tab. Uncheck all auto-formatting options.
Always double space between speakers or new paragraphs. Do not use your word processing software’s double-space or space-before-paragraph feature to do this; use hard returns instead. This is important for the document to format properly when prepared for the client. Long passages should be broken into new paragraphs to enhance readability. When starting a new paragraph, indent the first line using a single tab.
Beginning/Ending a Transcript
Title Page
You will need to start every transcription with a separate title page. On this page:
The first line of the document should contain the transcript filename (e.g., “TRANSCRIPT CASE – AND ELLENE VAN WYK”) if the audio pertained to a transcription law case involving Ellene Van Wyk. If the assignment requires a case number you can add that as well. It is not necessary to include your name. Always make the first title line two font sizes bigger then the following lines. Also it should be center page.
The second line of the title page is where you will want to name the interviewees. If this is a one-on-one interview, the name usually will be known so you may identify it. If you are transcribing a Focus group, you can put “Focus group participants” or whatever is designated by the interviewer to identify the group.
The third line of the title page will be the name of the interviewer.
The forth line of title page is where you will want to place the date of the interview (if applicable). This will be the date of the actual interview which should be labeled on the tape or digital recording you are transcribing.
The fifth line of the title page is the location where the interview took place (if applicable).
The final line of title page will give the audio recording details – include the type of audio and the length of recording (e.g., 2 cassettes; approximately 120 minutes – OR – Digital MP4 recording; 121 minutes). Display in minutes; don’t use the hours or seconds, and round off the nearest minute.
Lines two through six should be two fonts smaller than the first title line, and to left of page.
HERE IS WHAT THE TITLE PAGE SHOULD LOOK LIKE:
TITLE PAGE:
Start of transcription
You will start the transcription on the second page, the first being the title page.
Set margins: Top – 1.0″; Bottom – 1.0″; Right – 1.0″; Left – 1.5″. These specifications will provide even margins and allow the transcript to be bound.
Begin all transcriptions with the notation [Beginning of recorded material] or, if appropriate, [Abrupt beginning of recorded material].
Occasionally, you might receive an assignment specifying sections of recorded material to transcribe. In these instances, begin the transcription with
[Recorded material beginning at minute hh:mm:ss] and end the transcription with[End of recorded material at minute hh:mm:ss] substituting the correct times for hh:mm:ss.
Transcription pages
Page numbers should be located in the upper right hand corner starting on the second actual page of the interview, after title page and first page. (No number should be printed on the first page of the interview.)
Indent each time a new speaker enters in. Use the whole name the first time the speaker appears; then use initials each time thereafter.
If a cassette tape is being used, indicate the beginning of a new side of the tape or a new reel by starting a new page and typing “START OF TAPE 1, SIDE B” (or whatever is appropriate).
Indicate the end of the side of a tape by typing “END OF TAPE 1, SIDE B” (or whatever is appropriate).
Indicate when the interview is finished with “END OF INTERVIEW.” When digital MP3 audio files are used you do not need to label anything on the page.
End of Transcription
At the end of the transcribed document, type [End of recorded material] or, if appropriate, [Abrupt end of recorded material].
Research/Focus Group Transcripts – When transcribing a research/focus group use the following guidelines. Most focus groups will have an introduction at the beginning where the facilitator explains how the group will interact and the purpose of the meeting, along with some additional comments. There is no need to transcribe this material unless you have been instructed to do so.
Instead, begin transcribing when the first participant identifies him or herself or when the conversation is obviously beginning on the topic. Identify the focus group leader as “Facilitator:” and use only “Male Voice:” and “Female Voice:” to identify participants. Trying to identify each speaker by name over the course of a long focus group gets too confusing. Consistent usage of “Male Voice:” and “Female Voice:” is best, unless the assignment specifically mentions that you should name the participants. Do not add numbers to the identification.
Speaker Identification – Separate the speaker identification from transcription text with a colon (:) followed by a tab. Do not use spaces. Your final document will be formatted using a standard template that relies on use of the colon and tab to produce the final product for the customer. Use only the following speaker identification formats, unless otherwise instructed in a work order:
Male Voice:
(Use initial caps on both words)If the transcript is titled “John Smith,” and there is only an interviewer and a respondent, the respondent is obviously “John Smith.” Use your best judgment, but go ahead and name the respondent as “John Smith” if it seems appropriate.
“Respondent” is always better than “Male Voice.”
Don’t use the following identifications: Speaker, Another Female Voice, Second Male Voice, Presenter, Moderator, Person, Child, Voice, or any other convention not listed above.
Don’t number speakers, such as Male Voice 1, Female Voice 2, and so on. This might be useful as you start the transcript if you think you’ll be able to identify the speaker later and then search and replace to update the identification through out the document. However, if this does not happen, remove the numbering before submitting your final transcript.
Every company may use their own format on how to identifying speakers.
Verbatim Transcripts – When an assignment specifies a verbatim transcript, try to
capture every word spoken on the recording, including stutters, false starts, and
exclamations. For consistency, use only the following for exclamations:
“Uh”
“Um”
“Uh-huh”
“Mm-hmm”
Do not use
ah, oh, er, and so forth. Pick from the list above and use what seems closest to what is being uttered. The transcriber is expected to proofread each page of manuscript for mistakes in spelling and/or typing. – Refer to the “Usage Style Guide” for more details which we will list in the next section of training as well a the ability to download for reference.
Time Coding – When time coding a transcript is called for, use the following format:
00:00:00
Always use three sets of numbers for hours, minutes, and seconds. Add a leading “00:” if necessary.
If transcribing a video, unless otherwise specified, use the time code displayed in the video itself, not the time shown as elapsed in your player. For example, the time code in the video might start at 04:00:00 rather than 00:00:00.
When time coding an interview, only the respondent’s answers need to be coded. For long answers, place a new time code every 30 seconds. However, time codes should only be inserted at the beginning of a sentence, so this is not a precise measurement. Place a new time code at 30-second intervals, or as close as you can get without breaking up a sentence.
HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF A TRANSCRIPTION:
FIRST PAGE:
LAST PAGE:
TRANSCRIBED DOCUMENT WITH TIME CODING:
TIME CODED TRANSCRIPTION:
Video Recording Transcripts – In a video or talking-head interview, occasionally there is discussion of camera angles, noises in the room, interviewee coaching, or other technical adjustments that must be made.
Rather than transcribing such off topic conversation, simply identify it as [Director’s comments] in the transcript. Silent footage of scenery, landscapes, crowds, etc. should be marked as [B-roll]. Please ask if you have any questions about what material should or should not be transcribed.
Transcribe obvious questions and answers only. Often these kinds of transcripts will be shown on the assignment as “Summarize ???s, Verbatim answers.” In this case, summarize the interviewer’s questions, but be certain to capture the respondent’s reply word-for-word.
Other Types of Transcription – In our demonstration we used the transcription of an interview, which is one of the most common types of transcription assignments you will see.
You may also see many transcription assignments such as research studies, thesis etc. Here you will need to listen to the audio and transcribe into proper textual forms.
You would not be identifying the speakers as you do in an interview. The only time you would identify anyone is in the title page. Instead if “INTERVIEWER” you would name the person presenting the research audio as “RESEARCHER:”
– When time coding a transcript is called for, use the following format:
NOTE: This section (Transcribing Style Guide) is for reference only and you are not expected to memorize this. Take a brief look below to see the style used to transcribe documents into a certain format.
For general reference, the guide to transcription style you use will be one of two popular styles for usage.
The Associated Press Stylebook
The Chicago Manual of Style.
These are the ways you will transcribe the audio you will receive, whether you are transcribing a focus group, interview, research, thesis, etc. This is your reference guide of usage, and is the most important part of this program. You will know exactly how to transcribe anything that comes your way and how to use common words, phrases, symbols, etc., by using these usage guides.
The most commonly used style is the Chicago Chicago Manual of Style. Below is a complete style guide, adapted from the Baylor University Institute for oral history.
We would not expect anyone to memorize this right away; however, the more you use it you will begin to memorize it. It will make your assignments go much quicker if you seldom have to refer to this guide.
Introduction
A transcript should reflect as closely as possible the actual words, speech patterns, and thought patterns of the interviewee. The narrator’s word choice, including his/her grammar, and speech patterns should be accurately represented. This is not an exercise in literary composition; the transcriber should avoid value judgments about the grammar or vocabulary of an interviewee. To retain validity in transcripts, most of the editing should be done by the interviewee.
A transcript is at best an imperfect representation of an oral interview. The transcriber’s most important task is to render as close a replica to the actual event as possible. Accuracy, not speed, is the transcriber’s goal.
Although the final product may not closely resemble the tape, because of many changes, the transcriber serves as first editor by putting words on paper. A good transcript is very valuable.
The transcriber will use a style guide to assist in transposing the spoken word into written language. This style guide is adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th edition. Transcribers and editors needing information on matters pertaining to spelling, punctuation, and usage not covered in the style guide, should refer to the Chicago Manual of Style.
Scroll through the Style Guide below for specific information.
ABBREVIATIONS
In general, avoid abbreviation in transcripts. One general rule requires that a civil or military title appearing before a surname only should be spelled out, but it should be abbreviated before a given name and/or initial(s) plus surname. (See example e below.).
Do not abbreviate:
a) Okay
b) et cetera
c) Names of countries, territories, provinces, states, or counties
d) Doctor when used without an accompanying name
e) Senator, Judge, Bishop, General, Professor, Brother, or any other political, academic, civic, judicial, religious, or military title when it is used alone or when it precedes a surname alone, i.e., Judge McCall
f) The Reverend, or the Honorable, when the is part of the title preceding the name
g) Books of the Bible
h) Names of the months and days
i) Terms of dimension, measurement, weight, degree, depth, et cetera (i.e., inch, foot, mile)
j) Part of a book: “Chapter 3,” “Section A,” “Table 7”
k) Word elements of addresses used in text: Avenue, Building, North, South, except NW, NE, SE, and SW
l) Portions of company names: Brother, Brothers, Company, Corporation, Incorporated, Limited, or Railroad, unless actual company name uses the abbreviation
m)Senior or Junior when following partial names: Mr. Miller, Junior or Mr. Toland, Senior. (See b in next section.)
Abbreviate:
a) When preceding the given name and/or initial(s) plus surname:
Bro., M., Ms., Sr., Dr., Messrs., Mmes., Rev., Sra., Fr., Mlle., Mr., Rt., Rev., Srta., Hon., MM., Mrs., Rt., Rev., Msgr., Very Rev.,
b) Jr. or Sr. after given name and/or initial(s) plus surname: John H. Smith, Jr.
c) NE, NW, SE, SW in addresses given in text
d) Points of the compass: N, E, S, W, NE, SE, NNW, WSW, et cetera
e) Era designations: A.D. 70, 753 B.C.
f) Time designations: A.M., M., P.M.
Initials only, initialisms, acronyms, reverse acronyms:
a) Celebrated persons are often referred to by a full set of initials that represent the full name, often without periods. JFK, LBJ, and HST
b) Agencies and various types of organizations in government, industry, and education often are referred to by acronyms or initialisms: avoid periods, as in AMA, IOOF, NATO, UN, USMC, USAF, USN, FDIC, SEC, AFL-CIO, or AF of L-CIO, and especially SMU, Texas A&M
ACTIVITY AUDIBLE ON TAPE–PARENTHESIS
Nonverbal sounds which occur on tape are noted and enclosed in parentheses. For such notations use no capital letters, unless for proper nouns or proper adjectives, and no ending punctuation. Reserve the use of parentheses for such activity notes.
Descriptive terms: (laughs) when speaker laughs, or (Jeffrey laughs) when person other than speaker laughs, or (laughter) or (both laugh) when more than one laughs. Use (both talking at once) or (speaking at same time)–NOT (interrupts). Other examples: (unintelligible), (telephone rings), (truck passing by). When these occur at the end of a sentence or a clause, position them after the punctuation. Avoid editorializing; just put (laughs), not (laughs rudely)!
ADDED MATERIAL–BRACKETS
Brackets [ ] are reserved for the use of editors for notes and words not present on the tape and added to the transcript. The interviewee is free to add or delete material at his/her discretion on the first transcript. Such material is incorporated into the final text as indicated by the interviewee and does not appear in the first draft transcript unless indicated on a word list provided by the interviewer/first editor.
CAPITALIZATION. See also NAMES
A rule of thumb: When in doubt, don’t. Proper names of institutions, organizations, persons, places, and things follow the forms of standard English practices. When in doubt, consult the dictionary. If still in doubt, don’t capitalize. Partial names of institutions, organizations, or places are usually treated in lower case.
Capitalize — See examples below
a) Names of particular persons, places, organizations, historical time periods, historical events, biblical events and concepts, movements, calendar terms referring to specific days, months, and oriental years
b) Titles of written books
c) Hyphenated compounds in titles, as in Twentieth-Century Authors
d) Generic references to members of athletic, national, political, regional, religious, and social groups–for instance: Bears, John Bulls, Democrats, Masons, Fundamentalists
e) Time designations: A.M., M., and P.M.
Don’t capitalize — See also examples below
a)Oh, except at beginning of sentence or response
b) Incomplete titles of persons
c) Names of dances other than names of dancing events, such as Society Ball
d) Pronouns referring to deities, such as God in his mercy.
Examples: Capitalize/Lower case
Board of Trustees of Mythical University, but board of trustees, the board, the trustees
The University of Texas, but the university
Department of History, but history department
“History of Texas” or History 1301, but a course in Texas history
study French and Spanish, but study history, economics, philosophy
Maricopa County, but Tempe was in this county
City of Tempe (if government), but I live in the city of Tempe
the State (if government) rests its case, but the state’s wild flower
New York Times, Times, but the newspaper
the West, in the Southwest, but to go west, to face southwest
an Easterner, Western American history, but a western university
West Coast, Gulf Coast, but the coast
Interstate 35, I.H. 35 or I-35, but the interstate, the highway
Eighth Street, but the street
Bible, but biblical work
Scripture(s), but scriptural passage
Veterans Administration, but the university administration
Veterans Administration Hospital, but oral history office
the Word of God, but the words of the song
the Fall (of Man), but the fall of 1992
the Gospel of Luke, but the gospel
the Book of Daniel, but a book of poetry
McLennan County Court, but county court
Washington Street Bridge, but the bridge
American Revolution, but the revolution of the colonies
World War I, First World War, but the war
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, but MacArthur, a general, U.S. Army
President Harry Truman, but the president of the USA, presidency
the Bronze Age, but the third of the four ages of man
the Democratic party, but the party that won in that precinct
the Democrats (party members), but democracy
Great Depression (referring to 1930s), the Depression, but a recession, fifth century, B.C.
Sherman Antitrust Act, but an act of Congress
Bro. Adam Smith, Brother Smith, Aunt Kathryn, but my brother, Bob; Kathryn, my aunt
Grandmother, Grandpa Smith, Dad, (substitute for given name), but my grandmother, Elizabeth; my mother
U.S. Senate, but senate (in reference to state)
Capitol (referring to building), but the capital of Texas (meaning the city)
DASHES
The em dash (—) is used in BUIOH memoirs without preceding or following blank spaces or punctuation to indicate:
1. A hanging phrase resulting in an incomplete sentence (do not use ellipses)
2. A parenthetic expression or statement
3. An interruption by another speaker
4. Resumption of a statement after an interruption
5. A meaningful pause on the part of the speaker
DATES. See also NUMBERS
In the heading on the first page of a transcript, use the European style (i.e., 4 July 1776). Elsewhere in the transcript, typing dates conforms to the rules for typing numbers:
Use numerals for years (1996) except when a sentence begins with a year: Nineteen sixty-two was an important year for me.
Use numerals for days when they follow the name of the month and precede the year: I was born on August 5, 1987.
Spell out the words for the day when the year is not expressed and the speaker uses the ordinal number: My birthday is August fifth. My birthday is August the fifth.
Spell out the word for the day when the day precedes the month: the fifth of August
Other examples: 1930s; the thirties; 1989 or ’90; midsixties; mid-1960s.
When spelling out 1906, use Nineteen 0-six or Nineteen aught-six.
DIRECT ADDRESS: Set off by commas: Pam, I know you will enjoy this.
DIVISION OF WORDS AND NUMBERS. See also HYPHENS
Hyphenation at the ends of lines is not a concern for the first draft transcript. Later editors should be aware of the following rules and should double-check any computer-generated hyphenation to conform to these rules. Words at the ends of lines should be divided according to syllabifications prescribed in any standard dictionary.
Don’t divide:
a) A syllable
b) A numeral, including numeric representations of money
c) A number from a measurement word or symbol
d) A one- or two-letter syllable from a word
e) The combination ble from a word without preceding it by a vowel, such as able or ible, except for assembling, assembled, and assemble
f) At the ends of three lines in succession
g) Proper names
h) Hyphenated words other than at the hyphens
i) Words of one syllable
j) The following word endings: -ceous -cious -gious -tial -cial -ciple -sial -tion -cier -geous -sible -tious
-cion -gion -sion -tite
k) A single vowel syllable from the first part of the word unless it belongs with ble
l) Words having a misleading appearance when divided
m) Initials used in place of given names from surname
n) Capital letters used as abbreviations or acronyms
o) Abbreviations for academic degrees
p) Divisional marks, i.e., a), (1), (i), from material to which they pertain
q) Dates
ELLIPSES: Do not use ellipses (. . .) in transcribing oral history tapes because they would give the appearance that material was left out.
FALSE STARTS
A false start may be anything from a syllable to a sentence. Repeated words, phrases, or syllables are at times indicative of a person’s thought patterns, overall speech patterns, personality patterns, or of a speaker’s effort to emphasize an element of communication.
Sometimes an interviewee may be deliberately ambiguous or even turgid in meaning for reasons of his own. Where to draw the line in deleting false-start material from the transcript is a difficult decision. We strive to follow a middle course leaving in enough to indicate individual speech patterns.
If repetition is for emphasis as reflected in the voice of the interviewee, the repetition is always retained. Do not try to indicate stuttering unless it is intentional.
FEEDBACK WORDS AND SOUNDS (crutch words, encouraging words, and guggles)
While there is some merit in having an absolutely verbatim tape, which includes all the feedbacks (such as Um-hm and Yeah), too many interruptions in the flow of the interviewer’s remarks make for tedious transcribing now and exhaustive reading later.
Knowing when to include feedback sounds and when to omit them calls for very careful judgment. Usually the interviewer’s noises are intended to encourage the interviewee to keep talking. Look at your transcript. If every other line or so is an interviewer’s feedback, go back and carefully evaluate the merit of each feedback.
Don’t include every feedback, especially if it interrupts the interviewee’s comments in midstream. Only if the feedback is a definite response to a point being made by the interviewee should you include it. When in doubt, ask.
Type no more than two crutch words per occurrence. Crutch words are words, syllables, or phrases of interjection designating hesitation and characteristically used instead of pauses to allow thinking time from the speaker. They also may be used to elicit supportive feedback or simple response from the listener, such as: you know, see?, or understand?
Use of Uh: The most common word used as a crutch word is uh. When uh is used by the narrator as a stalling device or a significant pause, then type uh. But sometimes a person will repeatedly enunciate words ending with the hard consonants with an added “uh,” as in and-uh, at-uh, did-uh, that-uh, in-uh. Other examples are to-uh, of-uh, they-uh. In these instances, do not type uh.
Guggles are words or syllables used to interrupt, foreshorten, or end responses, and also as sounds of encouragement. Guggles are short sounds, often staccato, uttered by the interviewer to signal his desire to communicate. They may be initial syllables of words or merely oh, uh, ah, or er. Spelling of specific guggles: Agreement or affirmation: uh-huh, um-hm; Disagreement: unh-uh
GRADES, ACADEMIC: Set letter grades in capital letters, no period following, no italics, no quotation marks. Show number grades in Arabic numerals with no quotation marks and no following period. Plural should have an apostrophe: I made all A’s by earning 100’s on all my exams.
HYPHENS. See also DIVISION OF WORDS AND NUMBERS
To determine use of hyphens, especially for compound words, first, check the unabridged dictionary, then, check Table 6.1 in Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed.
Hyphenate
1. To indicate division or separation in the following:
a) Division of words into syllables, as in syl-la-ble
b) spelling out a name or words, as in H-o-r-a-c-e. Capitalize only where appropriate.
c) Separation of numerator from denominator in a fraction expressed in words unless the numerator or the denominator is hyphenated. In that case, use / to separate numerator from denominator. Examples: one-fifth; three/thirty-seconds
2. to indicate unification or combination as follows:
a) Nouns made up of two or more nouns which imply the combination or unification of two or more linked things, functions, or characteristics, as in AFL-CIO, astronaut-scientist
b) Modifiers and adjectival compounds when used before the noun being modified, not after, including those formed with numbers: a one-of-a-kind student
3. To indicate an infrequent pronunciation or meaning of a word: re-creation, recreation; re-cover, recover; re-form, reform
4. To indicate clear meaning when possible confusion could result from adding a prefix to a word starting with a vowel, as in co-op–usually, this convention operates with doubled vowels.
Do not hyphenate
1. A noun compound of a spelled-out number and prefix, as in mideighties (but do hyphenate prefix plus numerals, as in mid-1980s).
2. Chemical terms, as in: sodium nitrate, sodium silicate, or bismuth oxychloride
3. A compound modifier that follows the noun it modifies unless hyphenated in dictionary: Example: Her argument was well balanced. She was good-natured.
4. A compound modifier that includes an adverb ending in -ly
5. A hyphenated word at the end of a line other than at the hyphen
6. A proper noun except when absolutely unavoidable
7. Contractions, such as: can’t, wouldn’t, don’t, didn’t, wasn’t, he’ll, they’re, she’d
INCOMPLETE SENTENCES: Incomplete sentences are familiar occurrences in oral history because of its conversational nature. They are best ended with an em dash (—).
ITALICS: See also QUOTATION MARKS for titles not in italics.
Italicize:
1. Ttles of whole published works, such as Plain Speaking
2. Titles of books, bulletins, periodicals, pamphlets
3. Titles of long poems
4. Titles of plays and motion pictures
5. Titles of long musical compositions: operas, operettas, musical comedies, oratorios, ballets, tone poems, concertos, sonatas, concerti grossi, symphonies, and suites, but not descriptive titles or attributed titles
6. Titles, actual titles, rather than descriptive or attributed titles, of paintings, sculptures, drawings, mobiles; for instance, da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is actually La Gioconda
7. Names of spacecraft, aircraft, and ships, except for abbreviations preceding the names, such as designations of class or manufacture, as follows: S.S. Olympic , H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth, U.S.S. Lexington, Friendship VII
8. Foreign words and phrases that are not in common currency; when in doubt, don’t italicize. Consult the dictionary; don’t italicize a quotation in a foreign language
9. A foreign word or phrase when translation follows that foreign word or phrase; enclose translation in quotation marks and precede translation by a comma
10. For emphasis (use sparingly)
11. References to words as words, phrases as phrases, or letters as letters: “Often is a word I seldom use.”
12. In indexes, the cross-reference terms, See and See also
13. Titles of legal cases, except in footnotes where only ex parte, ex rel., and in re are italicized along with other Latin words
14. Enumeration letters referring to subdivisions within a sentence or within a paragraph as well as those appearing in lists, when such letters are in lower case, such as a, b, or c
15. Newspaper names and the city names that accompany them: New York Times. Note: Do not italicize any articles preceding a newspaper name. Example: the Times.
LEGAL CASES: Italicize titles of legal cases, with v. for versus: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
NAMES: The spelling of proper names of persons or locations is one of the transcriber’s most difficult tasks. The office has many reference works that contain names and places. Ask for help. See also ABBREVIATIONS; CAPITALIZATION; ITALICS; QUOTATION MARKS
NUMBERS
In text, spell out all numbers one hundred and under, whether cardinal or ordinal, and anything above that which can be expressed in two words (even hyphenated ones) or less: Examples: sixty-nine; seventy-fifth, twenty-two hundred, but 2,367
Exceptions
1. All street address numbers, all intrabuilding numbers, all highway numbers
2. Telephone numbers
3. Fractional sums of money above one dollar: $2.984.
4. Dates: See also DATES below:
735 B.C. mid-1950s
A.D. 1066 the midfifties
1990s midfifties fashions
24 February 1997 July 1997 (no comma)
’99 1979-80
5. Time of day–use numerals when A.M. or P.M. follow or when typing a whole plus a fraction of an hour: 8:20 P.M., four o’clock. 7:30, seven in the morning
6. Number elements in names of government bodies and subdivisions of 100th and higher, all union locals and lodges, as in Thirty-sixth Infantry; 139th Tactical Wing
7. Parts of a book, such as chapter numbers, verse numbers
8. Percentages, as in 50 percent
For consistency any sentence which contains numerals pertaining to the same category should have all numerals. Example: The report stated that 7 [instead of seven] out of 265 students voted in the campus elections.
Exceptions:
a. The sentence begins with a number: Seven out of 265 students voted.
b. Numbers representing different categories: In the past ten years five new buildings of over 125 stories have been erected in the city.
Numbers as numbers: When spoken of or referred to as numbers, they may be enclosed in quotation marks or italicized; either is acceptable.
Plurals of numbers:
Spelled-out numbers form plurals like any other noun: the twenties and thirties
Numerals form plurals by adding s alone, with no apostrophe: 1920s and 1930s
Prefixes and suffixes with numbers: When connecting figures with a prefix or suffix, add the hyphen in the appropriate place if the compound word is adjectival. Connect numbers expressed in words to a prefix or suffix with a hyphen, except for -fold when forming adjectival compounds, such as twenty-odd.
PAGE NUMBERS
In final copies of memoirs, lower-case Roman numerals are used on auxiliary pages preceding the main text. Title page is considered to be page i, but is not marked.
For text, appendix, and index pages, center the page numbers (in Arabic figures) one-half inch from the top edge of the paper. Number appendix and index in sequence with the text pages and place the appendix pages between the end of the text and the index.
PARAGRAPHING: Indent for paragraphs where topics change, where subtopics are introduced, or where other dialogue is introduced. This may be very difficult to judge as you are typing and is often left up to the final editor.
PLURALS. See also NUMBERS
Compound words formed with prepositions are pluralized by forming the plurals of the first nouns in the compounds, as in fathers-in-law.
Letters of the alphabet are pluralized by adding s or ‘s: Zs or Z’s. Use the apostrophe only where confusion is possible: A’s, not As.
Foreign words are pluralized, unless Americanized, according to the customs proper to the particular languages. For example, in Hebrew, Kibbutz is pluralized by im: Kibbutzim.
Abbreviations are pluralized by adding s when in the form of acronyms, initialisms, or reverse acronyms without periods: GREs. When periods are used, add an apostrophe: B. K.’s
Proper nouns: Add s to the singular if the addition does not make an extra syllable, as in six King Georges; but add es to the singular form if the addition creates an extra syllable, as in six King Charleses. Nouns–including names of persons–that end in s take addition of es to form the plural: The three Loises are friends with the three Marys.
Everyone at the reunion were Joneses or Martins.
Note that the apostrophe is never used to denote the plural of a personal name.
POSSESSIVES
Follow the standard rules for possessives.
For proper nouns, add ‘s to most, even those ending in sibilant sounds, except Jesus’ and Moses’. Example: Charlie’s, Frances’s. For plural possessives, the apostrophe goes at the end: the Smiths’. Collective nouns are exceptions, as in children’s.
PUNCTUATION: Transcript punctuation follows The Chicago Manual of Style, 14th ed. See also DASHES; HYPHENS;
QUOTATION MARKS
1. When a direct expression is spoken by one person (I, he, she), set apart the expression with commas, use opening and closing quotation marks, and capitalize the first letter of the first word quoted. Example: She said, “I am going to graduate in May.”
2. When a direct expression is spoken by more than one person (we, they), do not use quotation marks, but do set apart the expression with commas and do capitalize the first letter of the first word quoted. Example: They said, What are you doing here?
3. When a thought is quoted, do not use quotation marks, but do set the thought apart by commas and capitalize the first letter of the first word quoted. Example: I thought, Where am I?
Enclose in quotation marks when text refers to
1. Titles of articles in periodicals
2. Book chapter titles
3. Book divisions other than chapter titles: sections, paragraphs, charts, and other labeled book parts
4. Dissertation titles
5. Essay titles
6. Newspaper headlines (in all capital letters)
7. Poems (short, not book length)
8. Radio program titles
9. Sermon titles
10. Short musical composition titles when not designated by number
11. Song titles
12. Short story titles
13. Television program titles
14. Theses (unpublished)
15. Lecture titles
16. Titles of formal courses of study
17. Debate topics
Do not enclose in quotation marks
1. Names or words used in conjunction with the words call, called, named, or words with similar meanings. Examples: Call me Adam. We named the dog Bowser.
2. The word yes or the word no other than in a sentence which includes other direct discourse.
Examples: He couldn’t say no, yet he didn’t really want to say yes. She said, “No,” when asked, “Do you care to join us?”
3. Thoughts or paraphrases, as in, I thought to myself, Who does she think she is?
Punctuation with quotation marks:
The period and the comma always stay inside the quotation marks. Example: “I’m ready for lunch,” she said, “but it’s only ten o’clock.”
The semicolon and the colon always stay outside the quotations. Example: With trepidation, she scanned “The Raven”; it was too eerie for her tastes.
The em dash, exclamation mark, and question mark are within the quotation marks when they apply only to the quotation. Examples: She began to say, “In the spring of 1920–” and then remembered it was a year later. She began by saying, “In the spring of 1920,”–I think it was really 1921–“I graduated from Baylor and began teaching school.”
REFERENCE WORKS: For stylistic purposes, consult the unabridged dictionary and The Chicago Manual of Style; if the two conflict, try to follow Chicago on all matters except hyphenation.
SPELLED-OUT WORDS: When in the course of the interview, one of the participants spells a word, capitalize appropriately and separate letters with hyphens, as in B-a-y-l-o-r. Follow the exact words of the speaker, as in, They called him Screech, spelled capital S-c-r-double e-c-h.
SPELLING PROBLEMS. See also ABBREVIATIONS; CAPITALIZATION; DIVISION; HYPHENS; NUMBERS
Always use the computer spell check function before printing and always look up a word if you are not 100 percent sure of its spelling. When the dictionary allows more than one spelling of a word, chose the first one listed.
DO: DON’T:
for a while for awhile
awhile ago a while ago
all right alright
until, till ’til
toward towards (okay if memoirist says it)
nowadays now-a-days
apiece (They cost six dollars apiece.) a piece (I ate a piece of pie and gained ten pounds!)
inasmuch as in as much as
insofar as in so far as
Channel 10 Channel Ten
a lot alot
et cetera etc.
okay O.K
Spellings for slang and certain words and expressions pronounced in regional dialect are available in dictionaries or reference works. Informal language, such as yeah and yep, may be transcribed verbatim if they occur in the dictionary. Words commonly pronounced together in spoken English–such as gonna (going to), sorta (sort of), and kinda (kind of)–are in the dictionary and may be used in the first transcript. The interviewee often edits them out.
UNINTELLIGIBLE SPOTS ON TAPE:
When speech on a tape is unintelligible, first play it aloud. Next, ask someone else to listen.
If you can make an educated guess, type the closest possible approximation of what you hear, underline the questionable portion, and add two question marks in parentheses.
Example: I went to school in Maryville (??) or Maryfield (??).
If you and those you consult cannot make a guess as to what is said, leave a blank line and two question marks in parentheses.
Example: We’d take our cotton to Mr. _________(??)’s gin in Cameron.
If a speaker lowers his/her voice, turns away from the microphone, or speaks over another person, it may be necessary to declare that portion of tape unintelligible.
If you absolutely can’t make out the words at all, insert [unintelligible] in the transcript in their place. Use [unintelligible] only, NOT [?], [unknown], [can’t hear], [inaudible], or any other convention.
Example: When he’d say that, we’d–(laughs; [unintelligible]
UNFAMILIAR TERMS:
When there is a term you are unable to identify, take your best guess and enclose it in brackets, such as, [hypogammaglobulinemic]. If you have phonetically spelled an unknown term in brackets and you subsequently come across the same term, be sure to use consistent spelling. If you learn the correct spelling of a word or name during the course of transcribing, go back and correct the previous instances of the word.
TRANSCRIBER ADDITIONAL TIPS:
Unclear Words or Phrases– Please make every effort to hear and understand what is said. Sometimes you can figure out a word by the context of what the speaker is saying. The Internet can also be useful. You can use a search engine like SearchHybrid.com and type the word you are hearing and the search engines can sometime figure out the real meaning as a keyword suggestion as”Did you mean…” which often gives you the correct term.
Or, search for something unique about the subject matter and you might find a document that contains the correct word. Company websites will often have a list of employees, which can be useful in the spelling of names.
* Please note: As will be further explained in the guidelines for editing, overuse of dashes only weakens a transcript. One must judge that it is important to the context of the interview for the reader to know that the speaker paused, was in a quandary, and therefore did not speak straightforwardly. Where the pauses are not this significant, simply end the sentence with a period or a question mark
