Transcription
Transcription is an important part of the oral history process. It improves accessibility of the oral history by providing the content of the interview as a written document in addition to the audio/video as originally recorded. Transcriptions can also improve access to the content of the interview for researchers.
Question: Do I need Special Equipment or Software to Participate in this Project?
No, you can use your personal devices (e.g. computer, phone) to record audio and video with the factory installed software. Zoom is a great university provided software tool that can record and automatically generate transcripts of your video interview. Otter.ai is another option for recording and as an added bonus, it will transcribe the recording for you, too. Be sure to review the File Format Specifications on the How to Submit page. If you have specific software or equipment questions, contact the archives@mnsu.edu
This week, we are providing you some professional development on:
- Tips for creating a good transcription
- How researchers use transcriptions
- Technology tools to make transcriptions easier
Tips for creating a good transcription
While aimed at a specific project, this short website provides useful information on how to structure the transcription and how to handle different situations.
How researchers use transcriptions
Provides an overview of how oral histories are used in scholarly work (and even how you could use it in future courses.) It includes an overview of conducting interviews and transcription.
Technology tools to make transcriptions easier (NOTE: These are all FREE resources. You do not need to pay for any online service as part of your work.)
This Video (and accompanying directions) talks about the transcription tool within Zoom.
Quick introduction to Otter.ai live transcription
Quick introduction to using Otter.ai to transcribe previously recorded interviews.
Quick introduction to exporting transcripts from Otter.ai
