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General Guidelines
The General Guidelines are the basic guidelines Verbit applies to all transcriptions.
We ask our transcribing team to read the instructions and rules below before assigning a job and follow
them carefully.
Please remember that for every job, we have specific guidelines that are suitable for said job.
The general guidelines apply to all jobs as a benchmark before starting to work on a Verbit transcription.
VERBATIM
A verbatim transcript includes all dialogue spoken, word by word, including fillers, false starts, incorrect
sentences, slang words, stutters, and repetitions. When approaching a Verbatim job, you must ensure
that everything the speaker utters is written. For stutters (I- I was going), use a dash. For fillers (about
the, um, presentation), use a comma.
CLEAN READ
The purpose of clean read is to ensure the transcript is concise and clear, without interruptions.
We omit any stutters, unnecessary filler words (uh, ugh, um, er, kind of, sort of, like, you know),
interruptions and false starts.
Also, we do not summarize or paraphrase a speech on a clean read job.
The transcription should be free of slang, speaker listening responses and affirmations, irrelevant to the
content and non-verbal communication.
Please make sure you are maintaining the meaning of the sentence. If a filler word helps to preserve the
overall meaning of the sentence, do not erase it.
No need to expand words like it’s, that’s, etc., you’ve, you’ll and more of this sort. These can be left as
they are unless told otherwise.
Example of Clean Read Vs. Verbatim
Clean read: I was about to tell you about the presentation that we saw yesterday.
Verbatim: Um, like, I- I was about to tell you, you know, about the, um, presentation that, um,
we saw yesterday.
Below guidelines refer to both Clean Read and Verbatim transcripts.
Punctuation:
Punctuation is used to properly structure the sentences and add clarity to the transcription.
Due to Verbit’s speech recognition engine, the output text may add unnecessary periods and sentences
that are broken and incorrect. You should punctuate and fix such instances where needed.
o Use a comma as per the correct comma application in the links below. For Verbatim jobs, place
a dash after a filler word and repeated words, i.e., What is the- the time now?
o When a speaker lists 3 or more items, use the Oxford comma, which places a comma before the
word and, i.e., I bought apples, pears, and blueberries from the supermarket.
o Before placing quotation marks, a comma is almost always necessary, i.e., The driver said,
“Please keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.”
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o When the word So begins a sentence, do not place a comma afterward, i.e., So what do you
think of my haircut?
o Periods: please do not add another period to names or brands if they end a sentence,
i.e., I work at Yahoo Inc. (NOT Yahoo Inc..)
o Exclamation marks are never to be used. Exception: companies like Yahoo!
o Colons and semicolons can be used throughout, unless told otherwise.
o Ellipsis: please do NOT use ellipsis (...) in any transcription job you assign.
o Apostrophes can be used for words like it’s and they’re unless noted otherwise. Please see table
to understand correct usage.
Possessive Contractions
I ate at the Brown’s home / I am→ I’m
I ate at the Ross’ home He will→ He’ll
The dog’s leash / Cannot→ Can’t
The dogs’ leashes Would have→ Would’ve
***Contractions: If a speaker says “cannot,” do not change it to “can’t.”
If a speaker says “can’t,” do not change it to “cannot.”
Use the pages below to learn how to make your transcription clearer and better organized:
[Link]
[Link]
Capitalization:
Capitalize: Examples:
First word of a sentence Let’s go fly a kite.
Proper nouns John Smith
Titles Mr.; Mrs.
Ethnic groups Mayans
Formal job titles Chief Executive Officer
Countries Ethiopia
Cities Nairobi
Places Port Authority
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Projects The Manhattan Project
Institutions African Union
Rivers Nile
Companies Facebook
Products Blundstone
Vessels Titanic
Genus Homo sapiens
Books Moby Dick
Compass Points Northeast
References to specific figures, tables, chapters, Appendix C; Chapter 11
sections
Sentences cited in quotations So I said to her, “You are tearing me apart Lisa!”
First element and subsequent elements unless Bed and Breakfast Options in Savannah.
they are articles, prepositions, or coordinating
conjunctions (and, but, for, or, in)
If a term/phrase is capitalized on a slide, it does Slide- Using 2D Animation.
not always mean that it needs to be capitalized in Text- So when we are using 2D animation, we…
the text
Term recognition:
● When researching any term that wasn't properly recognized or added in the projects’ notes,
(such as speaker names, addresses, organizations, companies, etc...) please make sure to
highlight the term and paste the link you used to confirm the term into the comment box.
● If you cannot confirm a term, please use inaudible.
Grammar:
○ Use original speaker words, don’t alter speaker words even if incorrect grammatically.
(Mostly for verbatim jobs).
o Please do not start a sentence with the word And. Note: except for Verbatim jobs.
● Spelling
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○ Always research words, phrases or names that are unfamiliar. You can highlight words
and press CTRL+R to open the Verbit search tool, or you can press CTRL+D to open the
Verbit dictionary.
○ The default spelling in Verbit jobs follows the US spelling, however, some jobs will
require you to follow UK English spelling.
● Difficult words
○ Context shouldn't be guessed. If you encounter a speech or a term that is unclear, try to
resolve it by research or. You may hear the term clearer in another location. If it’s still
unclear, use [inaudible] tag - keyboard shortcut CTRL+ I.
○ For further research, you can use the Verbit search tool by pressing CTRL+R for
highlighted words. The search for said term will take place in Wikipedia. Also, you can
search for terms on external search engines (Google, Bing, etc.)
Filler words:
● Fillers are only added in Verbatim jobs.
● Fillers are words that are not necessary to what the speaker is trying to say: you know, um,
uh-huh, all right, etc.
● Some words like “All right” may or may not be a filler depending on context: Not a filler- “We’ve
decided to go to Disney. All right?” Filler- “All right, so now, let’s get back to work.”
● Commas in fillers: They went, um, to the store.
● Sounds like “yada, yada, yada” and “bang” are important to include.
Numbers:
Speaker says: Examples:
0-9 Zero; seven; four; nine
10 + 10; 47; 290
Thousands + 2,000; 9,800
Millions/billions/trillions + If 0-9, nine million; if 10 and up, 27 million
Large numbers with decimals 4,900,000 = 4.9 million
List of numbers 2, 5, 7, 23, 200
Range of numbers “two to twelve” 2-12
Range of numbers at beginning of Two to twelve
sentence
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Large numbers at beginning of sentence Fifteen million four hundred thousand
Large numbers at beginning of sentence 0.60 of all people who took this quiz won
with a decimal
Date or Year at beginning of a sentence 2009; October 1st
Name of a number The number 5
Estimated number It took about a hundred days
Ordinal numbers Eighth/Second grade; Louie the 14th; 21st century
Date March 26th, 2018; December 1st, 1986; April 1, 2001
Time 5:00 PM/AM; Five O’clock
Currency If 0-9, two dollars; if 10 and up, $15, €27, £189
Currency - millions/billions/trillions nine million dollars; $15 billion
Currency - decimal $1.5 million
Percentage Always write percent: 25 percent
Continual / Constant description of time We work 24-7; 365 days; 9:00-05:00
Mathematical guidelines:
Speaker says: Examples:
Mathematical equation 20 plus 4 times 0.5 equals 22
Equation in beginning of sentence What is the equation? 4 divided by 2.
Degrees / Radians 270 degrees; 3 pi radians; 45-degree angle
Operators Plus; minus; equals; less than; greater than; times
by; divided by
Positive / Negative Negative five
Superscripts / Subscripts x to the sixth→ x_6; y2 times yx→ y_2 times y_x
Superscripts - to the second/third power Squared; cubed
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Fractions One-fifth; two-thirds
Greek Letters Alpha; Beta; Epsilon; Pi
Measurements infinity; factorial; percent; prime; degrees
Trigonometric functions sine; cosine; tangent; cotangent; cosecant; secant
Variables 3 times x → 3x
Variables - Uppercase vs. Lowercase If x/y is in an equation, lowercase; “X marks the spot”
is uppercase
● Very important
○ DO NOT transcribe in external editor (Word for example) and then paste the text into
Verbit's editor.
o Notes section: Always read the notes section as it contains special customer instructions
for said job. It can overrule some general instructions. Please be sure to follow them
accordingly.
● FAQ Section - This applies to both job types, verbatim and clean read
o When a speaker spells out a word, transcribe it in caps and dashes,
i.e., V-E-R-B-I-T.
o The word OKAY, should always be spelled okay and not OK/O.K.
o When a speaker utters the word YEAH, it should be spelled yeah unless mentioned
otherwise. All forms of YEAH, such as yup etc., should be spelled yeah as well.
o Please type Internet, not internet.
o Please type All right, not alright.
o Please type I’m and not Am.
o Please use the & sign when typing words like Q&A or R&D.
o Please do not use periods in abbreviations, i.e., TV (not T.V), US (not U.S) etc.
o If you encounter a job that contains an audio tag box on the left side of the screen, this
means you can use audio tags throughout the transcript regardless if the guidelines
mention it or not.
o For files that provide a video, check how terms are spelled in the presentation and if
they should be capitalized.
o For files that require adding speaker names, check the Notes section on the top right
corner to see if the names are listed and the correct spelling.
If speaker name is not listed, use tag for MALE_1, FEMALE_1 or UNKNOWN_1.
o If a speaker starts singing and if it’s less than 10 seconds long, only write out the words
to the song. Otherwise, omit it completely.
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o When you encounter a job that has a song and lyrics ONLY, do not transcribe the lyrics
of the song and unassign it due to reason ‘No speech detected’.
o For Legal files, the rules may be different. Please follow the Legal Guidelines.
o Please note, once you have submitted a job, you cannot alter and correct the text
afterward.
Foreign language
● When you encounter a job that contains entirely or at least 80 percent of a
foreign language, you must unassign the job due to the reason ‘Unsupported
Language’.
● If you encounter a job that contains entirely a foreign language and English
subtitles, please unassign the job due to reason ‘Unsupported Language’.
● When you encounter a job that contains both a foreign language and English,
you do not transcribe the foreign part or put inaudible tag and transcribe the
English part only.
● If you encounter a job that contains English and a foreign language with English
subtitles, please do not copy the subtitles. Transcribe the English part only.
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● Spell Check Feature:
In an effort to help you improve your transcription accuracy, we have created a new feature on
our platform- The Spell Check Feature. When you submit your work, a pop-up will appear
requesting you to review suggested changes. You can also use this feature while you are working
by clicking the spell check button that appears next to the Job Info Button at the top right
corner of your screen.
Here’s how to use it:
● Once you press the spell check button, a box will pop up with the number of spelling errors and
a preview of the issue.
● You can press the Go To Text button in order to manually make the changes in the body of the
text and not in the pop-up window. Note that punctuation and spacing errors must be fixed in
the body of the text.
● If you are sure that a specific word was spelled correctly, you can add it to the dictionary using
the Add To Dictionary button.
● When a word is misspelled, you can change it manually or choose a replacement from the
suggestions presented. After submitting the change, you must press Change.
● If a recurring mistake has been detected, you can use the Change All button to replace all the
incorrect words with the chosen correction. Please be super accurate and make sure that the
words that were chosen are indeed similar.
