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Interview transcription is the process of converting recorded interviews into written documents. It involves capturing every word spoken by the interviewer and interviewee, including nonverbal cues. Interview transcription is important in various fields such as research, journalism, law and healthcare. Researchers can use transcriptions to analyze data accurately and identify key themes and patterns, while journalists can use them to quote interviewees accurately. In law, interview transcriptions can be used as evidence in legal proceedings. Healthcare professionals may use transcriptions of patient interviews to better understand their medical history and provide more accurate diagnoses and treatments. Overall, interview transcription is a valuable tool for capturing and preserving the information and insights shared during interviews.
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Semi-structured interviews
Unstructured interviews
Structured interviews
Structured interviews are a form of interview where the researcher asks a set of predetermined questions, with no variation and no follow-up questions based off of the interviewees’ responses. The researcher creates a question guide and does not diverge from this. Unlike qualitative interviews, which ask open questions, these are closed questions that can usually be answered with yes/no or have a predetermined answer option. This makes them well suited for statistical analysis and they are more commonly used in quantitative research.
In qualitative research, open questions and flexibility are preferred. This is typical for semi-structured and unstructured interviews. In the table below you will find the different qualitative interview forms you can use for your research.
Depending on what you want to find out with your interview, different types of questions should be considered by you. In qualitative research, open-ended questions are mostly used because they can get a conversation going and better reflect unbiased opinions through free responses. Closed questions are statistically better for analysis and are therefore used in structured interviews, i.e. in quantitative research.
To ensure that your interview goes as smoothly as possible, make sure that…
Preparing for an interview is crucial to ensure that the process runs smoothly and effectively. One of the key aspects of preparation is selecting the right recording equipment and location. Using high-quality recording equipment and choosing a location with minimal background noise and interruptions can help produce clear and easily understandable audio recordings.
Overall, thorough preparation can help ensure that the interview process is productive and valuable for all involved.
According to Article 5 of the GDPR, you must obtain written consent from your interviewees in advance, if you want to record and transcribe your interview.
With a consent form, participants indicate that they agree to their personal data being collected in the context of an interview, survey or other research method. Additional rules apply to participants under the age of 16 (for more information, see Art. 8 of the GDPR).
Obtaining informed consent from interviewees and providing them with clear guidelines on the purpose of the interview and how the information will be used is also important. This helps to build trust with the interviewee and ensure that they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences during the interview.
Consent forms always follow a prescribed scheme.
In order to analyze your interview efficiently, you need to create an interview transcript. To make the interview transcript as easy as possible, you need to make sure that the interview recording is easy to understand. Good sound quality will make it easier to transcribe the interview.
Here are some ways to ensure good sound quality:
Choosing the right transcription style and format is crucial to ensure that the transcript is appropriate for the specific needs of the project and intended audience. The chosen style and format should reflect the purpose of the interview, the level of detail required, and the target audience.
After transcribing the interview, it is important to edit and proofread the transcript thoroughly. This involves reviewing the transcript for accuracy and readability and making necessary changes. Checking for any grammatical errors, inconsistencies, and ensuring that the transcript is clear and easy to understand is critical.
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To ensure confidentiality and privacy when conducting interviews, it’s important to take steps to store and share transcripts securely. This can be achieved by using:
Additionally, it’s crucial to comply with legal and ethical considerations, such as:
These measures help protect the privacy of interviewees and build trust, ensuring that data is kept safe and secure in accordance with legal and ethical standards.
Transcription is the conversion of an audio or video recording into a written text. It usually involves conversations, interviews or written documents. Trying to remember everything that is said in a conversation is often inaccurate. The purpose of a transcription is to remove the transience of oral statements and to have a written version of them through a transcript. This way of documentation cannot get lost and can be used for later analysis.
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If an interview is not transcribed, it cannot be coded, analysed and commented on. Also, an interview is unstructured data – once you record and transcribe it, you have proof of the information that was exchanged. In written form, you can actually decode the information, cite it and use it for your research.
In order to be able to accurately cite content from your conducted interview, you should maintain a consistent structure when transcribing.
Transcribing interviews is a boring and needs more time than usual. Especially in qualitative research, where emphasis and word choice can be relevant, this can take a lot of time. On average, it takes 6-8 hours to transcribe a one-hour interview recording. Because of this, there are three main methods that you can use to convert audio into text:
Transcribing an audio file yourself is an option you could choose to take on. It has the advantage of being a completely free and accurate method, as you are working on the transcript yourself. The main disadvantage of working on the text yourself is that it takes a lot of time and energy out of you.
If you are not an experienced transcriber, it will take you a long time to transcribe even a short audio file. For example, it would take a beginner around 8-10 minutes to transcribe a 1 minute audio file. This means that it would take them around an hour to transcribe a 10 minute audio file.
Another option you could use is to let an automatic transcription software convert your audio file into text. Using a company like Amberscript allows you to transcribe your file through the use of artificial intelligence and their own automatic speech recognition (ASR) software. This ASR software is able to convert your audio into text in less than 10 minutes. This method helps you get up to 85% accuracy in your transcription.
Once the file has been transcribed, all you have to do is make small modifications to the file in order to get 100% accuracy. With Amberscript’s ASR software, it’s possible for you to convert your audio into text in over 20 languages.
The biggest advantage of using this method is that it is more efficient, faster and less time will be needed than if you transcribed the file yourself.
As a final option, it is possible for you to use an agency that has human-made transcription services. Using this method allows you to have a text of an audio file that is 100% accurate. The biggest advantage is that you don’t have to transcribe the text yourself!
Using an agency like Amberscript allows you to have expert transcribers at your disposal. The main disadvantage is that this method is the most expensive option, and could take more time for your file to be transcribed.
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Amberscript offers a comprehensive interview transcription service that utilizes advanced technology and human proofreading to ensure accurate and high-quality transcriptions. Here are some of the ways Amberscript handles interview transcription
Automatic speech recognition (ASR) with high accuracy: Amberscript uses advanced ASR technology with high accuracy rates to transcribe interviews quickly and efficiently.
Advanced language models and natural language processing (NLP): Amberscript’s advanced language models and NLP technology enable it to accurately transcribe interviews in a variety of languages and dialects.
Human transcribers for added accuracy and quality: For added accuracy and quality, Amberscript offers the option of having human transcribers review and edit the automatic transcription.
Confidentiality agreements and secure data handling: Amberscript takes data privacy and confidentiality seriously, ensuring that all transcribers sign confidentiality agreements and that all data is handled securely.
Compliant with GDPR and other privacy regulations: Amberscript is compliant with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other privacy regulations to ensure the protection of personal data.
Encrypted data storage and access controls: Amberscript encrypts all data at rest and in transit and has strict access controls to ensure that data is only accessible to authorized personnel.
Now you know how you best prepare for and conduct an interview. Depending on the goal of your research, you must decide on the type of interview that you would like to conduct. If you are planning on doing a semi-structured interview it is advised to create an interview guide that structures the flow and questions of your interview.
When you finally get to the interview, you have to make sure that you get the right interview partners as well as their consent to record and transcribe their responses. If you are planning on recording and transcribing the interview for your research, you should also ensure that the audio quality of the recording is as clear as possible. This ensures you that the interview transcription process afterwards goes as smoothly as possible.
You can decide between the three different interview transcription methods that we introduced to you and if you follow the transcription rules as well as the appropriate transcription structure, everything should be perfect. Lastly, follow our coding guidelines to ease the evaluation of your interview. Now you should be good to go – good luck!
