All Questions Asked on Transcription Discussion Board

Recently worked on a transcription file where the speaker whispered a key detail, but it was almost impossible to hear clearly.

Posted by Amy in Editing & Proofreading

I recently worked on a transcription file where the speaker whispered a key detail, but it was almost impossible to hear clearly. I replayed that section multiple times, but I still wasn’t confident about the exact words. In real-lif...

• Jul 14, 2026
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Comment:

Yeah, this happens sometimes, especially with whispered or low-volume audio. If you’ve replayed the section a few times and still can’t confidently make out what was said, I wouldn’t try to guess. You can mark it as [inaudible] or [unintelligible] and add a timestamp if needed. That way, you’re keeping the transcript accurate while making it easy for someone to review that part later.

Do you include repeated or corrected words (like “I-I-I think…”), or clean them up?

Posted by Jack in Editing & Proofreading

I was recently transcribing an interview and noticed that the speaker frequently repeated words and corrected themselves, saying things like 'I-I-I think...' before continuing. I wasn't sure whether I should keep those repetitions exac...

• Jun 22, 2026
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Comment:

The best approach depends on the purpose of the transcript and the client's guidelines. If you're creating a verbatim transcript, you should keep repeated words, false starts, and self-corrections exactly as spoken because they accurately reflect the recording. For example: "I-I-I think we should move forward." If the transcript is meant to be clean read or intelligent verbatim, it's usually appropriate to remove unnecessary repetitions and false starts that don't change the meaning. The same sentence could become: "I think we should move forward." This makes the transcript more readable while preserving the speaker's intent. When you're unsure, always follow the client's style guide or ask for clarification. Accuracy is important, but so is delivering a transcript that matches the requested format.

I’ve had phone interviews where one side keeps cutting out - do you mark that somehow?

Posted by Meghan in Editing & Proofreading

During one of my recent phone interviews, the audio kept cutting out from one side, and it made the conversation a bit difficult to follow. It got me wondering - do interviewers usually make a note of technical issues like this separately, or...

• May 06, 2026
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Comment:

Yes, interviewers usually understand when technical issues happen during a phone interview, especially if the connection problem is obvious. Most of the time, they won’t judge the candidate based on something outside their control. What matters more is how you handle the situation. If you stay calm, ask for clarification when needed, and continue communicating professionally, it still leaves a positive impression. However, if the audio issues seriously affected the flow of the conversation, it can sometimes have a small impact. In that case, it’s perfectly fine to send a brief follow-up message thanking them for the interview and mentioning that the connection issues made parts of the conversation difficult to hear.

I occasionally work with recordings where the audio briefly cuts out or skips, making timestamps confusing.

Posted by Meghan in Editing & Proofreading

During transcription or editing, I sometimes encounter audio that cuts out briefly or jumps ahead in the recording. This creates uncertainty about where the next timestamp should go and whether the timeline should be adjusted. I want to maintain a...

• Mar 16, 2026
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Comment:

Always follow the actual audio timeline - never adjust timestamps just to make the transcript look smooth. If the audio cuts, skips, or jumps, place the next timestamp where the sound actually resumes, not where it “should” be. For gaps, you can add tags like [audio gap] or [inaudible] to keep things clear. Avoid fixing or stretching time, as it reduces accuracy and can cause issues in syncing or professional use.