Welcome to the Southern Foodways Alliance -- an institute
of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture with headquarters at the
University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi.
The Southern Foodways Alliance documents and celebrates the diverse food cultures of the American South. We set a common table where black and white, rich and poor -- all who gather-- may consider our history and our future in a spirit of reconciliation.
SFA Oral History Initiative
Transcribing
What is a transcript?
A transcript is a hard (text) copy of a recorded interview.
The recording is copied word-for-word and serves as an easily accessible
format for researchers to view the interview’s contents. Having
transcriptions of recorded interviews also helps to preserve the original
recorded document (cassette or MiniDisc) by limiting its use and eventual
wear-and-tear.
The transcript, however, is not considered the primary document
in an oral history collection; rather, the subject’s recorded voice
is considered the primary document. Even so, a transcription is an invaluable
tool in researching and archiving recorded oral histories.
Creating a Transcript
The Southern Foodways Alliance will accept two kind of
transcripts:
1. FULL: Type the entire interview according to our transcription
guidelines below. By creating your own transcription of your own interview,
you can ensure the accuracy of your submission. The Southern Foodways
Alliance prefers this type of transcript.
OR
2. PARTIAL: Listen to the tape to record questions and
the time location (MiniDisc) or counter number (audio tape) where each
is asked (Ex: Where were you born? 1:16 [time] or 025 [counter]). While
this is a way to give researchers and archivists a quick reference guide
to the content, it is not a thorough or accurate representation of the
interview. Use this method as a last resort, and ONLY if you are unable
to type the interview in its entirety.
Please take a look at some of the oral histories on this
website to get an idea of what a transcription looks like and how it should
be formatted.
Tips
Here are some tips for creating a full transcription of
a recorded interview:
Always work with a COPY of the original recording.
It’s helpful to listen to the recording in its
entirety in order to familiarize yourself with the voices and questions
in the interview before beginning the transcription.
At the beginning of the transcript, type all pertinent
information relating to the interview:
Specific SFA oral history project (if applicable), name of interview
subject, date, location, name of interviewer, length of interview
in minutes.
The body text should have one-inch margins and be double
spaced.
Type the whole name of a speaker the first time it
appears (i.e., Joe Smith); then use initials each time thereafter
(i.e., JS). Use a colon to separate names and initials from text.
Try to represent each speaker’s words, conversational
quality and speech patterns.
Interruptions in the interview (phone ringing, someone
walking into the room, etc.) should be indicated by brackets containing
an explanation of the interruption: [phone ringing] or [laughing]
or [Subject asked to pause interview. Recorder turned off and then
back on].
Obvious pauses in conversation should be noted in brackets:
[short pause].
When a speaker does not finish a sentence, indicate
this by using two dashes after the last word spoken and follow the
appropriate end punctuation: “We thought we would be going but--.”
Ellipses (…) should NEVER be used in a transcription,
for they indicate that something has been left out. As a general rule,
anywhere you feel inclined to use ellipses (…), use the double-dash
(--).
Counter numbers or time references should be noted
periodically throughout the transcript as reference points and placed
in brackets: [056] (counter reference) or [1:32] (time reference).
If a word or phrase is inaudible, try listening to
it again. If, after three reviews, you still cannot decipher what
is being said, make the indication in brackets: [unintelligible phrase].
Indicate the beginning of a new side of a tape or new
disc by placing the appropriate information in brackets where the
change happens in the transcript: [End of Tape 1, Side B].
Indicate the end of the interview by stating so in
brackets: [END]
Give a copy of the transcript to the interviewee for
review before submitting it to the archive. Inevitably, some information
will need clarification, and it is easiest to get clarification from
the source. Inform the interviewee that their role is to check the
accuracy of the transcription, not to edit its contents. Reading the
transcript might also spark reason for a follow-up interview.
Transcript Submissions
Your final transcript should be submitted as both a hard
copy (print out) and computer file (Microsoft Word format on floppy disk
or CD). Be sure to fill out all other necessary forms available on this
site to complete your oral history submission.
