Information about transcription software

[annie ross]

dear Susana and friends:

i am not a linguist nor an expert, but i do have experience with transcribing oral histories.

i have tried a software program (5 years ago) with notably poor results. i know software changes daily, and perhaps it is the answer to your issue now.  that would make the work so much faster, and i would love to know if something like that exists and works.

issues i have seen in transcriptions:

when i reviewed transcriptions of Harrington's Tewa notes, for example, when compared with his original hand-written notes, i found there were transcriber's errors in the spelling of many words, although Harrington wrote the correct version; especially names (personal and place). synonyms were put in place in some instances, giving the 'information' a new and unintended meaning. a person who had lived in the area and been involved in the landscape and people would see the errors, but most folks, would not.  i worried about this, and how this might lead future researchers astray, especially when mining the transcribed information for data on clans, land, and all. 

as for oral taped interviews, in my experience, nothing can take the place of a human transcriptionist, And, a final review with the tapes by the original researcher.

issues:

*  local spelling of words;
*  local names that do not appear on maps nor in current memory;
*  regional meanings of words (aboriginal-centric);
*  clarification of meaning in context of the interview to explain pauses, hand gestures, gaps, stops;
*  use of slang relevant to a small region;
*  metaphors based on traditional religion, politics, spiritual beliefs;
*  idiocyncratic phrases;
*  names (nick-names, clan names, euphamisims, a name with a meaning 'there' vs. its meaning 'here');


also, even with a professional transcriptionist (mine who is fantastic and wonderful, BTW), i find errors in the final copy.

thank you. keep up the good work!

good luck to us all in all things.

annie


----- Original Message -----
From: Phillip E Cash Cash <cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU>
To: ILAT at listserv.arizona.edu
Sent: Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:52:11 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: [ILAT] Information about transcription software

Hi Susana,

Great project!  I think you have come to right place with your
question.  We have a wide array of language experts here (native and
non-native) that can assist you.

So I would like to encourage all of you (here on ILAT) to drop a note
to Susana and all of us.  Your answer/reply will reach many others
here who have a similar interest.

Phil
UofA


On Thu, Oct 6, 2011 at 6:21 AM, Resa Crane Bizzaro <resa.bizzaro at iup.edu> wrote:
> Hi, everyone. Sorry to bother you all.
>
>
>
> Susana, your project sounds wonderful. Will information be available to
> anyone via the internet when you are finished (or as you go along)?
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Resa
>
>
>
> From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]
> On Behalf Of Susana Tornero
> Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2011 5:56 AM
> To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
> Subject: [ILAT] Information about transcription software
>
>
>
> Hi to everyone,
>
> I am working on a research group from the antrophology department on
> Barcelona University, we are collecting folktales from the people of
> Barcelona from african origin in their mother tongue. The objective is to
> provide material online with videos of folktales in the original languages
> with subtitles.
>
> Now I am searching the appropiate software, but I need information about how
> to process the material first. There is a software capable to transcribe a
> voice archive into the International Phonetic Alphabet? We would also like
> to have good material for linguistic analysis, word-to-word translation and
> final translation for the final publication of the tales if possible.
>
> I have heard about Toolbox, and I downloaded the program, but as far I can
> see, these software works only with text files. Am I right? I suppose there
> is another program who can do that part of the process, but I am not sure
> about it. There is anyone who can help me to find out?
>
> Thank you very much!
>
> Susana Tornero
>
>
>
>

-- 
dr. annie grace ross
assistant professor
First Nations Studies
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia 
CANADA 
annier at sfu.ca
http://www.sfu.ca/annieross/