Verbatim Transcripts: Your 2024 Guide to Creation & Accuracy

What is a verbatim transcript?

This article explains what a verbatim transcript is and how to create one.

A verbatim transcript is a written record of everything someone has said.

It's used when there's a need to record spoken content without editing, such as in social research, counseling, or legal documentation.

Creating a verbatim transcript can be a very demanding task.

However, with the latest tools, it's now easier and quicker to produce verbatim transcripts.

We'll also introduce AI transcription tools recommended for creating verbatim transcripts, so why not give them a try for convenient transcription?

Understanding Verbatim Transcripts

First, let's briefly explain what a verbatim transcript is.

What is a verbatim transcript?

A verbatim transcript is a written document that records exactly what someone has said, word for word, without any changes.

Recording word for word literally means transcribing everything the person said, including speech errors and pauses.

For example, if someone says:

"Uh, thank you all very much for coming today, um, indeed."

The transcription would include phrases like "Uh" and "um" exactly as spoken.

Also, if someone says:

"Went, yesterday"

Even if inversion is used, you should not correct it to "Went yesterday" but transcribe it exactly as spoken.

Benefits of Verbatim Transcripts

So, why is it necessary to transcribe (record) speech errors and words like "uh" and "um"?

The biggest advantage of a verbatim transcript is that it eliminates the transcriber's subjectivity.

In legal or academic texts, it may be necessary to transcribe the original audio as accurately as possible.

However, if you try to omit words like "uh" and "um" during transcription, a subjective judgment to omit those words is introduced.

Furthermore, if laughter occurs during speech, transcribing it as "hahaha, that's right" without omission, versus omitting it and transcribing only "that's right," changes the meaning of the transcribed text.

Thus, by creating a verbatim transcript, you can achieve more precise transcription without the transcriber's subjectivity.

Disadvantages of Verbatim Transcripts

The disadvantage of verbatim transcripts is that they can be difficult to read.

Since interjections like "uh" and "um," hesitations, and laughter must also be transcribed exactly, it naturally takes more time to read compared to texts where such elements are removed.

A verbatim transcript is primarily a method used in situations where the strictness of the record is prioritized over readability.

How to Create a Verbatim Transcript

So, when you need a verbatim transcript, how can you create one easily?

Method 1: Manual Transcription by Typing

When creating a verbatim transcript, the first method that comes to mind is to manually type out the transcription (tape transcription) yourself.

Previously, there were no other options, so manually typing using an audio player app for tape transcription was the mainstream approach.

However, typing it yourself presents these problems:

1. Time-Consuming and Laborious

Manually transcribing an audio file while listening to it is a very labor-intensive process.

It's impossible to transcribe in the same amount of time as the audio file; even with perfect efficiency, it takes at least three times the recording duration (e.g., over 6 hours for a 2-hour audio).

2. Subjectivity Can Creep In

The purpose of a verbatim transcript is to create a strict, objective record.

When someone unfamiliar with transcription manually transcribes, even if they believe they've transcribed everything exactly, they often unconsciously omit filler words like "um" or "uh," hesitations, or slips of the tongue.

This prevents achieving the original goal of creating a verbatim transcript.

Method 2: Use an AI Transcription Service [Recommended]

There's a recommended method for creating verbatim transcripts.

That is to use an AI transcription service.

An AI transcription service uses speech recognition AI to convert audio into text (transcription).

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In fact, AI transcription services are the optimal way to create verbatim transcripts.

By using AI, which has advanced rapidly in recent years, it's now possible to perform highly accurate and fast transcriptions.

Using an AI transcription service for verbatim transcripts offers these benefits:

1. Less effort, completed in a short time

Using an AI transcription service is very simple; you just need to upload your audio file.

No further action is required.

Moreover, even audio files over an hour long can be transcribed in about 1 minute.

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2. Completely "verbatim" transcription without subjectivity

AI transcription services use AI, not humans, to perform transcriptions.

AI recognizes the content of the audio file and transcribes it exactly as is.

Therefore, unlike humans, it can transcribe the recorded content completely as is, without omitting words like "uh" or "um."

Since there is no subjective judgment, unlike with humans, it's possible to perform the task more completely, especially for verbatim transcripts.

The two benefits introduced here are the exact opposite of the disadvantages of manual transcription.

This further demonstrates why AI transcription services are well-suited for creating verbatim transcripts.

Create verbatim transcripts with Mr. Transcription

There is an recommended AI transcription service for creating verbatim records.

That is Mr. Transcription.

Mr. Transcription is a Japanese AI transcription service that uses the latest AI technology.

With its AI-powered high accuracy, you can transcribe audio more conveniently.

It can transcribe even long audio files in about 1 minute, allowing you to create verbatim transcripts quickly whenever you need them.

Furthermore, you can transcribe for free for 3 minutes a day without registration or login, and up to 10 minutes a day if you create an account.

If you're looking for a way to transcribe verbatim records, why not try Mr. Transcription for free first?

Situations where verbatim transcripts are used

Verbatim transcripts are useful in situations such as these:

Academic research and studies

Academic research and studies are one of the common situations where verbatim transcripts are used.

• Interviews in social sciences
• Surveys and research in cultural anthropology
• Patient interviews in medicine and nursing

Verbatim transcripts are used as a means of recording for research and studies in various academic fields.

Counseling

Verbatim transcripts are also used in psychological counseling.

By using verbatim transcripts that capture spoken content as is, counselors can more accurately understand the issues faced by the client (the person receiving counseling).

Legal records

Verbatim transcripts are also used for legal records, including court proceedings.

Using transcribed audio recordings as evidence in court is specifically called "recorded transcription" or "audio transcription for legal purposes."

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Terms related to verbatim transcription

Finally, we will briefly explain terms you should know when performing verbatim transcription.

"Verbatim"

The term "verbatim" in "verbatim transcript" refers to following word-for-word without alteration.

Another example of a word using "verbatim" besides "verbatim transcript" is "verbatim translation" (translating word by word without interpretation).

For example, a verbatim translation of "I have a pen." would be "I have one pen."

While this might sound unnatural in English, it allows for a more precise understanding of the original sentence's meaning.

Similarly, a verbatim transcript is used to record someone's spoken content more precisely, so the purpose is exactly the same.

"Filler"

Filler words are linguistic terms for words like "um," "uh," and "like" that fill pauses when speaking.

The term "filler" originates from the English word "fill" (to put something into a space).

As explained in this article, transcribing filler words as they are is a key characteristic of a verbatim transcript.

"Verbatim Transcription," "Clean Transcription," and "Polished Transcription": The Three Terms of Transcription

Transcription involves

• Verbatim Transcription
• Clean Transcription
• Polished Transcription

These are the three stages.

Among these, "Verbatim Transcription" is necessary when creating a verbatim record.

※Please also refer to this article for "Verbatim Transcription," "Clean Transcription," and "Polished Transcription."

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Verbatim Transcription

In Verbatim Transcription, for example,

"Ah, thank you all very much for gathering here today, um, indeed."

is transcribed exactly as spoken, including filler words like "ah" and "um."

This is the same as the content of the verbatim record explained in this article.

Clean Transcription

Clean Transcription is the next stage after verbatim transcription.

"Ah, thank you all very much for gathering here today, um, indeed."

If there was such audio, it would be transcribed as:

"Thank you all very much for gathering here today."

In this process, unnecessary parts are removed during transcription.

However, nothing more than removing unnecessary words should be done.

For example, inversions like "went, yesterday" must be retained.

Polished Transcription

In Polished Transcription, the text is refined within a scope that does not change its meaning.

For example, if there was a sentence like

"went, yesterday"

it would be polished into a non-inverted form like

"went yesterday"

AI Transcription Services Recommended for Smooth Verbatim Transcription

While the description might make verbatim transcription seem the easiest, that's actually not the case.

Because you need to transcribe every filler word like "uh" or "um" and every slip of the tongue without missing a single one, performing verbatim transcription manually is extremely difficult and time-consuming.

Therefore, when doing verbatim transcription, it's recommended to use a tool rather than doing it yourself.

Specifically, using an AI transcription service like Mr. Transcription allows for smooth and quick transcription.

With an AI transcription service, the verbatim transcription needed for a verbatim record can be completed fully automatically and in a short amount of time.

Furthermore, AI won't miss any slips of the tongue or hesitations.

And with Mr. Transcription, you can transcribe up to 10 minutes per day for free!

If you're struggling with how to create verbatim records or perform verbatim transcription, why not try Mr. Transcription first?

AI Transcription Services for Easy and Efficient Verbatim Records

Verbatim records require transcribing (tape recording) spoken content exactly as it is, completely.

Therefore, creating them manually is very time-consuming and laborious.

On the other hand, using an AI transcription service not only eliminates the need for time and effort but also allows for the creation of higher-quality verbatim records.

If you're having trouble with verbatim records, why not try an AI transcription service?