Nuances of interview transcription for scientific research

Nuances of Interview Transcription for Scientific Research Interview transcription for research can be quite challenging, which is why the transcriber needs to have a deep understanding of client requirements.

Interview transcription is one of the most sought after services in the transcription industry due to the extensive application of interviews, discussions and meetings in various legal, business, medical and governmental organizations. Clients generally include attorneys, law firms, researchers, consultants, students, professors, translators, journalists, psychiatrists and even preachers. Real-time transcripts through live transcription of interviews are also in high demand.

In addition to one-to-one interviews, transcription companies are required to provide voice-to-text documentation for group discussions, interviews with multiple participants, telephone call recordings, business meetings, surveys, police interviews, depositions and other legal interviews, press briefings, group discussions, and radio and television interviews. Audio or video files for transcription are accepted in various formats.

Interview Transcription in Scientific Research

Speech and interview transcription are crucial for scientific research. Research is where real-time information and observations play a vital role. Precision and accuracy are of utmost importance since the transcripts of the oral data will be used to make logical deductions.

However, when it comes to transcribing interviews there is one major hurdle for clients and transcribers to overcome – discrepancy between speech and the written form. There is no discounting the fact that there can be differences between spoken words and how they are interpreted (written). When transcribing speech, such differences matter since the transcribed file has to be the actual representation of the speech. This is particularly true with transcription of one-on-one or group interviews or any other kind of speech or oral communication for research purposes.

What to Include and What to Leave Out

Scientific research demands precise transcription. However, the transcriber would ultimately have to decide which small bits of information are irrelevant to the context or the client’s objective and can therefore be left out, and which information is relevant and needs to be included. This choice has to be made since inevitably some amount of data slip will have to be accounted for. Once the context for the research is set, the experienced transcriber can prioritize data during the transcription process.

The naturalized transcription process involves transcription of what’s spoken by incorporating as many details as can be captured including incomplete words, sighs, whispers, stuttering, murmurings, etc. This is done through transcription signs that represent specific sounds. These signs help capture irrelevant sounds and parts of speech too.

Denaturalized transcription deals with creating a transcription of the perceptions and meanings generated by the speech or conversation. It attempts to represent the meaning behind what was spoken. Involuntary sounds would therefore not be transcribed.

The Right Approach Based on Client Requirement

The transcriber would have to make the decision to select one of these approaches for research transcription, and the decision could only be made after consultation with the research team. The approach would vary based on the kind of research, the reason for the transcription to be brought into it and the importance of the particular speech or communication that is being transcribed.

If the research is such that even mannerisms, slang or grammatical errors in the person’s speech are important for it, the transcriber would apply the naturalized transcription technique. Sensitivity of the interview participants is also important when it comes to deciding what to transcribe.

Transcription Is Integral to Research To ensure greater accuracy in interview transcription and also that research needs are effectively met, transcription must not be considered as a mere data management element of the research process, but as something that must be fine tuned for the particular research. Transcription must be considered an active element of research process and there should also be proper coordination between the research and the transcription teams. Any shortcomings could result in creating ambiguities in the data collected, limiting the usefulness of the research.

The research team must inform the transcribers about its documentation requirements, and also ensure that a quality recording of the conversation or speech to be transcribed is provided. The transcription team must be aware of the general as well as specific objectives of the research. These steps can lead to proper transcription of interviews or speeches as well as efficiency in research.