Only an experienced audio transcription company can ensure accurate transcription and indexing of oral histories to preserve historically valuable interviews.

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4 Simple Rules for Transcribing Oral History
Only an experienced audio
transcription company can
ensure accurate transcription
and indexing of oral histories to
preserve historically valuable
interviews.
MOS Legal Transcription Company
8596 E. 101st Street, Suite H
Tulsa, OK 74133

2. www.legaltranscriptionservice.com (800) 670 2809
Oral transcription serves as the written record for oral history interviews. It creates a
readable document that helps in maintaining integrity of what a person said. A research
endeavour, oral histories are collected to gather primary data and enhance the historical
record. Today, interview transcription service providers transcribe oral history interview,
converting the audio recording to accurate text.
Rules for transcribing oral history interview
 The transcript should convey the meaning of interview as it as and as clearly as
possible
 The audio should not be transcribed as it is. It should be edited and corrected. All
verb tenses should be consistent, personal pronounces and omitted articles
should be included, and repeated words eliminated. This will provide more clarity
to the transcript.
 The transcript should capture the flavour of a narrator’s speech and should
convey all the feelings and expressions of the narrator. This will help future
generations to understand the essence of oral history interview transcripts.
 The transcripts may be used by researchers across the world and they may not
be familiar with the expressions. In such cases, it is important to clarify the
narrator’s comments and mention them in brackets or as footnotes.
Researchers, students and scholars prefer transcripts to listening to oral history
interview recordings. Therefore transcription and editing of interview should be given
priority in an oral history project.
Transcribing oral history interviews provides many benefits:
 Helps researchers to easily locate relevant data and understand every part of the
interview easily
 Prevents loss of data due to wear and tear of audio recording
 Provides an easily accessible means to search the transcript using keywords
and phrases
 Allows use of the transcript as the basis for future reference, documentaries or
books
Oral History Commission Awards Grants
In July 2016, the Kentucky Oral History Commission announced $55,700 in grants for
the fiscal year 2015 – 2016. This step is to support and promote oral history projects.
This grant supports both new projects and the transcription and indexing of existing oral

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history interviews and also encourages state-wide collection, preservation and making
historically valuable interviews available to future generations.
The new oral history project grant recipients are
 Capital City Museum Oral History project: $ 1750 was granted to capture the
memories and experiences of living community members as they related to the
political and economic development of Frankfort in the 20th
century.
 Kentucky Springs: Narrative on Localized Water Knowledge, Community and
Stewardship: $2 129:37 to collect oral histories about roadside spring in
Kentucky.
Projects that received transcription or indexing grants are:
 Lincoln County Oral History transcription: $ 1920 to transcribe the oral history
collection of the Lincoln Public Library.
 A Harlan County Legacy: $3600 to improve and develop the public access and
use of the SKCTC oral history collection.
Reliable audio transcription service providers can assure accurate transcription of oral
histories with meticulous attention to detail.