Make Your Job easier with an Interview Transcript

In the past, the interviewer had to write down what the interviewee said. However, this would often pose a challenge because it is difficult to keep up with the interviewee response speed. Besides, the interviewer might only write down what they feel is relevant, which may lead to the loss of important data. Now, it is possible to record voices and create a transcript, which makes transcription easier. Read on to learn more about interview transcripts.

What is an Interview Transcript?

Transcribing an interview entails transforming the recorded audio into text without affecting the accuracy of the content. Ideally, it is easier to read an interview transcript than it is to listen to audio, which is why transcripts are preferred. Here are other uses of an interview transcript.

Reference and Preservation of Evidence

It is easier to keep an interview transcript for future reference. Courts and police stations often keep interview transcripts from recorded audios from suspects and witnesses. The transcripts are easier to retrieve when they’re needed, even years later. For the same reason, interview transcripts are required from students during interviews, especially when defending their dissertations.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

It is easier to analyse data that has been transcribed as opposed to using recorded audio or video. An analyst can easily go through a written document or an interview transcript and deduce findings easily.

Who Requires One?

An interview transcript is necessary for journalists because they do a lot of interviews. It becomes easier for journalists to use transcripts for research because it is easier to code written information. Employers also use an interview transcript from a recorded audio during an interview. A student also submits the interview transcript when presenting their dissertations before the board of examiners.

Using Software 

It has now become easier to create interview transcripts due to the availability of different software. If you have previously transcribed an audio file, then you understand how tasking and time-consuming it is. Automated software for interview transcription is fast and reliable.

Most transcription software uses different technologies for the transcription process. Some use voice and speech recognition, while others work by expanding speech as you type. Use of software in transcription is crucial because it helps you infer even some of the most technical terms in different fields such as medicine, engineering or law.

There are different types of  transcription software. Some are free while others are commercial and you have to pay for them. Some software can only be used online. Others allow you to transcribe while offline. As such, it is paramount that you choose software that suits your transcription needs. Of course, different software works differently. You therefore have to conduct thorough research to understand how each works, as well as study the pros and cons of the transcription services.

The Benefits 

There are many benefits to using software for your interview transcript as discussed here.

Saves Time

Imagine that you have audios recorded for one hour. How long would you take to transcribe them manually? Definitely, it would be time-consuming and also costly. A software transcribes using the shortest time in comparison to a manual interview transcript.

High-quality Interview Transcript

Interviews have become the norm of collecting data, particularly for research purposes. It is therefore crucial that the recorded data is transcribed with utmost accuracy and efficiency. Software is the best bet when it comes to the production of a high-quality interview transcript.

Stress-free Interview Transcription

A manually transcribed interview transcript is stressful because the transcriber has to spend many hours trying to listen to and understand the vocabulary. Besides, at the end of the work, the transcriber has to edit and use the right punctuation. Finally, proofreading is required to achieve a high-quality interview transcript. All these different components can be tasking and it may even take days or weeks to achieve the desired results.

Interview Transcript for Your Thesis

A thesis is an academic paper that often contains a student’s original findings. As such, it is required that scholars back up their theories and findings with evidence. The backing is often in the form of interviews or audio recordings. Students are required to present an interview transcript alongside their thesis document.

Basically, there are no set rules for doing an interview transcript. However, you have to maintain consistency and accuracy throughout your transcript. As such, when identifying the speakers, you have to come up with a uniform way of identifying them in the interview transcript. You may decide to write the real names of your interviewers. But, if the document is to be published, ensure that you make your respondents anonymous to maintain confidentiality.

Interviews are conducted using a question and answer format. Hence, you should write down the name of the interviewer, and place a colon before the question. The same case applies to the respondent. Here is an example.

Interviewer: What is your name?
Respondent: My name is John Doe.

You may also choose to find a way of differentiating between what the interviewer says from what the interviewee says by using italics or bold. The most crucial part of creating a quality interview transcript for your thesis is consistency and accuracy.

Interview Transcript Summarised

An interview transcript is common in journalism, medicine, law, and even among students, especially when submitting their thesis. An interview transcript should be accurate. Manual transcription can be hard. However, software packages are available: some are free, others are commercial, some are offline and others can only be used online. All the same, software gives an accurate interview transcript, saves time, and is stress-free to use.