OCCUPY VOICES TRANSCRIPTION GUIDELINES

BASIC DOCUMENT FORMATTING

Size 11 Single spaced Times New Roman (Win OS) / Times Roman (Mac OS) Saved as .RTF (rich-text format)

Title Transcript documents with this heading format top center:

Transcript [Batch code] (bold 18 pt. font)

Example: Transcribed by (12 pt. font) [Transcriber name] [Date: MM/DD/YYYY]

Transcript AAA-001
Transcribed by Mike 11/30/2011 For transcriber name use the member name you registered on the OccupyVoices website Format file names in this style: [Batch code]_xscript_[Transcriber name]_[revision # (if applicable)].[format] Example AAA-001_xscript_Mike_r1.rtf

SUGGESTED TRANSCRIPTION APPROACH

Transcripts should be approached in a two step process. 1) Raw transcription and 2) editing

Raw Transcription

Please refer to the guide on suggested software and setup for transcription entitled Transcription_software_guide

The Transcript in the first phase should reflect the as much of what is spoken as accurately as possible. Try to capture everything and keep in mind that editing or formatting will take place later. Just give yourself the raw text. After you have done this it is best to watch the interview again and read the transcript to make sure you havent missed anything. Be aware that your mind may fill in written gaps with what its hearing. After this is done every transcript must go through an editing phase

Editing Phase

In this phase the transcription is cleaned up of grammar, spelling, and formatting mistakes, given better flow, and consistency in respect to the body of transcripts to be produced. Generally one wants to follow the standards set by the Chicago Manual of Style. Transcriptions will be reviewed by a peer volunteer but mostly for integrity and glaring format oversights. So what is asked is to edit and style to the best of your ability but dont make it too much of a rigorous task for yourself. If you dont have access to this as reference unfortunately the online manual is subscription based. The free alternative that can be offered is the style manual offered by the American Anthropological Association which is based heavily on the Chicago Manual of Style. It can be found here: http://www.aaanet.org/publications/style_guide.pdf

STYLE AND EDITING STANDARDS

A transcript most times will highlight idiosyncrasies in our speech that the speaker or listener if experienced aurally wont notice. We want to avoid having the transcript as a source of embarrassment. The transcript should be cleaned up grammatically so it flows. Language should not be censored. A transcript that is broken up into paragraphs and lines is easier to read than a block of text. Try to break up the transcript with breaks that reflect changes of thought. Look for indicators of shifts in time or space. In the spring I left home when Paragraphs are not indented and are indicated by a double-space. Do not include any speech from the interviewer or any remarks by the interviewee that are outside the concerns of the interview such as technical questions. Am I close enough to the microphone? Here let me grab that. If the interviewer has a false start on a sentence or reorganizes their thoughts delete the false starts and provide the clear and intended sentence.

There is that many people in the workforcenot in the workforcelooking for work. Changed to: There are that many people not in the workforce looking for work... Use ellipsis for trailings or pauses. Use dashes for cutoffs or asides/interjections. Habitual or crutch words / phrases People regularly employ phrases or words to fill in speech while they consider what to say. Sometimes though unwittingly this can become repetitive. If you notice repetitive use of certain words or phrases eliminate some of them to establish a natural flow. Not all of them have to be eliminated completely for you do want to preserve some of their natural speech patterns. like, um, and, I think, I guess. Important non-verbal communication Elements such as laughing, crying or any significant non-verbal action should be included in the transcription. These elements will be indicated with brackets [Cries], [Laughs], [Points at Tattoo] Numbers should be spelled out even if followed by hundred or million If it is a decimal or amounts to one hundred or above use the numeral figure. Three years ago Ninety-nine percent 7.7 trillion dollar bailout 200 billion dollars Getting stuck on a word There are going to be moments where a transcriber will have a difficult time figuring out what is being said. This can be frustrating but completeness is important. A couple strategies that help when you are stuck on a word. -Replay the complete sentence when trying to figure out the word so you have contextual meaning to guide you. If you replay the same brief sample over and over much like saying any word over and over the sound become more alien and unintelligible. -Say it out loud. When you go through the part you are stuck at repeat the sentence out loud yourself and verbalize the sound you are uncertain of. What does it sound like? -Ask someone else. A fresh ear and mind on the recording might be able to pick out the word. -Google it. Type in the sentence in Google including your best transcription of the word you cant figure it out. What the interviewer has said might not be the most novel sentence in the world. Someone may have expressed this same sentence online and the Google suggested search might supply a useful correction. Finally always review your transcription with the interview when finished. It is sometimes best to take a twenty minute break away from it before doing so to give it a fresh look.

This guide is open to revision and suggestions by other transcription volunteers. Please post suggestions in the Transcription section of the members forum.