The Divas can provide transcripts in several different transcript formats.
We pride ourselves on flexibility and often use transcript formats and templates that are predefined by our clients – so if you want something a little bit special, do not hesitate to ask! Our two standard transcription formats are – Strict Verbatim and Intelligent Verbatim.
Strict Verbatim Transcription
Strict Verbatim is usually used as part of academic work or “discourse analysis”. The transcript will reflect all utterances; false starts; filler words (e.g. um, uh) and all slang, (e.g. gonna, kinda, sorta, coz). Strict Verbatim Transcripts seek to capture every utterance that is spoken, including stutters, false starts, and minimal responses. This type of transcript does take a larger investment of Diva time. It also tends to be difficult to read and determine what is being said. It is usually used only in some types of research.
FILENAME: WS110010
[Start of recorded material]
Interviewer: What do you think he was trying to get out there?
Respondent: He, he wanted to learn more about sw-swans, you know.
Interviewer: Do you know where he went?
Respondent: Like, he went out into the wild, the wilderness. He, like, he learned their calls, and wallowed in th-the muck. Wow.
Interviewer: What is your opinion of him?
Respondent: You know, some people call that dude crazy. I-I-I think he understood, man.
[End of recorded material]
Intelligent Verbatim
Intelligent Verbatim is Transcript Divas “standard format”. We never summarise or paraphrase, the intent is to clean up the language – removing stutters, repetitions, filler words (e.g. um, er, huh), false starts etc. The focus is on producing a readable, well-spoken transcript. Intelligent Verbatim transcription formats are without all the unnecessary ‘ums’ and ‘ers’ and does not include stutters, false starts, repetitions, etc, but the meaning of the language remains.
Intelligent Verbatim (also called Clever Verbatim or Transcripts Edited For Clarity) is a very popular format. This type of format is popular because it captures the “message” or information that is spoken – but without the broken flow that often accompanies verbatim formats. It is the format used in courts and legal work.
FILENAME: WS110010
[Start of recorded material]
Interviewer: What do you think he was trying to get out there?
Respondent: He wanted to learn more about swans.
Interviewer: Do you know where he went?
Respondent: He went out into the wild, the wilderness. He learned their calls and wallowed in the muck. Wow.
Interviewer: What is your opinion of him?
Respondent: You know, some people call that dude crazy. I think he understood, man.
[End of recorded material]
Intelligent Verbatim: Transcript Divas “standard format” is intelligent verbatim, the same format that is used in Australian court transcripts. As can be expected, what is said is not summarised or paraphrased, no meaning is lost. The intent is to clean up the language – removing stutters, repetitions, filler words (e.g. um, er, huh), false starts etc. The focus is on producing a readable, well-spoken transcript, but at the same time what was meant by the speaker is not lost.
Strict Verbatim: This is usually used as part of academic work or “discourse analysis”. The transcript will reflect all utterances, false starts, filler words (e.g. um, uh) and all slang (e.g. gonna, kinda, sorta, coz). Usually, this makes it quite difficult to understand and ‘follow’ a conversation. We advise against using “strict” verbatim.
EXAMPLE: STRICT VERBATIM FORMAT
Brittany: I think the smart in smartphone means like maybe the phone’s more intelligent than you are, so that it can-, if you’re not technical-, tech-, logically-, techniclo-, if you’re not tech savvy, then the phone is more tech savvy than you.
EXAMPLE: INTELLIGENT VERBATIM FORMAT
Brittany: I think the smart in smartphone means like maybe the phone’s more intelligent than you are, so that it can-, if you’re not technical-, if you’re not tech savvy, then the phone is more tech savvy than you.