Transcription Styles

If you are considering using a transcription services company, it can sometimes be a little confusing when it comes to working out what type of transcript you want and what all the different types of transcription mean. To make things a little easier, we have compiled a quick check list of services, what they are generally used for and what they mean.

Edited Transcription

An edited transcript has the best readability of all transcription styles. This is because all fillers – “erm”, “um”, “kind of”, “sort of” etc. is completely omitted from an edited transcript. Repetition and false starts are also amended for optimum readability.
What makes an edited transcript different from an intelligent verbatim transcript is that sentence structure can also be cleaned up to ensure that it is grammatically correct. This means that the dialogue reads much the same as a television or film script would, meaning that the speakers become much more precise and articulate to read.
This style of transcription is great for blogs, articles and novels as it is very easy to read and understand when compared with other forms of transcription.

Intelligent Verbatim (our standard transcription service)

Intelligent verbatim means that dialogue is transcribed word for word but does not include:
Fillers that do not add meaning – “um”, “erm”,”you know’, “kind of” etc. These are omitted from the transcript.
False starts and repetititons – “I said, so I said, I said” Would be written as “So I said”.
The advantage of an intelligent verbatim transcript is that because fillers are excluded from the transcript, it is much easier to read, but the tone and meaning of the dialogue remains. We find that intelligent verbatim transcription suits most of our clients needs and is our most cost effective style of transcription.

Verbatim Transcription

Verbatim Transcription includes everything in the dialogue including “erms”, “um’s”, “you know” and “kind of”.
Verbatim transcription is often used for research, legal and academic sectors. The problem with verbatim transcription is that it can often be hard to understand because of the amount of fillers and the fact that sentences can be long and not grammatically correct (as it is an exact reflection of the way people speak in real life).

Discourse Analysis

Discourse Analysis transcription takes verbatim transcription to the next level by including not only every thing that was said, but also speed, tone and meaning of the words uttered. This form of transcription is often used for research and one of the hardest forms of transcription to master.
If you are interested in any of our transcription services, why not get in touch? We are available 7 days a week and are always happy to help!