We provide our transcription services to a wide range of customers, industries, and service types. As a result, there is an equally large range of instructions, formatting, and requests that we must follow to the best of our ability.

We have divided these requests into what we call Job Requirements. Below, you will find a glossary of these requirements, how to format them, and helpful examples.

Index

• Where to Begin
• Line Formatting
  • Sentence
  • Paragraph
• Speaker Identification
  • General Rules
  • Icons
  • Identifiers
  • Separators
• Non-Words
  • Stutters
  • Non-Fluencies
  • Filler
• Snap-Ins
• Sound Markers
  • Definition
  • Guidelines
  • Inline
  • Standalone

Where to Begin

Every job you work on will have Job Requirements. The complexity will vary from job to job, but most jobs will vary in three main ways: Formatting, Speaker Identification, and Non-Words. If you ensure you are aware of those three, you'll be off to a great start.

• Job Requirements are found on the main tab in Video Formalizer as shown below:

Always notify a Custom Shift Lead before beginning work on a job if you are unclear on its Job Requirements.

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Line Formatting

Sentence Formatting

For Sentence Formatting, create a new line each time you complete a sentence or thought.

Below, you can see an example of two speakers talking formatted in Sentence Format.

Example:
We were thinking about going to the store.
We were out of butternut squash.
Yeah, but it started to rain.
So the two of us had cocoa at home instead.

Paragraph Formatting

For Paragraph Formatting, create a new paragraph only when speakers change.

Below you can see an example of two speakers talking formatted in Paragraph Format.

Example:
We were thinking about going to the store. It started to rain, so we had to stay home. We'll go once the rain lets up. After checking the forecast, we realized that it was supposed to rain for the entire day, so we ended up signing up for grocery delivery, and it's changed our lives ever since. We use it every week.
Hey, good idea. I appreciate that you brought that up. We should do that.

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Speaker Identification

Speaker Identification can be broken down into three components:

Icon: This is a character that can appear alongside or independent of other ID components. Common markers include (but are not limited to) a dash (-) or double chevron (>>).
Identifier: This can be the first and/or last names of a speaker, an initial, gender, role or job, or anything else a customer may specify that can identify an individual speaker.
Separator: Refers to any space or characters that separates the previous two components and the dialogue. The default Separator when no Identifier is used is a single space. The default Separator when an Identifier is used is a colon followed by a space.

Samples

Icon	Identifier	Separator	Output
>>	Johnny 5	:	>> Johnny 5:
-	Johnny 5	(Space)	- Johnny 5
>>	(none)	(Space)	>>
(none)	Johnny 5	:	Johnny 5:

The types and combinations of these components you use will be dictated by the job you're working on and will vary from job to job.

Examples:

- Ron: I hope I get into Gryffindor, but I'd be happy with Ravenclaw.
- Harry: It's Slytherin or bust for me, baby!

>> My name is Jack Torrance, and I'm the caretaker of the Overlook Motel.
>> And I'm his loving son, Danny.

-Let's go to the zoo.
-I like the aquarium more.
-You smell like fish.

Notice that in the last two examples, no Identifier is used. When not called for, simply omit any component of the speaker ID.

General Rules

• Never make up or add in Speaker ID or any component of Speaker ID if not explicitly called for by the job.
• Place a space between the Speaker Identification and dialogue if reference sheet or job type instructions do not specify.
• Do not indent or provide any special formatting when creating new sentences delivered by the same speaker. Follow the Line Formatting instructions.
• The Chatter content marker should never be paired with speaker identification.
• The Lyrics marker should not be paired with the speaker identification. However, if speakers change mid-song, do include a new Speaker ID.
• If a character is portrayed by more than one actor, treat each as their own speaker.
• If one actor portrays more than one character, including if one character is a twin, doppelganger, puppet, ventriloquist doll, or some other inanimate object, mirror, or analogue, treat each as their own speaker.
• If a character is speaking in interview or providing voiceover and in separate footage, treat each as their own speaker.
• Some shows may fade to black or cut to a commercial break as you scribe. When this happens, create new SID after the "commercial break" is over, even if it's the same person who was talking before the break.

Example
Kim: We're going to need a diversion.
Ron: Why are you looking at me like that?
Of course.
It's always me.
(commercial break)
Ron: Of course.
It's always me.
Why am I always the distraction?

• Generally, if reference sheet or job type instructions call for speakers to be identified by name but a speaker's name is not provided, identify the unnamed speakers generically as Woman #1, Woman #2, Man #1, etc, and follow the other instructions as appropriate.

Example
Man #1: Some jobs require speaker IDs.
Woman #1: Not every job requires speaker IDs.
Woman #2: And you can't always identify every speaker by name.

Note: Some ref sheets and job type instructions provide their own set of instructions and examples for generic IDs. Place a space between the Speaker Identification and dialogue if reference sheet or job type instructions do not specify.

Icons

• SINGLE DASH:

- Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
Jack, can you come to the stage, please?
- Hello, everyone.
My name is Jack Torrance, and I'm going to talk to you about hotel safety.

• DOUBLE CHEVRON:

>> My name is Mark Calaway, and I'm going to turn it over to Colby Lopez for a second.
>> Colby here. Thanks, Mark.

• [ICON] No Dash - Use the appropriate Icon as described above but place no spaces between the Icon, Identifier, and proceeding dialogue.

Dash No Space
-Notice that this is formatted just like the Dash Icon type, but with no spaces separating the icon from any other element.

Double Chevron No Space
>>Notice this is formatted just like the Chevron Icon, but with no space between the Icon and proceeding dialogue.

Identifiers

• GENERIC NUMBERED 1 :
  Identify all speakers as Speaker followed by a number. The number should increment with each new speaker.
  • Speaker 1: Are there any questions from the audience?
    Speaker 2: I have one.
    Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
    Speaker 1: I'd love to

• GENERIC NUMBERED 2 :
  Identify all speakers as Speaker followed by a number and number. The number should increment with each new speaker.
  • Speaker #1: Are there any questions from the audience?
    Speaker #2: I have one.
    Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
    Speaker #1: I'd love to

• GENERIC GENDER 1 :
  Identify the speaker by their perceived gender. If a non-binary person is speaker, identify them as they identify, if possible.
  • Man: Are there any questions from the audience?
    Woman: I have one.
    Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
    Man: I'd love to

• GENERIC GENDER 2 :
  Identify the speaker by their perceived gender. If a non-binary person is speaker, identify them as they identify, if possible.
  • Male: Are there any questions from the audience?
    Female: I have one.
    Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
    Male: I'd love to

• GENERIC GENDER NUMBERED 1 :
  All of the rules above apply. In addition, number each new speaker. This number will go up for each new speaker that is introduced of an already introduced gender. Always begin your numbering with 1.
  • Male 1: Are there any questions from the audience?
    Male 2: I have one.
    Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
    Male 1: I'd love to

OR

• Man 1: Are there any questions from the audience?
  Man 2: I have one.
  Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
  Man 1: I'd love to

• GENERIC GENDER NUMBERED 2 :
  All of the rules above apply. In addition, number each new speaker and include the number sign before the number. This number will go up for each new speaker that is introduced of an already introduced gender. Always begin your numbering with 1.
  • Male #1: Are there any questions from the audience?
    Male #2: I have one.
    Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
    Male #1: I'd love to

OR

• Woman #1: Are there any questions from the audience?
  Woman #2: I have one.
  Can you explain the process for classifying cryptids?
  Woman #1: I'd love to

• FIRST NAME:
  Identify the speaker by their first name.
  • Mark: My name is Mark Calaway, and I'm going to turn it over to Colby Lopez for a second.
    Colby: Colby here. Thanks, Mark.

If more than one speaker is introduced with the same first name, number each as well.

• Mark 1: My name is Mark Calaway, and I'm going to turn it over to Mark Henry for a second.
  Mark 2: Mark Henry here. Thanks, Mark.

• LAST NAME:
  Identify the speaker by their last name.
  • Calaway: Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
    Jack, can you come to the stage, please?
    Torrance: Hello, everyone.
    My name is Jack Torrance, and I'm going to talk to you about hotel safety.

If more than one speaker is introduced with the same last name, number each as well.

• Lewis 1: My name is Huey Lewis, and I'm going to turn it over to Daniel Day Lewis for a second.
  Lewis 2: Daniel here. Thanks, Huey.

• FULL NAME:
  Identify the speaker by their full First and Last name
  • Mark Calaway: Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
    Jack, can you come to the stage, please?
    Jack Torrance: Hello, everyone.
    My name is Jack Torrance, and I'm going to talk to you about hotel safety.

In a job where Full Name identification is required, if a speaker's full name is not given, identify them using the first option available below. Follow all other instructions as dictated by the job.

Full Name -> First or Last Name -> Gender -> Speaker

• INITIALS:
  Identify the speaker by their first and last initials
  • MC: Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
    Jack, can you come to the stage, please?
    JT: Hello, everyone.
    My name is Jack Torrance, and I'm going to talk to you about hotel safety.

If only one initial is provided, substitute with a hash (#) symbol.

• M#: Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
  Jack, can you come to the stage, please?

If multiple speakers share the same set of initials, include a numeral after each.

• MC1: Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
  Jack, can you come to the stage, please?

If no name is provided from which you can include initials, use GENERIC GENDER NUMBERED 1

• TITLED NAME:
  Identify the speaker by their title and name. Note: Titles will need to be provided by the customer.
  • Dr. Calaway: Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
    Jack, can you come to the stage, please?
    Det. Torrance: Hello, everyone.
    My name is Jack Torrance, and I'm going to talk to you about hotel safety.

• ROLE:
  Identify the speaker by their role. Note: Use generic roles unless provided by the customer.
  • Officer: Our guest speaker today is Jack Torrance.
    Jack, can you come to the stage, please?
    Doctor: Hello, everyone.
    My name is Jack Torrance, and I'm going to talk to you about hotel safety.

Separators

Space - Place a single space between the end of the speaker identification and the dialogue.

Example:
>> Notice the space between the first N in this sentence and the speaker identification chevrons.

Colon - Place a colon immediately after the end of the speaker identification, followed by a space before the dialogue.

Example:
Dominique: Notice that there is no space between the speaker identification and the colon, but there is one before the dialogue.

Dash - Place a space followed by a dash immediately after the end of the speaker identification, followed by a space before the dialogue.

Example:
Dominique - Notice that there is a space before and after the dash, one after the speaker ID and one before the dialogue.

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Non-Words

Stutters

Involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases
Use the double dash to indicate stuttering:

EXAMPLES
I -- I -- I couldn't believe that you -- you would do that.
Let -- let -- let go of that bacon!

Non-Fluencies

Various breaks, irregularities, or non-lexical vocables which occur within the flow of otherwise fluent speech.
Generally, non-fluencies will be offset with commas.

Common Non-Fluencies: uh, erm, um

EXAMPLES
I, uh, went to the comedy show.
Um, um, um, that's what I did.

Filler

In Custom, fillers are defined as the phrases "you know," "I mean" and "like" when not grammatically necessary to the sentence. Fillers are wrapped in commas when required.

EXAMPLES
I mean, one does not simply walk into Mordor.
That's, you know, your prerogative.
Did it, like, hurt when you fell from Heaven?
I mean, do you, like, you know, want to go to the mall later?

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Snap-Ins

Snap-ins appear after a show and its credits have ended, generally after the program has faded to black. Snap-ins can include clips of the show, B-roll or placeholder graphics.

If a job calls for Snap-ins, simply continue transcribing content until the end of the file. If a job does not call for Snap-ins, transcribe through the end of the credits and once there is a fade to black, you're done.

Note: Be sure to double check the length of the file as reported by Video Formalizer includes all transcribeable content, including Snap-ins. If there is an issue, Report Length Mismatch and notify a CSL.

Audio OVER the credits (before the fade to black) should still be considered part of the show, and this audio always needs to be transcribed.

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Sound Markers

Definition

Sound Markers textually represent music, sound effects and non-verbal exclamation that is important to the narrative or style of a program.

If a job calls for the use of Sound Markers, follow the guidelines below. Otherwise, sounds should be omitted from the transcript.

Guidelines

Sounds need to be used, but used correctly and sparingly. Follow these guidelines to inform your decisions.

Include sound markers only for music or sound effects essential to the narrative, style, or action of the show.

Theme music at the beginning and end of the show would be essential to the style of the show, so a marker would be used. However, music that appears in the background of prize introductions or during a segue is not essential, so no marker would be used.

A ding to indicate a correct answer and a buzzer to indicate an incorrect answer would be essential to the narrative of the show, so a marker would be used. ONLY use a ding markers for a correct answer and a ONLY use buzzer marker for an incorrect answer. A sound effect to indicate some visual element appeared on screen, such as a timer or buzzing in to answer a question, is not essential to the narrative and would not be included.

Applause can be used when the audience is participating in the action of the show's narrative. For instance, if applause is being used to indicate the appeal of a prize, they are participating in the action of that contest, so a marker would be appropriate. The prolonged applause during a show's opening or closing segments (introduction or credits, generally) is not participatory, and no marker should be used.

Use generic, but specific descriptors. Eg revving, not car engine revving.

FORMAT

Inline

Inline sound effects are created when a person speaking is the creator of some non-verbal sound. For instance, clearing their throat as they nervously contemplate how to finish their sentence, or coughing.

Inline sound effects are formatted as a lower case word in the affirmative simple present tense surrounded by brackets. In less words, like so: [coughs].

These will appear within the dialogue that is being spoken as if they were their own word.

- Today, I was thinking about [coughs] going to the local community theater.

Standalone

Standalone sound effects are created when a sound of any origin is created that is not part of some dialogue already in process. For instance, someone saying that their car sounds good and then revving the engine. Or, someone completes a thought and then creates some kind of non-verbal sound, such as a cough.

Standalone sound effects are formatted in the present progressive tense surrounded immediately by spaces, then a bracket, where the first letter of the first word of the sound's description is capitalized. In less words: [ Revving ] or [ Coughing ].

Additionally, these sounds will be placed on their own line since they are not connected to ongoing dialogue.

- I've been beefing this car hog up lately. Take a listen.
[ Revving ]
- Oh, yeah. Oh, my, my.

Style Requirements

Containers

Brackets
Use brackets.

Example
[ Revving ]

Parenthesis
Use parenthesis

Example
( Revving )

Chevrons
Use single chevrons

Example
< Revving >

Formatting

Standard
Use all formatting rules outlined above, including differentiating between inline and standalone sound formatting.

Example
>> So I was [coughs] revving my engine like this.
[ Revving ]
>> That sounds really good.

Simplified
Uniformly lower case sound descriptors with no change in tense go inside containers above with additional spaces added.
>> So I was (coughs) revving my engine like this.
(revs)
>> That sounds really good.

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