So, what exactly is transcription? Transcription is the process that allows you to turn a speech into meaningful text. However, the definition alone doesn’t describe the value of transcription for a business. According to experts, there is more to it than just turning a speech into readable text. As a matter of fact, the process can put together a literal version of specific events while paying attention to detail. Alternatively, it can only involve the most important aspects of what is said. Let’s know more about it.
Non-Verbal Utterances
At times, it’s not enough to put down just the words. Non-verbal utterances, such as hesitations, throat clearing and pauses may change the meanings of what was said. if these things are left, true meanings of the speaker may not be conveyed.
If you want to convey exactly what the speaker wanted to say, you have to include the non-verbal elements as well. A literal translation won’t serve the purpose. Therefore, the work should be done carefully in order to avoid mistakes and deliver the right meaning.
Cleaning the text
Often, a short version of a speech is needed. Things like “ehms”, pauses and “ahs” will only add distraction to the transcript. As a result, readers will lose interest, which you don’t want at any cost. After all, you don’t want to lose your readers as it will be counterproductive.
So, how can you get the speech cleaned up? You need to hire someone to get the speech simplified. It all depends on the requirement. Some interviewers don’t want to eliminate filler words, while some don’t want to have any of them in the final document. For formal occasions, only the most important message is retained. Therefore, some interviewers rephrase some words to make them sound better.
When you are listening to a person, you won’t notice their stumbles and pauses; however, these elements will become evident when written down. As a result, these things consume a lot of space on a page. In addition, they make it harder for the readers to read. Therefore, some people remove the extra detail.
Translation
At times, transcription involves language translation, not just turning an interview into text. For instance, if you want to find out what a Spanish speaker is saying, all you need to do is turn it into the written form.
In this case, you need to remove the filler and pauses since you can’t maintain the pinpoint accuracy. Still it’s possible to show a few of non-verbal elements but not all of them can be retained.
So, the next question that may be on your mind is, “who should you hire for transcription services?” Ideally, you should look for a native speaker of that language. This is important as far as accuracy is concerned.
Ideally, you may want to hire a transcription service that can cover all your requirements. The transcriber should be able to retain the detail or provide a cleaned version of the interview. It all depends upon the needs and requirements.