Academic Transcription: Considerations and Recommendations on outsourcing to internet-based transcription services Presented at QRWEBA2011 conference in Macau SAR

1. QRWEB Asia 2011
1st Asia-Pacific conference on Qualitative Research in Web 2.0
University of Macau, 22 & 23 Feb Macau, China
Academic Transcription:
Considerations and Recommendations on
outsourcing to internet-based transcription
services
Garry Tan
MEd. Mgt. with Dist. (UWA), BTech. ID (Monash) & Dip.Arch.Tech. (Singapore Polytechnic)
Doctoral Candidate, Doctor in Education (EdD)
Graduate School of Education (GSE), University of Western Australia (UWA), Australia.
Senior Lecturer
School of Design (SDN), Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), Singapore.

2. Key Takeaways
"Singaporeans are the most culinary homesick people in the world." - Calvin Trillin
1. More research on transcription as
part of methodology needed (1c)
2. Impact of transcription on
qualitative research (2e)
3. Justification of internet-based
transcription services (4f)
COVER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

3. OVERVIEW
1. INTRODUCTION
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
3. METHODOLOGY
4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION
5. SUMMARY & CONCLUSION
COVER QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

4. 1. INTRODUCTION
a)Globalization (background)
b)Singapore (background)
c)Problems identified
d)Research Context
e)Research Scope
f) Benefits

5. 1a. Globalization
Globalization & Impact of Technology
 Multifaceted, liberal, and liberating process
 Shift from international to transnational
networks of trade, investment & finance
 Easy access to information, technology and
entertainment,
 Creates a level competitive level playing field in
the global marketplace.
 Creates cultural corridors…
OVERVIEW 1. INTRODUCTION

6. 1b. Singapore
Singapore’s Developmental Approach
 1960s: Independence & Economic Uncertainty
 1970s: Skills Intensive Industries
 1980s: Information Technology & High Tech. Indus.
 1990s: Technology and Service Industries
 2000s: Innovation, Knowledge & R&D
Need for Talents in Higher Education
 Focus on R&D, Need for all kinds of Talents
 Internationalization of Higher Education
2nd Most “Cool” (Geek) Nation on Earth
 Straits Times, 23rd Jan 2011
OVERVIEW 1. INTRODUCTION

7. 1c. Problems
In general, researchers point out that not enough
research is done on transcription and its influence
as part of the qualitative research paradigm
(Brooks, 2010; Lapadat, 1998; Oliver, 2005;
Tilley, 2002)
According to Tilley 2002: Transcribers
 Have little knowledge about transcription
(experience),
 Researchers often don’t communicate with them
(communication),
 Face many challenges in completing their work
(resources), and
 They had to make “on-the-spot” decisions about
transcribing (Value-added).
OVERVIEW Key Takeaway 1. INTRODUCTION

8. 1d. Research Context
 Part of Doctoral Study
 Paradigm: Qualitative
 Focus: Design Leadership &
Management
 Industry: Creative, Applied Arts
Stream, Product Design Specialisation
 Method: Case study, Interviews
 Triangulation: Focus group
OVERVIEW 1. INTRODUCTION

9. 1e. Research Scope
 Limited to transcriptions in the context of:
 Denaturalised/ Generic/ Academic Transcription
“speech to text” and not “on conversion to phonetic
or phonemic symbols”
 Doctoral Research, Qualitative Paradigm
 Mostly In-depth Interviews (one to one) and Focus
group interviews (many)
 Unsponsored Graduate Student (Value-for-money,
money is a limitation) in Singapore
 Already has resources, such as computers,
broadband service with wireless network and digital
recording devices
 Willing to verify data after transcription process
OVERVIEW 1. INTRODUCTION

10. 1f. Benefits
 People most likely to benefit
 Postgraduates/scholars currently in
doctoral programs
 Postgraduates/scholars who will or are
currently conducting research in the
qualitative paradigm
 Researchers/scholars who are interested
in current trends in academic
transcription and its services
OVERVIEW 1. INTRODUCTION

11. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW
a)Keywords & Definitions:
“Out-sourcing” & “Web-based Services”
b)Keywords & Definitions:
“Denaturalised Transcription”
c) Transcription Categories
d)Impact of Transcription

12. 2a. Definitions
According to Wikipedia & Dictionary.com:
 Out-Sourcing
 “Outsourcing is often viewed as involving the contracting
out of a business function - commonly one previously
performed in-house - to an external provider”
 “to subcontract out (jobs, services, etc)”
 Internet-based Companies/ Web-based Services
 “A dot-com company, or simply a dot-com, is a company
that does most of its business on the Internet, usually
through a website that uses the popular top-level domain,
".com" (in turn derived from the word "commercial")”
 “of, relating to, or using the world wide web: web-based
applications”
OVERVIEW 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

13. 2b. “Denaturalised”
According to Wikipedia & Dictionary.com
 Transcription/ Transcribing
 “the process of converting speech into written or electronic
text documents”
 “to make a written copy, especially a typewritten copy (of
dictated material, notes taken during a lecture, or other
spoken materials)”
 Denaturalised Transcription (Oliver, 2005)
 Transcription practices…two modes: naturalism, in which
every utterance is transcribed in as much detail as possible,
and
 Denaturalism, in which idiosyncratic elements of speech
(eg. Stutters, pauses, nonverbals, involuntary vocalisations)
are removed. Denaturalised transcripts suggest that within
speech are meanings and perceptions that construct reality
(Cameron, 2001).
OVERVIEW 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

14. 2c. Transcription Types
Review of Transcription Service Types
 Generic/ Academic
 Speeches, Presentations, Lectures, Seminars, Conferences,
Interviews & Dissertation research (one-to-one)
 Focus-groups and Panel Discussions (many)
 Business & Finance
 Dictation, Phone calls, Correspondences and Reports (one-to-one)
 Conference calls, Meetings, Market research (many)
 Audio-Visual Media
 Digital Podcasts, Streamed Sermons, Television Programmes, Media
(audio) productions, Documentaries, Televised Interviews
 Medical
 Forensic, Medical
 Legal
 Legal deposition and judicial (may include translations too)
OVERVIEW 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

15. 2d. Transcription Impact
Transcription and its impact on
Qualitative Research.
 Transcription is not data, it
 Is a methodological process
 Is “first level” interpretation
 Influenced by Transcribers' abilities &
skills, orientation, perception &
interpretation, and
 Influences researchers’ view on data.
OVERVIEW 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

16. 3. METHODOLOGY
a)Survey Process
b)Keywords Used in Search
c) Email ITQ Format
d)Email ITQ Specifications
e)Email ITQ Information
OVERVIEW 4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

17. 3a. Survey Process
 Wed, 28 Jul 2010 to Fri, 18 Jun 2010
 1: Information Search (Concurrent)
 Keyword Searches
 Good Practices
 Digital Recording
 2: Email Invitation to Quote (EITQ)
 3: Compile Costing & Criteria
 4: Repeat (Saturation or Timed-out)
OVERVIEW 3. METHODOLOGY

18. 3b. Keywords Used
 Keyword Search with Google Search
 First Set: Transcription related
 “Transcription Services”, “Academic Transcription”,
“Freelance Transcription”, “Doctoral Transcription”,
“Transcriptionist Singapore”
 Second Set: Practice related
 “Good practices in Transcription”, “Transcription practices”,
“How to do a proper transcription for interviews”
 Third Set: Recording device related
 “Selecting the best recording device for interviews”, “digital
recording devices for interviews”, “recording interviews”,
“recording devices for transcription”
OVERVIEW 3. METHODOLOGY

19. 3c. Email ITQ (Format)
Email Invitation to Quote (EITQ)
 Standard email format used for all
quotation.
 Contacted the following:
 3 Freelance (SG, Non-Professional)
 6 SG Companies (Professional)
 2 Global Companies (Professional)
 4 Internet Companies (Mixed)
 1 Web-based Company (Mixed)*
 Respond between 24 hrs to 14 days
 Responses consolidated in Yahoo! Mail.
*www.freelancer.com
OVERVIEW 3. METHODOLOGY

20. 3d. Email ITQ – (Specs.)
 Specifications:
 One Case (5 segments) approx 180 mins.
 Language: English (Singapore)
 Accent: Singaporean/ Neutral (English as first
language)
 Format: Clear Digital Recording, MP3 Upload
 Transcription Type: Generic/ Academic
 No time coding required
 Turn Around Time (TAT): Standard 3-5 days
 Quotation for:
 1) Per Project (All 30 interviews, 1 interview=90 mins)
 2) Per Audio Minute (PAM)
 Interpolation for:
 Case Study of 5 segments (1 case = 180 minutes)
OVERVIEW 3. METHODOLOGY

21. 3e. Email ITQ (Info.)
 Additional Information requested
of companies regarding:
 Assurance on Confidentiality for Project
 Training & Experience of Transcriptionist
 Data Upload & Backup Charges (if any)
 Preferred working process (if any)
 Unstated or additional charges
 Discounts for Graduate Students
OVERVIEW 3. METHODOLOGY

22. 4. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION
a) General Practice
b) Service Quality: Skills &
Confidentiality
c) Service Quality: Reliability & Value
d) Costing Factors
e) Info Consolidation
f) Justification for Internet-based
Transcription Services (IBTS)
OVERVIEW 5. SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

23. 4a. General Practice
General Practice/ Expectations:
 Client responsible for Checking/ Proofing transcripts
 Quotation does not include Time stamping or using
Structured transcription formats, additional costs applies
 Transcriptionist (at their discretion) will “drop” segments
which they consider irrelevant (habits of speech,
grammatical errors, announcements and end remarks etc.),
irreverent (the use of strong language like swearing etc.) or
inaudible (background noise, two person talking at once,
mumbling etc).
 The definition of “poor recording” can be arbitrary (can be
defined as anything from accent, background noise, and
interruptions)
OVERVIEW 4. FINDINGS & DISUCSSION

24. 4b. Skills/ Confidentiality
 Service Quality defined as:
 Skills of Transcriptionist (experience)
 Adequately trained (with certification)
 Comprehend different accents (Singlish?)
 Adapt to different layout & transcription styles
 Accuracy of Transcripts (is it really 99%?)
 Confidentiality & Ethics (communication)
 Written/ published guarantee of confidentiality
 Database Backup and 128-bit Encryption
 Ethical Standards (HIPPA)
OVERVIEW 4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

25. 4c. Reliability/ Value
 Service Quality defined as:
 Service Reliability (Resources for Transcribers)
 24-7/365 service or as little down time as possible,
similarly company protocol don’t get in the way
 Flexible Turn-around-time (TAT)
 Accept different audio-video files
 Easy Web-based File upload, preferably free as part of
the overall service experience
 Service Value (Transcriber’s value)
 Easy project costing & payment, no complex fee
structure and payment methods or schedules
 Friendly/ Can negotiate/ Adaptable (no barriers)
 Based in Singapore, preferably
 Bonus: Allow service trials, Group discounts, Graduate
student price
OVERVIEW 4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

26. 4d. Costing Factors
Factors that increases transcription costs – not in
any order:
 Accent: Neutral accent preferred
 Difficulty/ Effort: Quality of Recording,
Amount of background noise
 Format: Specialized layout
 Format: Wave (Expensive), MP3 (Cheaper)
 Time Code: Time Stamping
 Turn-Around-Time: Less is more!
 Vocabulary: Technical or Medical
OVERVIEW 4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

27. 4e. Info. Consolidation
1. Local Freelance
 No response even after survey period, mix group, whenever they are free,
confidentiality?, have to know them personally (i.e. via recommendations)
2. “Brick & Mortar” Singapore Companies
 Most expensive (S$420 per transcript), professional skills, not 24/7,
confidentiality, managers may be transcribers themselves (many years of
working experience)
3. “Brick & Mortar” Global Companies
 Competitive pricing (S$360 per transcript), professional skills, not 24/7,
confidentiality, professional qualifications/ certifications (typing, transcribing,
secretarial, etc)
4. Internet-based Companies
 Value for money (S$120 per transcript), “internally trained transcribers”,
“Assured Confidentiality”, 24/7, “manager will relay message with
transcribers/researchers”
5. Internet-based Freelance
 Prices can vary with experience (S$50 per transcript or US$10 per audio
hour), flexible arrangements, quality depends on individuals (training), may
not be able to contact transcribers freely
OVERVIEW 4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

28. 4f. Justification for IBTS
Contrasted with traditional transcription:
 Experience (good)
 Internally trained, experience sharing good
 Communication (excellent)
 responsive (reply within 6 hrs)
 accommodating (only after a while)
 open, questions gets answered
 Resources (acceptable)
 fast (3 to 4 days TAT)
 Did not deliver on time (i.e. 5 days max)
 Service Value (balance)
 Reliable Transcripts with acceptable margins of error
(accent – Singlish, context or names of people, like Mr. Sim = Mr. Singh)
OVERVIEW 4. FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

29. 5. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION
a. Summary of Presentation
b. Future Needs
c. Conclusion
OVERVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

30. 5a. Summary
Three Takeaways:
1. More research on transcription
as part of methodology needed
(1c)
2. Impact of transcription on
qualitative research (2e)
3. Justification of internet-based
transcription services (4f)
OVERVIEW 5. SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

31. 5b. Improvements
According to Tilley 2002 Area for Improvements
 Have little knowledge about  Shared “on-the-job
transcription (experience), experiences” contrasted
with professional
 Researchers often don’t certifications
communicate with them  Allows limited or indirect
(communication), communication with
transcribers
 Face many challenges in  Challenges remains,
completing their work
(resources), and transcriber’s resources are
not transparent
 They had to make “on-the-  Value-added work mostly
spot” decisions about accurate but checking by
transcribing (Value-added). researchers compulsory
OVERVIEW 5. SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

32. 5c. Conclusion
 More Research: Although transcription is located within the
qualitative paradigm, approaches to transcription and its processes
may involves a paradigm that can influence the integrity of the
research.
 Impact of Transcription: Researchers should incorporate reflection
into their research design by interrogating their transcription
decisions and the possible impact these decisions may have on
participants and research outcomes (Oliver, 2005).
 Justification: Internet-based transcription services provides
researchers a reliable and a value-for-money service alternative if
they are going for denaturalised transcription that does not involve
sensitive topics. Transcripts are representations of the recording
and the actual interview. Verification with the audio recording and
any documentation taken during the interview will help with a
better understanding.
OVERVIEW 5. SUMMARY & CONCLUSION

33. References
BROOKS, C. (2010) Embodied Transcription: A creative method for
using voice-recognition software. The Qualitative Report, 15, 1227-
1241.
FORBAT, L. & HENDERSON, J. (2005) Theoretical and practical
reflections on sharing transcripts with participants. Qualitative
Health Research, 15, 1114-1128.
GIVEN, L. M. (2004) Mini-disc recorders: A new approach for qualitative
interviewing. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 3.
LANE, V. (1996) Typist's influences on transcription: Aspects of feminist
nursing epistemic rigour. Nursing Inquiry, 3, 159-166.
LAPADAT, J. C. & LINDSAY, A. C. (1998) Examining Transcription: A
theory-laden methodology. American Educational Research
Association. San Diego, CA.
OLIVER, D. G., SEROVICH, J. M. & MASON, T. L. (2005) Constraints and
opportunities with interview transcription: Towards reflection in
qualitative research. Social Forces, 84, 1273-1289.
TILLEY, S. A. & POWICK, K. D. (2002) Distanced data: Transcribing
other people's research tapes. Canadian Journal of Education, 27,
291-310.

34. Question & Answer?
Garry Tan
MEd. Mgt. with Dist. (UWA), BTech. ID (Monash) & Dip.Arch.Tech. (Singapore Polytechnic)
Doctoral Candidate, Doctor in Education (EdD)
Graduate School of Education (GSE),
University of Western Australia (UWA)
Australia
School of Design (SDN),
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
Singapore
garrytan@yahoo.com
65-81801367
COVER OVERVIEW

35. Presented at the Asia-Pacific conference on
Qualitative Research in Web 2.0
22 & 23 Feb 2011, Macau SAR
For more information
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