So annoyingly I might have to transcribe 3 x half-hour informal interviews/discussions that I filmed a while ago. It was agreed that I wasn't going to transcribe those, but it looks like I will need to now. How long roughly does it take you to transcribe similar things, so I could have some idea of how long to allocate (I'm sooooo short of time by the way). Thanks...

Hi 404

So, I was told for every hour it takes between 6 and 8 hours. Very much dependent on the quality of the recording, the depth of the data and the equipment you're using.

I started out around 10 hours and have now got it down to about 5 hours.

I've never done video transcriptions but I'd say you'll be done in a (working) day and a half.

Good luck

A

ps - Caramel digestives help!!!

======= Date Modified 16 May 2010 19:51:12 =======
oh dear! That sounds like nightmare. I was hoping half a day for the lot, but it looks like I used too much wishful thinking as it doesn't cost anything. Thank you so much for the answer.

edit: just seen the Caramel digestives comment. Lol! :-)

A rule of thumb (as i Was told by muy sups) is 3 timess the length of your recording... That means that it should take you aboy an hour and a half to two hours for each...
It took me about that long for my interviews, but then I had to translate them into English, so it was much more work for me....

Transcribing is, without doubt, the bane of a PhD student's life. It takes me 8 hours to transcribe a 90 minute interview. So, for 30 minutes, I'd say about 2 and half hours for each. I am a slow typer though, so you may be quicker. I found it really helpful to use MyTomatoes when doing it, so I did it in a series of 25 minute blocks with a 5 minute break in between each - rapid progress with frequent breaks.

Thank you Emmaki/Walminskipeas. I guess it makes sense. I should do them all day tomorrow in that case. I'm a fast typer, but the sound isn't very good so it'll probably involve many pauses and rewinds. Yeah, I didn't like tomoatos very much before, but I'll give it a go, it might be perfect for this task.

I downloaded VoiceWalker thinking it would save time. Anyone used it? Any good?

======= Date Modified 05 Nov 2012 14:21:54 =======
============= Edited by a Moderator =============
======= Date Modified 03 Nov 2012 08:17:48 =======
======= Date Modified 03 Nov 2012 08:16:40 =======
If your audio quality is excellent, you can use the software to transcribe the interview. If your audio files quality is OK or verbatim audio better go for manual transcription services. For multiple speakers audio files, better go for manual interview transcription services.


*link removed*

I find video recording interviews makes them easier to transcribe. I'm not sure why, but seeing the person makes it easier for me! With the newer Nvivo (versions 9 up) you can mark and annotate a timeline against the video footage. You can also code, and cross reference other sources. Is the transcription necessary?

I once tried transcribing through Google Voice. It didn't work :( I hear DragonTalk is not much better. You could always pay an undergrad to do it.