How to Summarize Anthropological Data in to an Oral History Transcription

Oral history involves holding interviews with people having direct knowledge of past events to keep an accurate account of what actually happened. These interviews have a critical role to play in anthropological research. By interacting with experts and individuals with first-hand knowledge of historical events, anthropologists can understand the viewpoints of ancient people and record them for future generations. They can use this as a tool to study and understand individuals and societies. In modern settings, oral history interviews are recorded using a recording device and then transcribed later as a part of research transcription.

Recording oral history interviews helps anthropologists save valuable time and effort that they may have to spend taking notes. They can focus on the expressions and actions of the interviewee without any interruption at the time of interview, and engage with them in a more effective manner. However, oral history transcription for anthropological research is usually more complicated than just capturing each and every word of an individual. This is because every day speech contains irregular grammar, filler words (uhs, ums and ahs) and false starts. Unusual accents are another major challenge. The transcripts should serve as readable documents that maintain the integrity of what a person said more than ensuring that every word spoken is transcribed. Here are some of the important considerations when transcribing oral history for your research.

Writing Summary

Oral history interviewing simply involves collecting primary data. Since these interviews are not scripted and unpredictable, the information collected may or may not be relevant to your topic or provide added or new insights. The summaries should be prepared to highlight the information that is most relevant to your topic. Summaries preserve the context, which is very important for anthropological research. Here are some effective tips for creating summaries.

>> Listen to the recording carefully and note the important points

>> Organize your information in a logical order (for example, chronologically)

>> While revising your summary, ask yourself whether you have rephrased the interviewee’s words without changing their meaning and whether any additional information need to be included for clarifying the context

>> Check whether the things that may be politically sensitive are appropriate in the summary

Dealing with Crucial Elements of a Research Interview

>> Dialect – Avoid using phonetic spelling to indicate dialect. For example, you should use ‘yes’ for ‘yeah’ and ‘going to’ for ‘gonna.’ It is acceptable to transcribe ungrammatical language like ‘Ain’t’ in certain instances. Slangs such as ‘y’all’ are also acceptable, very occasionally. However, it should not be used extensively.

>> False Starts – False start is when a person starts to express a thought, but doesn’t complete. Take a look at this. "I was in a boat with my -. The rain started drizzling when I was in the boat." The sentence in italics is an example for a false start. Do not add false starts in your transcripts.

>> Inaudible Passages – If you can’t make out the words even after listening to the audio multiple times, indicate that in the text by adding brackets around the word ‘inaudible.’ For example, you can transcribe "The rain started [inaudible] when I was in the boat," if the word ‘drizzling’ is not very clear.

>> Non-Verbal – Non-verbal communications such as gestures and emotions should be indicated by italicized text surrounded by brackets. For example, "More than half of our rich vegetations were ruined in the unexpected storm [sighing] and we are trying to re-build our houses." In case of pauses, you can indicate that using the word ‘break’ in all caps with brackets (for example, [BREAK])

>> Profanity – The need to include or exclude profanity is based upon the publication type and audience. These words are significant to transcription in the sense that they communicate the force with which a particular point is expressed.

Consider having the oral history interview transcription carried out by experienced and skilled transcriptionists to ensure accuracy. They can help you write accurate summaries, and include relevant information in the correct format. They will use standard formatting and punctuations to make your transcript legible, standardized and complete.

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