Constraints and Opportunities with Interview Transcription: Towards Reflection in Qualitative Research

TLDR

Transcription is a powerful act of representation that can be performed naturally, capturing every utterance, or denaturally, correcting grammar and standardizing accents. The paper examines the constraints and opportunities of transcription choices and proposes incorporating reflection into research design to assess their impact on participants and outcomes.

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the complexities of interview transcription. While often seen as a behind-the-scenes task, we suggest that transcription is a powerful act of representation. Transcription is practiced in multiple ways, often using naturalism, in which every utterance is captured in as much detail as possible, and/or denaturalism, in which grammar is corrected, interview noise (e.g., stutters, pauses, etc.) is removed and non- standard accents (i.e., non-majority) are standardized. In this article, we discuss the constraints and opportunities of our transcription decisions and point to an intermediate, reflective step. We suggest that researchers incorporate reflection into their research design by interrogating their transcription decisions and the possible impact these decisions may have on participants and research outcomes.