Choosing the Correct Transcription Services
Believe it or not, transcription comes in a wide variety of styles and getting the perfect transcript depends very much on what you are using your transcript for and what industry you are in. For example a legal proceeding or PACE interview transcript is likely to require a different style than a transcript produced for a promotional video or ad campaign.
To help you decide what transcription style is best for you, we’ve decided to go through some of our most popular transcription styles.
Paraphrased Transcription or Edited Transcription
A paraphrased transcript (sometimes called an edited transcript) uses a transcription style in which the meaning of the original dialogue is maintained, whilst the grammar, punctuation and syntax is corrected for ease of reading.
Paraphrased transcripts are often used by clients as a reference point or reminder of important discussions in a meeting as they are easier to read than verbatim transcription (and often a lot shorter). The beauty of paraphrased transcription is that it is highly versatile and can be used as is or edited further in order to produce articles, blogs or marketing material.
Intelligent Verbatim or Smart Verbatim Transcription
An intelligent verbatim transcript (sometimes referred to as smart verbatim) is a transcription style, which is very similar to verbatim transcription. However, an intelligent verbatim transcript will omit all conversational fillers, repetition and false starts. This makes the transcript easier to read, but does not correct errors in grammar, punctuation or syntax. This form of transcription is often used in general transcription and transcription for students’ study notes.
Verbatim Transcription and Strict Verbatim Transcription
Verbatim transcription (or strict verbatim transcription) is a transcription style that includes every utterance (including false starts, repetition and conversational fillers). This style of transcript is often required for clients in the legal and medical profession.
Discourse Analysis Transcription
Discourse analysis is typed in a verbatim (or strict verbatim) style but will also include additional information to increase the meaning of the dialogue. This includes details such as tone of voice, pitch of voice, length of pauses, laughter, crying, shouting etc. Discourse analysis will often be used for studying linguistics and is useful in psychoanalytical interviews, as it can help clinicians gain a more detailed picture of a patients state of mind and can help in monitoring progress and treatment.
Visual Analysis Transcription (Video Only)
As the title indicates visual analysis transcription uses visual cues as well as dialogue. Obviously this requires that the client sends us a video or visual stimulus for us to transcribe. Visual analysis transcription includes not only the dialogue within the video but also any changes in scenery, movement etc. This style of transcript can be tailored to clients’ specific needs depending on what they are using the transcript for.
Time Coded Transcription and Video Transcription
Time coded transcription (also known as time stamped transcription) is a transcript style that includes time stamps at specified intervals or points during the transcript. This form of transcription is often used in video transcripts and makes dialogue easy to find and reference. Subtitling and captioning are a form of very accurate time coded transcription.
If you would like more information about the different styles of transcription that we offer or would like a quote for any of our transcription services, why not get in touch? We have a team of experienced and helpful online secretaries and transcriptionists who are always happy to help!
