Transcription style guide: verbatim and clean verbatim
The difference between the two styles, shown on the same sentences, and the tags both of them use. Fill in your project's rules and share the guide with everyone who transcribes, so every transcript looks the same.
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How to use it
- Read the examples in the preview below and choose a style.
- Download the guide as a DOCX file or copy it as Markdown.
- Fill in your project's rules at the end and share the file with everyone who transcribes.
Preview
Everything as it was said: filler sounds, repetitions, false starts, stutters, unfinished sentences and sounds such as laughter. Use it when how something is said matters: conversation analysis, linguistics, psychology, records used as evidence.
What was said, without the noise: filler sounds, repetitions and false starts are left out. Grammar is not corrected and nothing is reworded. Use it for most interviews, podcasts, meetings and market research.
| What | Verbatim | Clean verbatim |
|---|---|---|
| Filler sounds | So, um, we basically, uh, started in May. | So we basically started in May. |
| False start | We were going to— well, we decided to wait. | We decided to wait. |
| Repetition and stutter | It was, it was v-very hard for us. | It was very hard for us. |
| Laughter and other sounds | [laughs] Yeah, that was a disaster. [sighs] | Yeah, that was a disaster. |
| The listener's “mm-hm” | A: And then we signed. B: Mm-hm. A: In June. | A: And then we signed in June. |
| Grammar and dialect | We was gonna call 'em. | We was gonna call 'em. (not corrected) |
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| [00:12:31] | Time stamp at each change of speaker |
| [inaudible 00:12:31] | A word or passage you can't make out, with the time, so someone can listen again |
| [word?] | Your best guess at an unclear word |
| [crosstalk] | Two or more people speaking at once |
| [pause] | A noticeable silence |
| [laughs], [sighs] | Sounds that change the meaning of what was said |
| — | A word or sentence broken off |
| [name removed] | A detail removed to protect someone's identity |
Both styles from one recording
In SonaFact the transcript stays word for word, and the clean verbatim view leaves out stuttered repeats and, in 28 recording languages, filler sounds such as “um” and “uh” — in the editor and in the files you export, on every plan. Free: 3 transcripts a day, up to 30 minutes each, no card.
Start freeQuestions
- What is the difference between verbatim and clean verbatim?
- Verbatim keeps everything that was said, including filler sounds such as “um” and “uh”, repetitions, false starts and sounds such as laughter. Clean verbatim leaves out the fillers, repetitions and false starts, but does not correct grammar or change the wording. The meaning is the same; clean verbatim is easier to read.
- When should I use verbatim transcription?
- When how something is said matters as much as what is said: conversation analysis, linguistics, psychology, and records used as evidence. For most interviews, podcasts, meetings and market research, clean verbatim is enough and easier to read.
- Does clean verbatim correct grammar?
- No. Clean verbatim removes the noise, not the speaker's way of speaking: dialect, slang and grammar mistakes stay as they were said. A version that also corrects grammar and smooths the sentences is usually called an edited transcript, and it's a different style.
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