Custom transcription involves capturing precisely what is said. Because the way people use informal language is varied and nuanced, you must pay attention to context at all times. The context will often determine what punctuation, capitalization, spelling and formatting you use.

Developing the skills to maintain contextual awareness of the dialogue you're listening to while proofreading what you are typing (instead of watching the video) is the foundation to becoming a successful Custom scribe.

Core Concepts

- Transcribe all dialogue as spoken.
- Always seek to produce an original, accurate transcription.
- Use standard American English spellings.
- Use Content Markers as appropriate.
- Verify Special Content as you encounter it.
- Do not depend on Quality Assurance to fix errors.

Tips

- It's faster to quickly verify your spelling via Google while you're transcribing than during spellcheck.
- Fix spelling errors as you go, not all at the end.
- Be especially aware of homophones and punctuation as you transcribe. It's very easy to incorrectly scribe "its" as "it's" or put a period at the end of a sentence that should be punctuated with a question mark.
- Do not transcribe dialogue that is already subtitled on screen. Refer to the section above for details on how to handle foreign content.
- You should always verify brand names using Google. Never assume you know the stylization of a brand name because it is common in everyday speech.
- Before you begin scribing, familiarize yourself with the job type instructions and reference sheet if any. This contains much of the information you will need about a show, saving you research time.
- Keep in mind job type instructions and reference sheets take precedence over our general standards. For example, if a number would be written out according to general standards but the reference sheet says to use figures, use figures according to the reference sheet.
- It can be difficult at first to determine what may be considered background noise that can be omitted. Always keep context in mind. If it adds to or changes the context, it needs to be captured.