How to check and improve a transcript
An automatic transcript is a draft. Review the parts where a wrong word would change the meaning, and keep the recording available while you edit.
Before recording: make the speech easier to hear
Record a short test in the room you will use. Play it back through headphones. If a voice is distant or background music competes with it, move the microphone or choose a quieter place before recording the whole conversation. Ask participants to take turns where practical.
Keep an original copy. Noise removal can change speech as well as background sound, so compare any processed version with the original. Simply converting a compressed file to a larger format cannot recover missing speech.
Before uploading: choose the spoken language
Automatic detection can be useful when you do not know the language. If you do know it, select it in the upload options. A short clip or accented speech can be misidentified. Review the language choices and limitations, particularly for mixed-language recordings.
Review in three passes
- Speakers and structure. Check that a label follows the same person throughout. Rename labels to a name or research identifier. Split your review into manageable stretches of audio.
- Meaning. Listen for missing negatives, incorrect amounts and words that sound similar. A fluent sentence can still be wrong. Check each quotation you intend to use against the recording.
- Presentation. Correct spelling and punctuation without silently changing what someone said. Use one spelling for a name or technical term throughout.
What deserves a second listen?
- Names, dates, measurements, prices and product names.
- A sentence that contradicts the surrounding discussion.
- Overlapping voices, laughter, an interruption or a quiet response.
- Any passage you will quote or use to make a consequential decision.
For example, “can” and “can’t” can reverse the meaning of a sentence. A confidence indicator helps you choose where to listen; it cannot certify that the text is correct.
When the audio is unclear
Mark the uncertainty using a consistent note such as “[inaudible, 02:14]” instead of guessing. If someone else will rely on the document, make your editing convention clear. For research interviews, agree on the level of detail before cleaning up filler words or false starts.
Save your changes and check the downloaded document. TXT, DOCX and PDF include saved text edits. SRT and VTT include speaker renames, but their wording needs correction in a subtitle editor. The sample page lets you compare unedited text with audio, and the interview guide covers speaker identifiers and quotation review.