The starting point for each new transcript is the Transcript Template. This section will explain the various worksheets on the template as well as the fields on each worksheet. It will also go over a few steps you may need to complete before you start transcribing.
Before you start transcribing it’s necessary to setup a working transcription environment. Transcription is done in Microsoft Excel, which provides a nice grid format for transcribing utterances (one per line) and annotating utterances in separate columns. There are three pieces you’ll need in additional to the Excel application itself: (1) the official transcript template (for generating properly formatted transcripts); (2) the project’s modified Autocorrect file (to avoid having Excel from automatically replacing certain characters); and (3) a set of AppleScript shortcuts (which provide certain key commands). The third item is not required but highly recommended and will make your transcription work both more efficient and less tedious.
Always use a transcript template to generate new transcript documents. A template creates a skeletal document with the appropriate worksheets and formatting, which you will then fill out when doing your transcription and coding. You can download the transcript template here. If you prefer, you can download an .xls version of the template here.
To help with the automated analysis of transcripts, it may be necessary to modify the Autocorrect file for Excel. When a transcriber writes something like “dont,” Excel automatically adds an apostrophe. The default file has a slightly different apostrophe (don’t) than the standard keyboard apostrophe (don’t). It’s a subtle difference, but enough to throw off the analysis software. If the Autocorrect file on your computer has not been modified (i.e. you are working on a new computer) please modify it to assist in the automated analysis process. You can download the Autocorrect file for Microsoft Office 2008 here. (If you’re using the older version of Excel you can download the Autocorrect file for Microsoft Office v.X here.) The download consists of a zip file. After downloading, double-click the zip file to expand it. You’ll then have a folder containing the Autocorrect file (“Microsoft Office ACL [English]”) and a “Read Me” file with instructions on how to install it.
The AppleScript shortcuts provide key-commands that help streamline the transcription process. There are seven shortcuts total: three for jumping between columns, three for adjusting playback speed, and one for inserting a timestamp.
To install the shortcuts, first download the zip archive containing them here. After downloading you’ll have a file named applescripts.zip. Unzip this archive and put the seven scripts in <YourHomeFolder>/Documents/Microsoft User Data/Excel Script Menu Items.
With the scripts now in place, restart Excel if you have it open. After restarting you should be able to use them.
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The Control key is usually in the far lower lefthand corner of the keyboard. Note that it’s distinct from the Command (a.k.a., puppy-paw) key.
Note
These shortcuts are set up for base level transcripts but can be easily be modified for transcripts with additional columns. (See Jason or Ben for assistance with this.)
When you generate a new transcript from a template you’ll first see the Info worksheet. This is where you’ll note general information about the transcription, such as the name of the transcriber, date of transcription, cast of characters present (and any nicknames used in the video), etc. It is critical that you fill out the Transcription Version No. field with the latest version number of the transcription guide you are now reading. This should be indicated at the top of the Revision History. For example, if the top line of the Revision History reads “Version 1.5”, you would fill out the Transcription Version No. field with 1.5.
Use the Notes field to record any idiosyncratic child speech and any unusual circumstances of the visit and/or video (e.g. father is PCG for this visit only, visit was cut short, etc). All notes should be contained in one cell, separating information with commas and semicolons where necessary.
Make a note in the Cute Moments field if you come across something cute that the subject’s family might like to have on a DVD. Include a timestamp and a very brief description of the moment. This field is optional, but if somebody eventually makes a Cute Moments DVD for the families, it would make their job easier. All cute moments should be contained in one cell, separating information with commas or semicolons where necessary. Maintaining the number of cells on the Info page is necessary to run programs to analyze transcripts.
Calculate and note the length in minutes of the transcribed spontaneous speech in the Total Time of Spontaneous Speech field. Due to unforeseen circumstances, visits are sometimes shorter than ninety minutes, which could have bearing on studies that use this data. Making a note of the actual length allows researchers to adjust their research accordingly. Simply type the two-digit length without any accompanying text (e.g. 90 or 54, NOT 90 min).
Place words that are not yet recognized by the spell-checker/validator in the New Words field. After completing a transcript, you must run spell-check. If there are words that are not recognized, but that you feel are real words, first check the Oxford English Dictionary or the LDP’s list of recognized words and standardized spellings to see whether you are simply misspelling them. If you cannot find a word in either place, discuss with other RAs and come to a consensus as to whether it is a (somewhat) widely recognized word that just happens to be missing from these repositories, or whether it is idiosyncratic to the child. In the former case, you may add this word to New Words field so that the validator recognizes it. In the latter case, transcribe the word with an @ symbol at the end of the word (see Section 6.1.1 for more on the @ symbol).
You should transcribe and annotate visit videos on the Transcript worksheet. This sheet is where you will transcribe parent and child utterances and do the first layer gesture coding, adding key codes, timestamps, and context where necessary.
Place timestamps for all gestures and for some key codes in the time column. Include the hour, minutes, and seconds of the gesture or key code (e.g. 0:12:34). You may also make a timestamp every few minutes, even if it is not required, to help you and other transcribers and coders later. See Section 2.10 for more on which key codes receive a timestamp.
Number each line sequentially in the line column. In Excel, simply enter a 1 in the first cell and a 2 in the second. Then highlight those two cells, move the cursor to the bottom right corner of the selection, click and drag down. Excel will fill in the remaining numbers. Make sure that each row has a unique line number and that no numbers have been skipped.
Place key codes for certain transcribing scenarios in the key column. For example, type * when the PCG is speaking to a sibling, v when the subject child is singing, or F when the father speaks and is PCG or co-PCG. Key codes are also used at five-minute intervals when there is any non-transcribed speech. See Sections 2.1 to 2.5, 2.8 to 2.10, 3.3, and 6.10 for more on key codes.
All appropriate PCG speech goes in the p_utts column, while all child speech goes in the c_utts column. For more on what to transcribe, see Section 2; the rest of this document outlines how to transcribe parent and child speech.
When coding gesture, mark the type of gesture in the p_form or c_form column. There is a comprehensive list of gesture forms on the LDP website. [Note: let’s replace the link to the google doc with a link to the transcript spec once we have the transcript spec deployed.]
Note the body part used to make the gesture in the p_lrb or c_lrb column. Mark whether the gesture was made with the left hand (L), right hand (R), both hands (B), left foot (LF), right foot (RF), head (H), or whole body (WB).
Note the object, if any, that was used or referred to in a gesture in the p_obj or c_obj column. A wide variety of things can be entered in this cell, as this is where you note the referent of deictic gestures (gestures referring to a person or object) or, occasionally, an object used in an iconic gesture.
Write the meaning of the gesture in the p_gloss or c_gloss column. For deictic gestures, this will usually be exactly the same as the obj column, with the exception of give/take object and non-literal points. For conventional gestures, there are agreed-upon glosses which you can find on the list of gesture forms [Note: Link to glosses for conventional gestures]. For iconic gestures, simply type in whatever you think the gesture is trying to convey.
Put information regarding the motion and orientation of certain gestures in the p_orient or c_orient column. Gestures with the form (cont) point, (cont) palm, and drag that are accompanied by touching or tapping receive touch or tap in this column. A palm gesture requires a description of the orientation of the palm (palm up, palm down, palm side, or palm out). A hold gesture can be accompanied by shake in the orient column. Finally, iconic and metaphoric gestures can be marked tracepath or traceshape.
When necessary, describe the appearance of gestures in the p_mspd or c_mspd column. This is required for iconic and metaphoric gestures. Since they are generally unique (i.e. not conventional), it helps to know what exactly the gesture looked like. After noting the gloss, give a concise description of the motion of the gesture.
If the meaning of an utterance is unclear, use the context column to describe circumstances relevant to it that are not readily inferable from the speech. This could be interactions that are not transcribed (e.g. from a sibling) that the child or parent responds to, situations which make an utterance unintelligible or which could help clarify an unintelligible utterance, or the name of a song that is sung but not transcribed. This column is also used in conjunction with the x and xc key codes every five minutes to describe overheard but non-transcribed speech. See Sections 2.3.3, 2.6.1, 2.8.1, 2.10, 3.4, and 7.6 for more on the context column.
A checklist of requirements for submitting a transcript can be found on the Checklist and Reminders worksheet. Make sure all of the items on the checklist are marked done before submitting each transcript. Simply click on a cell containing ---, click on the drop-down list, and select done.