• When people speak in non-standard dialects, how will you transcribe their words? Professionals agree that you should be faithful to the exact words of the speaker. Don’t change their grammar or vocabulary if it is different from the standard form. Each speaker’s unique way of speaking is part of their life story. However, use standard spelling. Do not try to spell a word in a way that reflects the storyteller’s accent or pronunciation. For example, if someone says in English, “I hadded ‘t go home.” write “I had to go home.” Or if someone says in Inuktitut “pijaqtuq”, write “ai and iq”.

Tips for Transcribing

• To practise transcribing, group members could interview each other and then transcribe the interviews. This practice session will help to demonstrate the importance of transcribing carefully in order to preserve the exact meaning of the interviewee’s words.
• When you are ready to transcribe interviews use only copies of the recordings. The master copy should never be used for transcriptions or research because every time a recording is replayed, its sound quality is lowered.
• Discuss and agree upon a ‘transcription format guide’ which shows the format and style your group chooses for transcribing. Then all your transcripts will be consistent. Because oral speech is so different from formal written language, you will have many questions about what to do with pauses, interruptions or asides and where to put periods to indicate the end of sentences. Here are some examples from a transcription format guide:
  • Use last names (or use initials) to indicate when the interviewer and interviewee are speaking. Underline the initials or name.
  • Use ellipsis points (...) for pauses.
  • Use square brackets when the transcriber adds comments or information to explain meaning in a passage: ITK [Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami].
  • Put non-verbal information in brackets: [laughs], [smiles], [pauses], [holds ulu in her hand], [uses hand to suggest height].
  • If you can’t understand a word after listening to it several times, put a question mark in brackets in place of the word: Johnny left town in (?) – and leave a space where the word can be added later.
  • if a track or tape ends in the middle of a sentence, write that in brackets: Then we moved to... (continued on track 1, tape 2).
  These examples are not official standards. You can agree upon your own transcription guide or you can borrow a guide from an established oral history program and adapt it. The goal is to create consistent transcripts.
• Transcribe both the interviewer’s questions and the interviewee’s responses.
• If your recorder has a counter, insert counter numbers in brackets in bold every 2 pages or at the beginning of a new topic.[85]
• Transcribe everything. Even transcribe filler words such as well, um or you know in English and ilaa, ingna-aa, aam and pii in Inuktitut.
• Double-space your transcripts – so you can easily edit them later with a partner. To edit, take turns reading the transcript to each other, with the other partner making corrections.