What is a transcription?
Transcription (writing) refers to the transcription of a text from one language system into another. At the same time, transcription is also understood to be the transcription of spoken words as a preliminary stage to translation.
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FAQ: More questions about transcription
Transcription refers to the transfer of a text from one language to another. In the context of translations, transcription also means the transcription of spoken words.
Phonetic script (also: phonetic transcription) is the visual representation of speech sounds. The best-known writing system is the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), which uses a phonetic character for each sound. Many of the symbols come from the Greek and Latin alphabets or were created especially for the IPA. Phonetic writing can be especially helpful when learning new languages and using a lexicon.
A transcription is always used when you need the content of an audio file or video recording for later analysis. For this purpose, the spoken word is written down in a text. In an academic context, for example in Bachelor’s theses or other final papers, only statements from transcripts may be quoted, not from recordings. So-called transcription rules are used, which determine how and in what sequence the word is to be transcribed. First, an appropriate transcription system must be selected (see: transcription of interviews – procedure and rules). It is important that the transcript has a uniform structure. This includes a header, time stamps and the marking of all speakers.
Sufficient time should be allowed for transcribing. A rule of thumb is that the transcription of an interview takes about 5 to 10 times as long as the audio file. For a one-hour recording, this means about 5-10 hours of transcription time including proofreading. The exact effort also depends on the type and quality of the audio material. In order to keep the time expenditure low, the purchase of transcription software can be considered.