How to Make a Transcript of an Interview
If you interview someone and would like to offer a print copy of the interview content, you will need to make a transcript of the interview. The process of transcribing an audio file can be time-consuming, often taking four to six times the length of the actual interview, according to Cornell University. Your main goal in transcription is to accurately capture the exact words spoken during the interview, including cut-off sentences, abrupt changes in topic and grammatical errors.
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Instructions
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Set up the interview tape in a transcriber, which is an audio machine with foot pedals for pausing and resuming playback without using your hands.
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Decide what words you will leave out of the transcription. In general, transcriptions typically delete uses of "um," "uh" and "ah." If the speaker regularly used another word or phrase as filler while thinking, such as an extended, "well," you could choose to leave that out as well.
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Open a word processing program and type the names of the interviewer, interviewee and transcriber, along with the location and date of the interview.
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Type the full name of the person the first time he speaks. After that, just use the first initial or first and last initials if required to avoid confusion. Follow the name or initials by a colon.
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Listen to the interview tape and type what each person says.
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Type non-word sounds in brackets at their locations in the interview. For example, if a person laughs, type "[laughs]" at that point in the transcript. Do the same for other sounds such as sighing, clapping or banging a hand on the table.
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Step on the foot pedals to pause playback when you are getting behind and resume playback when you catch up again. Use the rewind pedal if you need to listen to part of the interview again.
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Listen to the entire interview again after you have completed a full draft of the transcript. Read your transcript as you listen, and correct any errors you find.
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