TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
I transcribed portions of 2.5 hours of videotaped interviews about
eight months ago. It took me roughly 20 hours to transcribe and
lightly edit 6200 words, a tedious process made even more so by the
need to continually back up and replay short portions of tape. Someone
with access to professional recording equipment could certainly have
done it more easily, and a trained transcriber (a court reporter, for
example) could have done it more quickly. I took the task on myself
because I thought it would be simple.
Given the nature of the material that Elna has described, I'd
recommend taking notes and writing up the gist of the presentations
without attempting to transcribe the tapes verbatim.
