Transcribing interviews for research

Why transcribe interviews during research?

Transcribing interviews that are carried out for research is good practice. Interviews that are transcribed verbatim in qualitative research allow analysis of the collected responses in greater detail at a later date. It also leaves less room for bias caused by the researcher’s personal interpretation.

Researchers can read and re-read interview transcriptions, identify themes and patterns, and extract key quotes or phrases. This process helps to identify significant points, which can then help to draw meaningful conclusions.

Transcribing interviews for research is also useful because it helps researchers check that their interpretation of the conversation is accurate, so reduces errors or misinterpretations. The transcription provides a permanent record of the interview, which can be referred to by other people in the future to confirm any findings.

Interview transcription can also help to ensure the anonymity of the participants. By removing identifying information from the transcriptions, researchers can protect the privacy of the participants. This often makes people more willing to take part in research interviews.

Another benefit is that interview transcription can be easily shared among researchers. This facilitates analysis and collaboration, which further contributes to the reliability and validity of the research.

How to transcribe manually

Transcribing a recorded interview manually is time-consuming and it’s vital to make sure it’s done correctly. Here are some steps to follow if you’re considering transcribing interviews for research:

1. Before starting the transcription process, listen to the recording to familiarise yourself with the voices, accents and any background noises that might affect the transcription process.
2. Create a transcription template that includes the speakers’ names or identifiers, timestamps (if required) and space for the transcribed audio text.
3. Start transcribing the interview by listening to a few seconds of the recording, pausing and then typing out what was said. It’s important to be accurate, and to include all the spoken words. Also be sure to include filler words, such as ‘um’ and ‘ah’ and any non-spoken communication, such as laughter or pauses if needed. Find out more about different types of transcription.
4. Once the transcription is complete, spend time editing to ensure accuracy and readability. Make sure you have correctly identified the speakers and that any timestamps are accurate.

Tools for creating automatic transcriptions

Manual interview transcription is incredibly time-consuming. However, there are several software apps available that offer free interview subscription or paid-for services. Here are some of the most popular:

1. Otter.ai: Otter.ai is a popular transcription app that uses AI to transcribe interviews in real-time. It offers a free plan that allows users to transcribe up to 600 minutes of audio per month. There are paid-for plans available for higher use.
2. Temi: Temi is an automated transcription service that offers both free and paid-for plans. The free plan allows users to transcribe up to 45 minutes of audio per month.
3. Trint: Trint uses AI to transcribe audio and video files. It offers a free trial and paid-for plans.
4. Happy Scribe: Happy Scribe is another transcription software tool that uses AI to transcribe audio and video files. It has some pretty impressive user reviews and offers a free trial and paid-for plans for higher usage.
5. Speechmatics: Speechmatics is speech recognition software that offers an automatic transcription service and can also be integrated with other systems. It offers a free trial and subscription plans.

Automatic transcription software is undoubtedly convenient and time-saving. However, it might not always be accurate. At the very least, all automatic interview transcriptions should be manually checked.

Here’s what an interview transcription for research might look like

Interviewer: Can you tell me about your experience using language learning products?

Participant: OK. [inhales deeply] So, I’ve tried more than a few different products, mostly apps on my phone and tablet, and I’ve found that they can be helpful, but also frustrating at times. I also tend to lose interest in them after a while.

Interviewer: Can you tell me about a time when you found a language learning product helpful?

Participant: Yeah, so I was using this one app to learn Spanish, and it had a feature where you could record yourself speaking and then listen back to it. I found that really helpful because it helped me hear my mistakes and work on my pronunciation. It was awful listening to myself speak though. [laughs]

Interviewer: [laughs] That’s interesting. Can you tell me about a time when you found a language learning product more frustrating?

Participant: Yeah, so I was using another app to learn French, and it was just really baffling and such a waste of time. The lessons were all over the place, and the exercises didn’t seem to match up with what I was learning. It was really frustrating and demotivating. I ended up giving up after a couple of weeks and it really put me off to be honest. [sighs]

Interviewer: I see. Can you tell me about any features of the language learning apps you’ve tried that you particularly like or dislike?

Participant: I really like it when the app has a feature where you can practise speaking with a native speaker. It’s really helpful to get feedback and practise in a more natural way. On the other hand, I don't like it when the app is too repetitive or doesn’t have different exercises and that. I end up just chucking it. [intonation rises]

Interviewer: Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. [laughter]

Participant: No problem, happy to help.

What if I need an APA interview transcript?

Transcribing an interview can be done manually. At the moment, it’s not possible for AI transcribers to do this. You should format your transcription to the style required by your organisation. Include the transcript as an appendix or as a reference in the body of your text. Appropriate referencing systems include APA, Harvard, MLA etc. Learn more about academic referencing styles.

Final thoughts

Transcribing interviews for research is one of the best ways of creating a permanent record of the data that’s gathered. It can then be shared with colleagues and analysed in the future. However, it’s a labour-intensive task, and sometimes it’s important to capture every word spoken, every inflection and even communication that comes from unspoken cues, such as laughter or vocal intonation.

Semantix’s multilingual transcribers can transcribe your interviews quickly and accurately, and they work in more than 170 languages. If you’d like to talk to us about our confidential transcription services, fill in the form and we’ll be in touch.

Download our free transcription template

Download templates for both detailed transcription and standard transcription. You can use the formats and examples in your own working document.