Verbatim Transcript for a University Student
Case Study
Transcribing Research Interview Recordings: A Case Study
At Transcribe Lingo, transcribing research interviews for university professors and students is part of our routine. However, this case study offers a few insights that may help you understand the importance of transcription, especially if you’re working with academic research interviews in the future. Here, we assisted a university student by providing a Transcript for a University student.
This university needed her recorded research interview transcribed. As she was new to transcription, she wasn’t sure which transcript format would work best for her project. After discussing the options, we recommended a verbatim transcription of the research interview, and here’s why.
Why Verbatim Transcription??
Research interviews often contain a lot of detailed information. However, not every detail is essential. Transcribing every single word, including unnecessary elements, can make the text difficult to read. For example, verbal fillers like “umms,” “errms,” and stutters do not add value to the conversation and can disrupt the flow of the transcript.
By leaving out these non-essential details, we can create a transcript that reads more like a book, with a natural flow, while still maintaining the accuracy of the interview.
Removing Unnecessary Details
The student’s recording included many verbal tics, such as coughs, false starts, and stuttering. None of these made it into the final verbatim transcript because our transcriptionist carefully edited them out.
While we kept the transcript true to the conversation, we removed:
- Coughs
- False starts
- “Errms” and “umms”
This allowed us to maintain word-for-word accuracy, while making the transcript much more readable.
The Process: From Audio to Text
Once the student approved our approach, we began transcribing the audio into a clean, readable text. This process reminded her of a previous experience, where an amateur transcriptionist had delivered a transcript filled with distracting verbal tics. The result was a document that was hard to follow and not easy to read.
Our process is different:
- No coughs or sniffles were included, as they didn’t add any value to the conversation.
- No false starts or “hmms” were kept, as they only distracted from the message.
- We only included essential details that were integral to the meaning of the conversation. For example, we preserved any pauses or hesitations that might convey agreement, disagreement, or acknowledgment.
Why Academics Prefer Transcribed Text
There’s a reason why academic professionals prefer reading a transcript over listening to a recording. Audio recordings are time-consuming to listen to and searching for specific information can be difficult. Reading a transcript is faster and more efficient, offering a smooth flow with unnecessary details removed.
The Results
The student received a clean, accurate verbatim transcript of her interview, free from irrelevant details. She found the transcript to be highly readable and scannable, making it easier to find and reference important information.
She was very pleased with the result. The transcript met her expectations, and she praised the work of our transcribers. At an affordable price, she was amazed at the quality and formatting of the final document.
She was happy with the outcome, and we were too — grateful for her kind feedback.
Need Verbatim Transcription for Your Research Interview?
If you’re also looking to transcribe research interviews, dissertations, or any other academic recordings, Transcribe Lingo is here to help. Get in touch today, and we’ll provide you with an accurate, well-formatted transcript, delivered quickly and securely.