Audio Transcriptions
All non-textual content (e.g. audio, visuals) require alternative text in order to aid those who cannot see or hear the media. Alternative text also assists in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking by including important keywords in your audio content. Examples of audio content that need alternative text include, but is not limited to,
- live / recorded broadcasts
- podcasts
- interviews
- music with lyrics
- sound effects
- video with a static (unchanging) image and dialog
- webinars or chat rooms with audio functionality
Alternative text for audio content comes in the form of a transcript which describes:
- who is talking, including cross-talk
- what they are saying, including tone of voice when it helps convey the message
- any relevant sound and sound effects
Transcribing recorded audio is easy but time consuming. Transcribing live audio may require a dedicated transcriber for your event.
Depending on time and budgetary resources, you may either do the transcripts yourself (e.g. your staff, interns, or volunteers) or hire a transcription service to transcribe your audio for you.
Creating Your Transcript
If you are transcribing your audio content, a good way to do it is to open up a word processor and start typing what you hear, pause and rewind the audio, and keep typing.
An official transcript should include a title of the audio, the date of the recording, and the name of the speaker.
Need help starting the transcription off? You can ask Microsoft Word to transcribe your audio file (i.e., .wav, .mp4, .m4a, .mp3) or start a recording. You have 300 minutes (5 hours) of transcribing per month. This is currently only available via the browser version of Word.
Need to translate the transcription to another language? Many Microsoft Office applications allow you to translate text.
Important Note: As with all automated solutions, you may need to correct the transcription and translations are not exactly one-to-one across all languages. Human context is always important to check before posting these on a website or streaming service.