ABSTRACT

Transcribing Oral History offers a comprehensive guide to the transcription of qualitative interviews, an often richly debated practice within oral history. Beginning with an introduction to the field and an overview of the many disciplines that conduct and transcribe interviews, the book goes on to offer practical advice to those looking to use transcription within their own projects. A helpful how-to section covers technology, style guides, ways to format transcripts and troubleshoot the many problems that can arise. In addition to the practicalities of transcription itself, the book encourages the reader to consider legal and ethical issues, and the effects of troubling audio on the transcriptionist. It explains how scholars can turn recorded interviews and transcripts into books, films and museum exhibits, enabling the reader to understand the wider concerns surrounding transcription as well as the practical uses to which it can be put.

Based upon the author’s personal experience as a freelance transcriptionist and interviews with more than 30 professionals working around the world in the oral history and qualitative research fields, this is an indispensable guide for those involved in interviews and transcription at any level of an oral history project, including historians, transcriptionists, interviewers, project administrators, archivists, researchers and students.

chapter 1|24 pages

About Oral History and Transcription

chapter 2|23 pages

Getting Started

chapter 3|19 pages

Transcription vs the Alternatives

chapter 4|13 pages

Technology and Equipment

chapter 5|20 pages

Transcription Step by Step

chapter 6|17 pages

Hard Decisions

chapter 7|11 pages

Editing and Polishing the Transcript

chapter 8|15 pages

Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Issues

chapter 9|16 pages

The Human Side of Transcription

chapter 10|23 pages

Using Transcripts for Research

chapter |2 pages

Epilogue

chapter |2 pages

List of Interviewees

chapter |2 pages

Resources