Transcript Codes or Indicators

Transcription service providers use symbols (‘codes’ or ‘indicators’) on the transcripts they produce. While not all transcription companies use exactly the same symbols, most will use variations of the ones listed below.

• [word??], (word??) or simply ???? = refer to attempts to transcribe indiscernible audio; these symbols indicate what a word(s) sounds like, but they need to be verified by the transcription client.

• FS? / MS? = refer to unidentified Female Speaker/Male Speaker
• (sp) = placed after a word, this means that the correct spelling of the word is unknown; used for words that have several correct spellings, usually names.
• (ph) = placed after a word means that the transcriptionist has spelled the word phonetically because its spelling could not be confirmed.
• (indiscernible – time stated) = used when a segment of a recording cannot be transcribed, where the transcriptionist inserts the audio time to help the client insert the correct word or phrase into the finished transcript. This is usually the result of poor quality recording.
• (inaudible – reason stated) or [talkover] = used for parts of the audio recording that are inaudible because of background noise, or laughter, for example. In such cases, most transcriptionists will write down the reason.
• …… [IA] …… = used when several words or sentences are inaudible.
• —    (long dash) = used when a speaker is interrupted by another speaker.
• (short dash) or …… = A pause or switch of thought mid sentence, or a false start; for example: “The buyer indicated – I thought I heard him say – he indicated that …”.
• ... (three periods) = indicates a short pause in speech.
• … … (six periods) = a long pause
• Sounds that are not words are placed in brackets (sobbing), (laughing) or (sighing)

Transcriptionutah is always happy to accommodate transcription clients who require the use of specific transcript symbols or transcript indicators, and will always discuss this point with the customer prior to the transcription process. To simplify verification and any editing of transcripts that the client will need to do, we list questionable words, phrases, and spellings (if any!) on the last page of the transcript. Naturally, these can easily be removed.

We like to think that we provide our clients the unique ability to receive a custom-tailored outsourcing solution for their transcription needs. Call Transcriptionutah today and join our many satisfied Utah transcription clients. We have over a decade of experience providing a complete range of general and specialized transcription and captioning services to clients across the U.S. , in Canada , Australia and the U.K.