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Interview transcription: conceptual issues, practical guidelines, and

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 ISSNe: 2182.2883 | ISSNp: 0874.0283
THEORETICAL PAPER/ESSAY Available://doi.org/10.12707/RIV17018

ARTIGO TEÓRICO/ENSAIO

Interview transcription: conceptual issues, practical

guidelines, and challenges
Transcrever entrevistas: questões conceptuais, orientações práticas e desafios
Transcripción de entrevistas: cuestiones conceptuales, orientaciones prácticas y desafíos
Vanessa Azevedo*; Margarida Carvalho**; Flávia Fernandes-Costa***; Soraia Mesquita****; Joana Soares*****;
Filipa Teixeira******; Ângela Maia*******

Abstract
Background: Interviews are a common practice for gathering information in scientific studies. Although there is an extensive work
about how to conduct and analyze an interview, transcription has usually remained a minor issue. Transcribing is the transformation
of oral speech into a written and meaningful text that includes relevant information from the interview and that can be analyzed.
Objectives: This article addresses and discusses the main conceptual and practical issues, as well as the main challenges involved in
interview transcription, using an integrative approach.
Main topics under analysis: What is the definition of transcription? Which types of transcripts exist? What content must be
transcribed? How should an interview be transcribed? What special measures should be taken during a transcription? What are the
main difficulties?
Conclusion: Given the lack of universal protocols or rules for transcription, researchers should state their practices and decisions,
which may influence data analysis.
Keywords: methodology; qualitative research; interviews as topic; nonverbal communication; verbal behavior

Resumo Resumen
Enquadramento: A recolha de informação através de en- Marco contextual: La recogida de información a través
trevistas é uma estratégia de investigação comum, existindo de entrevistas es una estrategia de investigación común, y
vasta literatura sobre a realização e a análise das mesmas. Con- existe una vasta literatura sobre la realización y el análisis
trariamente, a transcrição tem sido um tema secundarizado,
embora não irrelevante. Transcrever consiste na transformação de las mismas. Por el contrario, la transcripción ha sido
de um discurso oral num texto escrito com significado, que hasta ahora un tema secundario, aunque no irrelevante.
possa ser analisado e que contenha as informações relevantes Transcribir consiste en transformar un discurso oral en un
da entrevista. texto escrito con significado, que pueda ser analizado y que
Objetivos: Abordam-se e discutem-se as questões concep- contenga las informaciones relevantes de la entrevista.
tuais, pragmáticas e desafios inerentes à transcrição de entre- Objetivos: Se abordan y se discuten las cuestiones concep-
vistas, numa perspetiva integradora. tuales, pragmáticas y desafíos inherentes a la transcripción
Principais tópicos em análise: O que se entende por trans- de entrevistas, en una perspectiva integradora.
crever? Que tipos de transcrições existem? O que é que se
transcreve e como é que transcreve uma entrevista? Que cuida- Principales temas de análisis: Qué se entiende por transcri-
dos devem ser salvaguardados quando transcrevermos? Quais bir? Qué tipos de transcripciones existen? Qué se transcribe y
são as principais dificuldades de se transcrever? cómo transcribe una entrevista? Qué cuidados deben tenerse
Conclusão: Reconhecendo a inexistência de protocolos ou re- al transcribir? Cuáles son las principales dificultades de trans-
gras universais para transcrever, importa que os investigadores cribir?
explicitem as suas práticas e decisões, as quais poderão influen- Conclusión: Puesto que reconocemos que no existen pro-
ciar a análise de dados. tocolos o reglas universales para transcribir, es importante
Palavras-chave: metodologia; pesquisa qualitativa; entrevis- que los investigadores expliciten las prácticas y decisiones
tas como assunto; comunicação não verbal; comportamento que pueden influir en el análisis de datos.
verbal
Palabras clave: metodología; investigación cualitativa; entre-
*MSc., Doctoral Student, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal [[email protected].
pt]. Contribution to the article: content synthesis and organization and elaboration of a prelimi- vistas como asunto; comunicación no verbal; conducta verbal
nary version of the manuscript, approval of the final version. Address for correspondence: Escola
de Psicologia, Campus de Gualtar, Universidade do Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
**MSc., Psychologist, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal [mar-
[email protected]]. Contribution to the article: content synthesis and organization
and elaboration of a preliminary version of the manuscript, approval of the final version.
***MSc., Psychologist, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal [fla-
[email protected]]. Contribution to the article: content synthesis and organization
and elaboration of a preliminary version of the manuscript, approval of the final version.
****12th grade, Psychology student, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga,
Portugal [[email protected]]. Contribution to the article: content synthesis and organi-
zation and elaboration of a preliminary version of the manuscript, approval of the final version.
*****12th grade, Psychology student, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga,
Portugal [[email protected]]. Contribution to the article: content synthesis and organi-
zation and formulation of a preliminary version of the manuscript, approval of the final version.
******Ph.D., Psychologist, Research Grant Holder, School of Psychology, University of Minho,
4710-057, Braga, Portugal [[email protected]]. Contribution to the article: discussion
and review of the preliminary version of the manuscript, approval of the final version.
******* Ph.D., Assistant Professor, School of Psychology, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Received for publication: 06.03.17
Portugal [[email protected]]. Contribution to the article: discussion and review of the
preliminary version of the manuscript, approval of the final version. Accepted for publication: 22.05.17

Revista de Enfermagem Referência Série IV - n.º 14 - JUL./AGO./SET. 2017

pp. 159 - 168

Introduction is an important research task and that, for
this reason, it should not be regarded as a
The attempt to further explore the how and mere technical detail between the interview
the whys of a given phenomenon requires and data analysis, as it seems to be treated
providing a framework for a qualitative in most cases. More specifically, in the
research. Qualitative approaches focus on qualitative studies published in the Journal
the study of the meanings attributed by of Nursing Referência, only five of them
individuals to certain life experiences, thus have more detailed information about
making use of a type of knowledge that the transcription step (e.g., Camarneiro,
often cannot be quantitatively measured Maciel, & Silveira, 2015). This pattern
or that becomes insufficient when reduced can also be found at the international
to variable operationalization (Creswell, context (e.g., Anna Nery School Journal of
2013). Qualitative research asserts itself in Nursing). This scenario reflects the trend
the complete and complex description and in the literature about transcripts, which is
interpretation of subjective meanings and significantly disproportionate and dispersed
processes attributed to everyday experiences when compared to the other steps. Even if
and practices, in a logic of discovery, focusing it seems easy to answer questions, such as
on the actors/subjects’ perspectives and life What is meant by transcribing? How do we
contexts, that is, studying and interpreting transcribe? Which measures should be taken?
the phenomena in their natural environment What are the challenges?, the answers are
(Creswell, 2013; Silverman, 2013). unlikely to be consensual and will certainly
The use of qualitative methodologies is be shaped by individual learning experiences.
increasingly necessary in health sciences, Consequently, it is understandable that
not only as a way to achieve an in-depth the same interview can be transcribed in
understanding of the core of human experience different ways by different people or even
and the meanings attributed by individuals by the same person at different times, or
to their health and disease experiences, but due to different goals. Taking into account
also as a way to promote the humanization of that group work and research is increasing
the health-illness process, enhance evidence- and that the interviewer and the transcriber
based practice, and facilitate change at can be different people or even that there
personal and governmental levels (Taylor & may be more than one transcriber, it
Francis, 2013). The interest in qualitative becomes imperative to convert idiosyncratic
methodologies is evident by the increasing experiences into a set of shared principles
number of qualitative studies published in and practices.
the Journal of Nursing Referência: from 10 Given the complexities inherent to
studies between 2010 and 2012 to 24 studies transcription (e.g., Mergenthaler & Stinson,
between 2013 and 2016. 1992) and the scarce literature on the
In qualitative studies, knowledge can be topic, it is important to emphasize this
acquired by using different types of materials, intermediate step, exploring in more depth
such as photos, texts, field observation, the multiple tasks and continuous decisions
among others. However, interviews are made not only at the conceptual but also
the most widely used method for the pragmatic level. Therefore, this article aims
comprehensive and wide-ranging collection to identify, analyze, and discuss the main
of meanings attributed to phenomena conceptual issues, practical guidelines, and
(Ritchie, Lewis, Nicholls, & Ormston, challenges inherent to transcription, in order
2014). Therefore, a significant number of to understand the entire process. Given the
researchers in the health area have probably pragmatic nature of the contents addressed,
already transcribed an interview or worked whenever relevant, they will be illustrated
with transcripts, which is why the main topic using a practical example from the process
of this article is not unfamiliar, especially of transcribing verbatim and in full 12
from an experiential point of view. interviews, which were conducted as part of
Bazeley (2013) emphasizes that transcription a study carried out in the northern region of

Interview transcription: conceptual issues, practical guidelines,

Revista de Enfermagem Referência - IV - n.º 14 -2017 and challenges

160
the country on nurses’ beliefs, attitudes, and argues that “transcription is a process that
practices towards obesity and obese people is theoretical, selective, interpretive, and
in primary health care. representational”. Thus, it seems reasonable
to acknowledge that transcribing is far
from being an objective, impersonal, and
Development mechanized task. Instead, it consists of the
apprehension of what is said and how it is
Conceptual issues said in order to understand the meanings
Types of Interview (Bailey, 2008; Stuckey, 2014).
According to the adaptation of Halcomb and
Davidson (2006) based on the typology of Types of transcripts: naturalized versus
Tashakkori and Teddlie (2003), interviews denaturalized
can be located on a continuum that ranges According to some authors (Bucholtz,
from a purely quantitatively approach to a 2000; Oliver, Serovich, & Mason, 2005),
purely qualitative approach, varying in terms interview transcription is represented in a
of structure, flexibility, and interviewer/ continuum with two poles, which Bucholtz
interviewee interaction pattern. (2000) has termed naturalized versus
Regardless of the type of interview, audio denaturalized (it should be noted that the
recording is a current practice since it has literature may contain verbatim or integral
many advantages for both the interviewer and transcription (Schegloff, 1997) versus
the interviewee (Halcomb & Davidson, 2006; selective transcription as synonyms), that
Stuckey, 2014). Subsequently, the interviews correspond to different perspectives on the
of a more qualitative nature are transcribed representation of language.
before being analyzed with the purpose of The naturalized transcription corresponds
minimizing the limitations associated with to the thorough transcription of what is
the mere intuition and recall of information said and how it is said, and advocates the
and the individual biases (e.g., prejudices; preservation of the different elements of the
Naz, n.d.). Furthermore, according to this interview other than the verbal content, such
author, transcription allows the repeated as non-verbal language, contextual aspects,
and detailed observation of the course and and the interaction between interviewer
content of the interview, the sharing of this and interviewee (or third parties involved;
information with others, and reuse or re- Oliver et al., 2005). On the other hand,
examination of the data in other projects or according to these authors, denaturalized
according to other objectives. transcription prioritizes the verbal speech
and focuses on the omission of idiosyncratic
Definitions of transcription speech elements, such as stutters, pauses,
According to Halcomb and Davidson involuntary vocalizations, and non-verbal
(2006, p. 38), transcription is the process of language, thus presenting itself as a more
“reproducing spoken words, such as those polished and selective transcription.
from an audiotaped interview, into written
text”; however, since it is not restricted to Practical guidelines
the simple act of listening and writing, there The process of transforming oral speech into
are more complex definitions. For example, written words is associated with a diverse set
some authors consider that “representing of challenges, which can be overcome with a
audible talk as written words requires careful and meticulous planning about how
reduction, interpretation and representation to proceed (Lapadat, 2000). Considering
to make the written text readable and that the practical guidelines refer to differ-
meaningful” (Bailey, 2008, p. 127); in this ent aspects of the transcription process, we
way, “transcripts are not therefore neutral decided to organize them into steps. After
records of events, but reflect researchers’ reviewing the suggestions of other authors
interpretations of data” (Bailey, 2008, p. (e.g., Halcomb & Davidson, 2006; McLel-
129). In summary, Davidson (2009, p. 37) lan, MacQueen, & Neidig, 2003), we pro-

VANESSA AZEVEDO et al. Revista de Enfermagem Referência - IV - n.º 14 -2017

161
pose a 6-step procedure: Prepare, know, it is a free tool, available online, that allows
write, edit, review, and finish, which will working in a single window and using
be described below (along with examples features such as pausing, rewinding, and
shown in Table 1). slowing down the recording; Prepare the
Step 1. Prepare coversheet (McLellan et al. 2003), including
In an initial phase, it is essential to ensure a basic information on the context of the
set of basic measures to guarantee that there interview and the interviewee, in order to
will be setbacks along the way. Therefore, facilitate the transcriber’s first contact with
it is essential to: Make backup copies the recording. In addition, the cover sheet
of the recordings and keep the original can also work as a means of communication
recordings on different storage devices; between the interviewer and the transcriber
create an identification system that will (Table 1); Identify the interviewer and
allow associating the recording file with the interviewee and select a transcription
the transcription document (Table 1); and scheme: given that there are different ways
establish the location where the material to identify those involved in an interview
for the transcription will be stored, as well and their interaction, it is essential to define
as the resulting transcripts. Nowadays, in advance the schemes to be implemented
with the dispersion of material throughout (Table 1); Define the type of transcription,
multiple mobile devices (e.g., flash drives) namely naturalized versus denaturalized,
and online storage (e.g., clouds), it is because they will ultimately lead to different
important to pay particular attention to products. While some authors believe that
information sharing and ensuring that no most qualitative analyses do not benefit from
external person has access to the contents. a transcription that includes pauses, false
It is also essential to gather the required starts, repeated sentences, interruptions,
materials for the transcription, and, or encouragement, and advocate their
obviously, have access to the recordings and exclusion (Sandelowski, 1994) in order to
to a device for listening to them. When ensure that the transcription process focuses
transcribing without technology, only paper on the accuracy of the information content
and pen/pencil are necessary; however, the (Stuckey, 2014), other authors recommend
use of technologies is the most common the inclusion of contextual and non-verbal
strategy and requires a computer and a information, because they believe that what
word processor (e.g., Microsoft® Word). is not said is as relevant as what is actually
Alternatively, headphones, foot pedals, and said (Bazeley, 2013; Richards, 2014). In line
an external mouse and keyboard (in the case with McLellan et al. (2003), we believe that
of laptops) can also be used. In addition, it the content to be included should derive
may be beneficial to use specific software from the research question and the method
since it offers a set of tools that facilitate and of data analysis, which should guide the
optimize the task. NCH® Express Scribe, definition of the relevant aspects for the
for example, has very attractive advantages: transcription (Table 1).

Interview transcription: conceptual issues, practical guidelines,

Revista de Enfermagem Referência - IV - n.º 14 -2017 and challenges

162
Table 1
Some practical guidelines and examples

Steps Practical Guidelines Options Examples

Assigning a code to each
Material identification Int10; NUR3_M._Jan03
interview
Divided into three parts: Identification: interviewer, interviewee, and transcriber
identification1, contextual
Contextual information: location, sociodemographic data
information1, additional
Cover sheet information2. Additional information: notes, total number of pages

Completed by the
interviewer; 2transcriber
1

Identification of the
Interviewer versus. Participant; Iy versus Nury; I =
interviewer and the Several options available
Interviewer versus. Nur3 = Participant
interviewee

I: What is your opinion about nursing training on

Linear intervention in obesity?
Nur3: It is an area where, unfortunately, there is not so
much training as there should be.
Prepare

I: What is your opinion Nur: It is an area where,

Transition scheme Tabular about nursing training unfortunately, there is not
on intervention in so much training as there
1.

obesity? should be.

II: What is your opinion about nursing training on

Sequential
intervention in obesity? Nur: It is an area where, unfortunate,
there is not so much training as there should be.

But in terms of motivation, really, and openness to

change habits and do something that requires sacrifices
(interruption – phone rings but the call is ignored) I’m
Naturalized sorry. Hum… Overall, they are not very motivated to
do this (pause). They want (laughs gently) a miraculous
solution which is normally what they are looking for here!
Type of transcription (gently laughs)

But in terms of motivation, really, and openness to change

habits and do something that requires sacrifices…I’m sorry.
Denaturalized Hum… Overall, they are not very motivated to do this.
They want a miraculous solution which is normally what
they are looking for here!

Omitting or removing data/ F. thinks that I don’t know about the disease;
3. Write

Confidentiality and information, replacing them

sensitive issues with codes, changing words, Ana thinks that I don’t know about the disease; (removal of
or eliminating them sensitive content) thinks that I don’t know about the disease.

Times New Roman or Arial; I: How do you feel in those circumstances?

double spacing; margins PNur10: What do you mean? I don’t understand?
of 1.5 inches; no indents;
interviewer’s interventions I: When, despite your recommendations, the patients
in bold return to the consultation with the same weight?
4. Editar

Text formatting Header: identification of the PNur10: I feel frustrated! I feel really frustrated!
interview, the interviewer,
and the transcriber INT0402 I1 T2

Footnote: page numbers 3/16

Indicate the beginning and
BEGINNING OF THE INTERVIEW - END OF THE INTERVIEW
the end of interview

3/16

VANESSA AZEVEDO et al. Revista de Enfermagem Referência - IV - n.º 14 -2017

163
Step 2. Know standardizing procedures and forms of writ-
After the preparatory phase and before mov- ing what is less objective; for example, how to
ing on to writing, some time should be invest- approach a silence or cross talk. It should be
ed in getting to know and becoming famil- noted that, although the codebook is defined
iarized with some materials and information, at an early stage of the process, it can be up-
using the: Organization of the interviewer’s dated whenever necessary. To illustrate this,
field notes, which should be read and ana- since there are no universal codebooks (Mc-
lyzed in detail, because they can contain clues Lellan et al., 2003), some of the codes used
and useful information at the time of tran- are shown in Table 2; Dealing with confiden-
scribing; Repeated listening (at least twice) tiality and sensitive issues: the interviews of-
of the recording in full (e.g., Bailey, 2008). ten contain information that may allow iden-
This will facilitate becoming familiar not only tifying those involved or specific situations.
with the content but also with the speech In these cases, it is important to implement
peculiarities of those involved; Recording of strategies to maintain the relevant content
information or data that may be useful when while safeguarding the non-recognition of
you start writing, such as names or specific persons or situations (Table 1); Avoid dead-
terminology. ends: when difficulties arise in understanding
Step 3: Write the recording, you may define the maximum
This phase is the act of transcribing itself. With number of times to repeat the excerpt (e.g.,
a view to maximizing the writing process, the only three times) and, if this effort is unsuc-
purpose is simply to listen and write; there- cessful, you should highlight that segment in
fore, at this stage, it is advisable to: Ignore the the text, and then ask the interviewer about
punctuation, uppercase or lowercase letters, the content (the shorter the time interval be-
non-verbal interactions between the inter- tween the interview and its transcription, the
viewer and the interviewee, as well as emo- easier it will be for the interviewer to remem-
tional aspects (if they are to be preserved); ber the interview).
Use the codebook whenever necessary. A Finally, it is important to underline that the
codebook is an essential tool in the transcrip- content and/or the intent of what is said
tion process (e.g., Bailey, 2008; Davidson, should not be changed (e.g., adding words to
2009; Oliver et al., 2005) because it allows the speech).

Table 2
Codebook: Examples of Codes Used in Transcriptions

When in the recording... In the transcription… Example

You cannot hear what the person is saying Information inside parentheses (inaudible text segment)

You cannot understand what the person Yes, exactly! Of course (unintelligible
Information inside parentheses
is saying segment) are a third!
It’s not just a matter of facilitation,
You are unsure about what the person is Inside parenthesis and delimited by
isn’t it? And of ?(capacity)? but lack of
saying question marks
knowledge!

You cannot understand because of cross- That piece of information inside (unintelligible segment due to
talk parentheses overlapping speech/cross-talk)

A cross-talk begins Open square bracket [

A cross-talk ends Closed square bracket ]

The exact transcription of what was

If you believe that the interviewee
said and a proposal inside parenthesis Life/(Lie)/
mispronounced the word
delimited by slashes

Interview transcription: conceptual issues, practical guidelines,

Revista de Enfermagem Referência - IV - n.º 14 -2017 and challenges

164
 Interruption/word is cut Hyphen at the end Respond-

To include notes/explain interruptions Text in italic inside parentheses (xxxxxx)

Non-verbal sounds (e.g., emotions) Information inside parenthesis (laughed); (sighed)

Silence/pauses Three ellipses inside parentheses (…)

But it indeed ends up being an
The person emphasizes the speech Underlined epidemics (strong intonation) both
nationally and internationally.
Hmm
Interjections The following designations:
Mm
Ah

Step 4. Edit to check the accuracy of the transcribed in-

At this stage, the attention goes to the editing formation. Thus, to ensure a good review, it
of the text resulting from the previous step, is important: To involve other people, in addi-
which implies: Including punctuation, which tion to the transcriber, in the task - ideally the
represents an exceptional challenge, since it interviewer or, when it is not possible, anoth-
involves identifying where it is necessary, in er person who is highly familiarized not only
order not to change the purpose or unduly with the transcription protocol but also with
emphasize an answer, or part thereof (Mc- the topic (McLellan et al., 2003); To compare
Lellan et al., 2003); Distinguishing between the transcript with the field notes to identify
uppercase and lowercase letters; Retaining points of disagreement.
emotional and non-verbal aspects (where ap- Step 6. Finish
plicable): once again, this task should be care- After reviewing the transcript, it is import-
fully done, since representation may change ant to pay attention to two issues, namely:
the interpretation of a text segment (Stuckey, What to do with the recordings? Data often
2014); Dealing with errors of oral speech: refer to people and their life histories, behav-
oral speech is susceptible to the occurrence of iors, opinions, emotions, and so forth, which
grammatical, syntactic, and prosodic errors, is potentially sensitive information that must
and, as such, the transcriber is often confront- be safeguarded and that may be particularly
ed with too flagrant mistakes (which can even threatened by the existence of audio record-
create some discomfort or become distract- ings. Therefore, the ideal solution is to erase
ing). There are essentially two options to deal or destroy the recordings. In some situations,
with oral mistakes: Ignoring or correcting, they must be kept for a specific timeframe in
and this decision can (and should) be made a safe place with restricted access until they are
explicit on the coversheet. Although it may destroyed (McLellan et al., 2003); Is it better
seem a detail, in fact, in certain contexts and to have one or two transcript versions? As pre-
with certain objectives, the suitability and viously mentioned, transcripts may vary de-
correction of the oral speech can be a relevant pending on the amount and quality of the in-
variable, while in other cases it may not have formation retained. In some cases, as suggested
any interest. Regardless of the strategy, it is by Oliver et al. (2005), two versions can be
important to safeguard the equal treatment of made: a full version (which may include verbal
those involved, correcting or maintaining the and non-verbal content and occurrences along
interventions of both interviewer and inter- the interview) and a working version (in which
viewee (Oliver et al., 2005); Formatting the information deemed irrelevant to the goals is
document in accordance with the previously omitted). The creation of both versions takes
established rules (Table 1). more time and extra work; however, if the re-
Step 5. Review cordings are no longer available, it will allow
In this step, the text resulting from the tran- going back and see the full version, whenever
scription is compared to the recording so as necessary and/or relevant.

VANESSA AZEVEDO et al. Revista de Enfermagem Referência - IV - n.º 14 -2017

165
Challenges Conclusion
In view of the previous guidelines, transcrib-
ing is not necessarily a task that requires a After revisiting the main conceptual issues,
high degree of specialization, but this does practical guidelines, and challenges inherent
not mean that it is an easy task. Quite the to interview transcription, it is evident that
opposite, it usually involves significant time, this process involves many different (often
physical, and human resources (Halcomb implicit) decisions, which were explained in
& Davidson, 2006). Recognizing that every the previous sections. To sum up, more rele-
transcription experience has its special char- vant than presenting the product is to make
acteristics and, as a result, leads to specific some comments about the process.
difficulties, there are several recurring chal- First, it is important to recognize that there
lenges and obstacles that can be anticipated, are no universal rules or protocols to per-
analyzed, and addressed, thus preventing form transcriptions. Quite the opposite,
them from delaying or blocking task perfor- transcribing is a quite eclectic task, which
mance. requires those involved to understand, es-
One of the main challenges is the quality tablish, and assume a set of principles and
and volume of the recording itself, as well practices, in an attempt to harmonize tran-
as contextual aspects, such as background scripts and, consequently, avoid wasting
noise, interference or other sounds (e.g., a time and work and interpersonal conflicts.
door that opens; Bailey, 2008). In relation Finally, it is important to identify the im-
to those involved, it is important to point plications and recommendations for theory,
out the speech characteristics such as differ- practice, and research. Although transcrib-
ent pronunciations, regionalism, or constant ing may seem a minor task of transition be-
pausing. In addition to these, cross talk or tween primary steps, the truth is that tran-
overlapping speech, incomplete sentences, scriptions are powerful (both upstream and
omission or addition of letters in words, and downstream). In this sense, the topic should
the lack of clear-cut endings of ideas are also be valued both from a theoretical perspec-
difficulties experienced while transcribing an tive (i.e., a higher number of publications;
interview (McLellan et al., 2003). more specialized focus) and a practical per-
The biggest challenge of transcription relates spective (i.e., clear description of the proce-
to the amount of time involved, which, al- dures and decisions and their potential re-
though it is quite variable, is always dispro- percussions). In addition, it is important to
portional to the duration of the recording. recognize the obvious impact on research,
For example, according to Bailey (2008), 1 since the quality of data analysis is intimate-
hour of recording can take up to 3 hours to ly related to the quality of transcription.
be transcribed if you only write what is said, In summary, due to the absence of universal
or 10 hours if you register in detail what is rules or protocols to transcribe, allied to the
said, how it is said and in what context. The interpretative and transformative features of
variables prior experience and training signifi- the task, it is crucial that researchers pres-
cantly influence the relationship between ent their practices and decisions in a clear
the duration of the interview and the time manner.
required to transcribe it. Despite this, it is
undeniable that the high amount of time This study was conducted at Psychology
required contributes to its perception not Research Centre (UID/PSI/01662/2013),
only as a boring but also as a physically ex- University of Minho, and supported by the
hausting activity (e.g., several hours in the Portuguese Foundation for Science and
same position, high levels of concentration Technology and the Portuguese Ministry of
and attention). Faced with this reality, it is Science, Technology and Higher Education
important to pay special attention to the lo- through national funds and co-financed by
cation and the conditions in which the task FEDER through COMPETE2020 under the
is performed, ensuring basic aspects such as PT2020 Partnership Agreement (POCI-01-
comfort, brightness, or regular breaks. 0145-FEDER-007653)

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 Interview transcription: conceptual issues, practical guidelines,
Revista de Enfermagem Referência - IV - n.º 14 -2017 and challenges

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