Full General Guidelines 5/18

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CrowdSurf General Guidelines


Section One- Most Common Requirements

Rule

Instruction

Example

Clean Verbatim Transcription

 

Your transcripts provide captions for deaf and hard of hearing viewers!

Transcribe the audio content exactly as heard, but leave out

 

  1. Disfluencies (um, uh, ah, eh);
  2. Filler words (hm, you know, like); 
    • Please Note: Filler words are minor words that do not change the meaning of a sentence.
  3. Stutters, stammers, unnecessary repetitions, and false starts (where the speaker changes idea mid-sentence).

 Exceptions:

  1. Nonconsecutive repeated phrases should not be removed
  2. Leave deliberate repetitions in the transcript.

Use correct American English spelling and grammar. No exceptions.

When transcribing dialogue, leave out any filler words that interrupt the primary speaker. 

 

*You may be directed to transcribe True Verbatim (transcribe exactly as said) on jobs with Special Guidelines pop-ups

 

Spoken:
I, i, It, it, was in two, 2000, uh, 2015.

Transcribe as:
It was in 2015.

 

Spoken:
Person 1: I, I, I was um, uh, wa- waiting outside and it was sooo cold, ya know? The sky was the colour of slate-
Person 2: Hm.
Person 1: And I had this idear…

Transcribe as:
I was waiting outside and it was so cold. The sky was the color of slate and I had this idea,

 

Spoken:

So you know, like, what do we do when we have text files, CSV files?

Transcribe as:

What do we do when we have text files, CSV files?

 

Spoken:

If you launch it at too high of an engine rpm, like 1201 RPM, you incinerate the rear tires.

Transcribe as:

If you launch it at too high of an engine rpm like 1201 RPM, you incinerate the rear tires.

 

Spoken:
I don't think, Paul, I don't think that's the case.

 Transcribe as:

I don't think, Paul, I don't think that's the case

 

Transcript Format 

  1. Beginning of HIT
  2. End of HIT
  1. Always capitalize the first letter of the first word in a HIT, even if it's not the start of a sentence.
  2. Always close a HIT with a period, unless you're sure that it's the middle of a sentence, then leave it open or with a comma.
  3. Never close a hit with a dash (- or --) or ellipses (...).
  1. To send the report. I need it by tomorrow morning at
  2. We will call them back tomorrow.

Transcript Style

Consistency is key!

  1. Use the video to guide style, formatting (i.e. capitalization), and spelling in your transcript.
  2. If the speaker references something on screen, transcribe it as shown.
  3. Transcribe elements of a computer interface as they appear on screen.

 

Sentence Format

 

  1. Beginning
  2. Punctuation
  3. Interruptions
  4. Dialogue
  5. Spacing
  6. Sentence Breaks
  1. Always capitalize the first letter of the first word.
  2. Separate sentences with a period.
  3. Use a dash to indicate an abrupt interruption mid-sentence by another speaker. Never use a dash to indicate a stutter. Leave out stutters in Clean Verbatim.
  4. With spoken dialogue do not transcribe verbal tics (like habitual mm-hms) that interrupt the primary speaker’s sentence.
  5. Use a single space between sentences.
  6. Break up run-on compound sentences, and join fragments into complete sentences when possible. 

Do your best to make coherent sentences out of the speaker’s speech patterns. It is perfectly acceptable to start a sentence with ‘And’ or ‘But’ in CrowdSurf transcripts.

So tomorrow we will see the Challenger-
>> Yes, the Challenger Jobs Report.

Spoken:
>> But before I can do the install, I-
> >> Mm-hm.

>> Have to first make sure the server is up-
>> Mm-hm.
>> And running and then

 

Transcribe as:
But before I can do the install, I have to first make sure the server is up and running and then

 

Spoken:
Now you can see that once again we've got, you know, the preview going on if I click submit you can see that it does not ah, make uh, it, it doesn't make a request, and query string, you can see actually, that when I click submit, uh actually, it's gonna, you know, make the network request in the background.

Transcribe as:
Now you can see that once again we've got the preview going on. If I click submit you can see that it does not make a request, and query string. You can see actually, that when I click submit, actually, it's gonna make the network request in the background.

Names and Industry Jargon

 

Use the CrowdSurf Glossary for help with technical terms.

  1. All person, product, and company names must be spelled and formatted correctly.
  2. If unsure of the spelling, Google the word. Capitalize all place names and proper nouns.

Exception: Some company, software and other names are not capitalized or contain unique titles with numbers etc.

Represent them as they represent themselves. Note that the logo is separate from the company name.

Massachusetts, freemium

 

The people working at Apple are very nice.

 

W3 Communication is located over there.

 

My iPod is broken.

Acronyms

 

Do NOT use (.) in between letters.

As with all names and proper nouns, represent them as they represent themselves.

 
 

Example:

  • US NOT U.S.

 

Spoken: Call triple A

Transcribe as: Call AAA

Spoken: N C double A

Transcribe as: NCAA

Speaker Change Flag for tasks with Multiple Speakers

  1. Each time there is a new speaker in the media, indicate the change with a double chevron >>
  2. If only one speaker, do not use a >> in the transcript.
  3. If more than one person is talking at the same time, use your best judgment as to where to put the >>.
  4. Where the dialogue is not transcribable due to overlap use [CROSSTALK].
  5. Use >> to indicate a change in speaker with human-made sounds like [LAUGH], [COUGH], [APPLAUSE], etc.

 

Hey Charlie. >> Hello Amy, how are you? >> Just fine Charlie. >> [LAUGH]

 

 

Punctuation Marks

 

 Do not use

  1. quotation marks (“ “),
  2. semi-colons (;),
  3. colons (:),
  4. ellipses (…),
  5. em-dashes (--)

in CrowdSurf transcripts.

 

Exception: If specifically shown on-screen in a title or a line of code, then these punctuation marks may be included.

 

 

 

I was talking to him and he said yeah, I'd love to go see The Wizard of Oz.

Silence, Sounds and Non-Verbal noises

 

All plot-relevant audio content should be recorded in your transcript.

 

  1. Use one tag per uninterrupted period of silence, sound, music, or non-verbal noises.
  2. Use bbb (for BLANK_AUDIO) when there is no audio, silence, or non-relevant sounds (like static) for  3 seconds or more in a clip.
  3. Use mmm (for MUSIC) to indicate music and singing in the media. Do not use this for background music played simultaneously with speaker. Insert a music tag when there is only music or song for 3 seconds or more in the media.
  4. Use speaker changes with ccc (for COUGH), lll (for LAUGH), aaa (for APPLAUSE), etc.
  5. Use sss (for SOUND) or nnn (for NOISE) for distinct, plot-relevant noises in transcripts.
  6. Use Aah! to indicate a scream.

Check your sound settings before submitting [BLANK_AUDIO].

 

All sound tag shortcuts available on the right side of media tool. Do not make up your own tags.

 

Spoken: I know that we all want to work towards equality, (audience applauds for a second or two, overlapping the speaker's next word or phrase] but it's not always easy when

 

Transcribe as:
I know that we all want to work towards equality,
>> [APPLAUSE]
>> But it's not always easy when

 

 

Static In Audio

 

Ignore it. Don't type sss to denote sound. If the clip is nothing but static, then use bbb.

 

 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Noisy Lecture Halls

 

Ignore it. Don't type sss or nnn to denote the noise. (It is not relevant to the content of the lecture) If the clip contains unintelligble crowd noise, please use bbb.

 

[BLANK_AUDIO] 

Audio Issues and Cut Off Words

  1. If the audio quality is too challenging, please skip the HIT.
  2. If the cut-off word is obvious based on the portion of it you heard and the context of the sentence, then complete the word.
  3. If you cannot discern the cut-off word, type iii or [INAUDIBLE].
  4. If the word is cut off at the beginning and you can't hear it, do not type anything.

 

 

 

Section Two- Spelling & Grammar

1. Accepted Spellings

As part of Clean Verbatim transcripts, spelling should adhere to the following rules:

Correct

Incorrect

Example

All right

Alright

All right, are we ready to get started?

Okay / OK button

Kay, ok, Mkay

Okay, when you’re ready to get started click OK.

Mm-hm

Mmm hmm, Mmhmm,

Mm-hm, I agree. Mm-hm.

Uh-huh

Uh huh, Uhuh

Uh-huh, I understand you.

etc.

etcetera

Use webinars for classes, presentations, sales, etc.

  

2. Accepted Slang

Our system will automatically correct the following slang terms, transcribe them as spoken.  Example: speaker says "kinda", transcribe as kinda not kind of. If they say "kind of", transcribe as kind of.

If not included in this list, please transcribe the full, correct word as shown in your favorite dictionary.  Example: speaker says ‘em, always transcribe as them.

Correct

Incorrect

Yeah

Ya, yea

Cuz

Cause, cus

Yep

Yip, yeap

Gonna

Going To

Kinda

Kind of

Sorta

Sort of

Wanna

Want to

Gotta

Got to

 

 

3. Contractions

Rule

Instruction

Example

We'll vs. Well

1. We'll is a contraction of we will, without the apostrophe, well, has a different meaning.

1a. We'll meet in the morning.

1b. You have done well on this assignment.

Let’s vs. Lets 2. Let's is a contraction for let us, without the apostrophe, lets, is a synonym for allows.  2a. Let's go to the beach tomorrow 
2b. This ski pass lets you ski all season.

I'm vs. Im

3. I'm is a contraction of I am, i’m and Im are not correct. 3. I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Should’ve vs. Should of

4. Should’ve is a contraction of should have, should of is not correct. 4. You should’ve been there, it was awesome!

Who’s vs. Whose

5. Who’s is a contraction of who is, whose is a possessive of who. I know a woman whose kids study there. >> Who’s that?
 

 

4. Homophones

Rule

Instruction Example
  1. It’s
  2. Its
  1. ‘It's’ is a contraction of the words it is.
  2. ‘Its’ is a possessive pronoun.
  1. It's cold out today.
  2. The dog is looking for its owner.
  1. Your
  2. You’re
  1. The word ‘your’ is the possessive form of you
  2. ‘You're’ is a contraction of the words you are.
  1. Your dog is so playful.
  2. You're welcome.
  1. There
  2. Their
  3. They’re
  1. Use ‘there’ when referring to a location or direction.
  2. Use ‘their’ to indicate possession.
  3. ‘They're’ is a contraction of the words they are.
  1. He is over there.
  2. I accidentally crashed into their car.
  3. They're going to be happy to hear the good news.
  1. To
  2. Too
  3. Two
  1. ‘To’ indicates direction or action.
  2. ‘Too’ means also, very or excessively.
  3. ‘Two’ is a number.
  1. Please go to the store.
  2. This class is too difficult.
  3. I have two young children.
  1. Then
  2. Than
  1. Then refers to time.
  2. Than is usually used to indicate comparisons.
  1. He was about to leave, but then got distracted.
  2. She is more helpful than you.
 

 

Section Three- Punctuation

Rule

Instruction

Example

General Punctuation

  1. Use proper punctuation whenever possible.
  2. Begin all HITs with a capital letter, end all HITs with a period.

Exception: If you are confident the HIT ends mid-sentence leave the sentence without punctuation.

 

Discouraged Punctuation Marks

  1. Em-dash --
  2. Ellipses …
  3. Quotation Marks “ “
  4. Semi-colon ;
  5. Colon :

Exception: When punctuation is shown on screen in computer programming media, on-screen formatting takes precedence over punctuation rules.

I just read The Hunger Games.

She said my email address is support@crowdsurfwork.com.

Speaker Interruption

  1. Use an en-dash to indicate a mid-sentence interruption by a second speaker
  2. Do not use an en-dash if the speaker interrupts him/herself.

 Jiminy Crick-
  >> Oh my!

Punctuation and Numbers

  1. Do not use an apostrophe with ages or decades.
  2. Do not use a dash with number ranges, spell out ‘to’ or ‘through’.
  1. The 60s were an exciting time in the US.
  2. You should exercise every day for 30 to 40 minutes.

Sentence Style & Breakpoints

  1. Break up run-on sentences.
  2. Join sentence fragments.
  3. Think about how your sentences will be displayed on screen as video captions.

Hint: Generally 40-60 characters is the optimal sentence length.

Ideal Transcript:
Okay, now you can see that once again we've got the preview going on.
If I click Submit you can see that it does not make a request.

Too long:
Okay, now you can see that once again we've got the preview going on, if I click Submit you can see that it does not make a request.

Too short:
Okay.
Now you can see that once again.
We’ve got the preview going on.
If I click Submit.
You can see that it does not make a request.

 
 

 

Section Four- Numbers

Write out numbers zero through ten, numbers above ten represent with numerical digits.

Rule

Instruction Example
Writing Out Numbers zero through ten

Write out all numbers zero through ten, unless they are part of the following:

  1. Court rulings (4-3),
  2. Sports records (10-7-0),
  3. Height measurements (6'9")
  4. Mathematical or scientific equations or computer code (transcribe as seen in lecture slides)
  5. Time (12:15PM)
  6. List (1. Sign up 2. Log in...)
  7. Biblical references (John 3:16)
  8. Storage units (1 GB)
  9. Binary (0101)
  10. Dates (April 7th, 2015)

These are two of the ideas that I want to share.

Spoken:
Two times two equals four.

Shown on screen:
2 x 2 = 4

Transcribe as:
2 x 2 = 4.

 

Numerals for Numbers 11 and above
  1. Write numerically all numbers between 11 and above.
  2. For numbers above 999,999, substitute million, billion, etc. for the zeros.

Incorrect: This new policy will affect roughly 400 thousand people in New Mexico.

  1. Their tour will stop in 21 cities around North America.
  2. This new policy will affect roughly 400,000 people in New Mexico.
  3. She’s got 1 million new followers on Twitter.

Imprecise Number Amounts

  1. For imprecise numerical amounts spell out the numbers.
  2. This applies when the speaker is estimating or using an exaggeration which is not intended to be a precise quantity.

Examples: a few hundred, a few thousand, a million

Spoken:
We need to raise a hundred dollars.

Transcribe as:
We need to raise $100.

 

Spoken:
The team raised a few hundred dollars.

Transcribe as:
The team raised a few hundred dollars.

 

Spoken:
I've got about a billion things to do today.

Transcribe as:
I've got about a billion things to do today.

Range of Numbers and Consistency
  1. Do Not use a dash, always spell out “to”
  2. Use consistent formatting within sentences,  use numerals (when at least one of the numbers is over 10) for quantities with related units, lists, or numbers with a statistical relationship.

  1. The President will need 60 to 70% approval rating in the polls.
  2. Skip ahead 10 to 20 frames and click Play.
Ordinal Numbers –
First, Second, Third, etc.
  1. Spell out the word for first through tenth.
  2. Use numerals for 11th and above.
  1. I will be visiting their second grade class on June 25th.
  2. She was first woman admitted in the 19th century.
Roman Numerals

 Use Roman numerals to describe sequences like in wars, events, or people.

World War II, King John II,
Super Bowl XLIX

 

Percentages

 

 

 

  1. Use the numeral followed by ‘%’, unless speaker uses a fraction of a percent.
  2. Exception: Do not use ‘%’ if a number is not associated with it.
  1. 57%
  2. What percent correct do I need to get an A in this class?

Spoken:
We’re seeing an increase of a quarter of a percent versus last year’s increase of twelve percent.

Transcribe as:
We’re seeing an increase of a quarter of a percent versus last year’s increase of 12%.

Decimal Numbers

If the number is less than one, then use a leading 0 before the decimal point.

0.7 seconds, 0.5%

 

Year

No apostrophe necessary when referencing the time period.

 

The 1980s, the 60s

Age

Don’t add zeros when referencing age range or quantity.

She is probably in her thirties.

He wrote hundreds of pages.

 
 

 

Section Five- Sound Quickies

Sound Quickies are for representing nonverbal parts of media. There are several rules to follow;

  • Use sound tags to indicate sound, noise, music, or periods of silence in transcripts. One tag per section of uninterrupted sound.
  • Transcribe all plot-relevant sounds, music, blank audio to describe the audio content of the media. For example, if the HIT is primarily a gun fight with the musical soundtrack played simultaneously in the background, transcribe [SOUND] for the gunfight, ignore the music.
  • Type short code in all lowercase letters mmm and all Tags in uppercase [MUSIC]. All else will be incorrect.
  • Do not add punctuation after standalone sound tags.

Rule

Instruction

Example

Blank Audio

Blank Audio tags are imperative for correct timing of video captions.

  1. Use when there is silence, no plot-relevant audio, or just static in a HIT. Example: If a professor is flipping pages, typing, writing on the board, or clicking through slides this should be blank audio, not sound.
  2. Verify that the video has loaded correctly and that computer audio settings are correct.
  3. OR use [BLANK_AUDIO] to indicate a lapse of 3 or more seconds or more of no speech.

bbb or [BLANK_AUDIO]

Spoken:
So now you see I’ll add in twenty pixels (typing noise for 1 second) of padding on each side (typing noise for 4 seconds) there you go

On screen:
padding: 20px;

Transcribe as:
So now you see I’ll add in 20px of padding on each side. [BLANK_AUDIO] There you go.

 
Indiscernible Audio

(Try to use as rarely as possible)

Notation can be used to replace one word, or a phrase that cannot be heard.

Incorrect Format examples:
[iii], (iii), Iii, III, sp, sp?, [sp], xx, [x], etc

 

iii or [INAUDIBLE]

Crosstalk

(Two or more speakers talking at once)

Use when two or more speakers talk simultaneously and their words cannot be distinguished.

Incorrect:   tt, TTT, (??), etc.

ttt or [CROSSTALK]

Unknown

(Try to use as rarely as possible)

If absolutely not sure of the word, use uuu or [UNKNOWN].

uuu or [UNKNOWN]

Guess

You’re making a reasonable spelling guess based on the sound or context.

Phonetically spell the word and append /g to the end.

Google for correct spelling before using /g.

Onomatopoeia/g

Laugh

Speaker laughs or giggles. May be mid-sentence or a standalone tag.

Use a speaker change between laugher and previous speaker.

lll or [LAUGH]

Spoken:
So I told him to bugger off (second speaker laughs) or I'd have him arrested before he could say boo

 

Transcribe as:
So I told him to bugger off-
>> [LAUGH]
>> Or I'd have him arrested before he could say boo.

Music or singing
  1. Insert a music tag when there is only music or song for 2 seconds or more in the media.
  2. Do NOT insert tag when music is playing in the background, simultaneous to speech.
  3. Lyrics should only be transcribed when a pop-up message specifically instructs you to transcribe lyrics. If in doubt, only use a [MUSIC] tag.

mmm or [MUSIC]

Sound

(Heard Phone Beep, Mechanical Noises, Distinct Background Sounds, sighs, non-verbal utterances etc.)

 

  1. Use for distinct sounds.
  2. Do not use for static. Type bbb for all static or noisy lecture hall sounds.
  3. Do not insert tag when sound is playing in the background of speaker talking.
  4. Do not create your own sound tags for specific noises or human-made sounds.

sss or [SOUND] 

Cough

(Cough or throat clearing noise)

  1. Use for coughing or throat clearing, mid-sentence or in a stand-alone sentence.
  2. Do not transcribe if cougher is off-screen (i.e. if unidentified student coughs mid-lecture)
  3. Use a speaker change flag to distinguish between cougher and previous speaker.

ccc or [COUGH]

Foreign Language
  1. Use in place of any language other than English, even if you are able to understand the foreign language.
  2. You may be asked to copy English subtitles when prompted by Special Guidelines, no FOREIGN tag necessary in this case.
  3. Use a speaker change flag to indicate a change in speaker, even if in foreign language.

fff or [FOREIGN]

 

Spoken:
He has a certain joie de vivre about him.

Transcribe as:
He has a certain joie de vivre about him

 

Spoken:
Je vois pas trop le rapport avec Marseille, mais bon, je vais cliquer sur. Marseille dans le Rhône, et là!

Transcribe as:
[FOREIGN]

 Applause
  1. Use for group clapping or cheering.
  2. Incorrect Format examples: [applause] AAA (cheering)

aaa or [APPLAUSE]

Bleep
  1. Use only when media bleeps over an expletive.
  2. Do not use if expletive is spoken in the media.
  3. Incorrect Format examples: [xxx] (bleep)

xxx or [BLEEP]

 
 

 

Section Six- Currency and Time

Rule

Instruction

Example

Dollars and Cents

  1. Do not write “dollars” use $ sign for a quantifiable amount.
  2. When less than $1 use the format $0.xx.

I owe you $12 for lunch today.

The startup raised $1.2 million in round one.

The profit margin is $0.50 per unit.

Bucks

If the speaker says ‘bucks’ instead of 'dollars’, spell out bucks.

 

25 bucks

Foreign Currency

When transcribing foreign currency, type out the word for it, rather than the symbol.

 

I just visited England and I have 100 pounds left over from the trip.

 

AM and PM

  1. Use AM and PM not a.m. and p.m.
  2. If the time is on the hour, transcribe without :00

1:17 PM or 1 PM

12 o’clock

If the speaker says o’clock transcribe it as heard.

 

12 o’clock

not 12:00 o’clock

Military Time

If spoken as x hundred hours, use the 00:00 format.

17:00 hours

 
 

 

Section Seven- Math & Science

Capture the audio content of the HIT in your transcript, use the video to guide your formatting of any numbers, variables or terms that the speaker references.

Go by audio first, use video for clarifications.

Rule

Instruction

Example

Equations

    1. Transcribe the equation as spoken, by the speaker.
    2. Use the video to guide your formatting, spacing, and capitalization. Try to match your transcript to the video as much as possible.

Exception: CrowdSurf transcripts do not support the following symbols:

  • Subscripts/superscripts (transcribe side-by-side p0)
  • Greek letters (spell out pi, rho)
  • Fractions (two-thirds)
  • Special Characters like integral, derivative, square root.

Spoken:
The slope of the secant line through a, f of a, and a second point a plus h f of a plus h provides an approximation when h is small.

Shown on screen:
The slope of the secant line through (a, f(a)) and a second point (a + h, f(a+h)) provides an approximation when h is small.

Transcribe as:
The slope of the secant line through (a, f(a)) and a second point (a + h, f(a+h)) provides an approximation when h is small.

Notations

(+,-,x, /)

If not shown on screen, transcribe the spoken word instead of the symbol. (In math equations, still keep numbers as numerals even if under 10.)

Multiplication: 4 times 7 equals 28.

Division: 28 divided by 4 equals 7.

Addition: 2 plus 2 equals 4.

Subtraction: 2 minus 2 equals 0.

 

Squared, Cubed, Power etc.

For all equations involving exponential numbers, use the spoken word.

  1. 4 to the 2nd equals 16
  2. 3 to the 3rd equals 27
  3. The square root of 4 equals 2
  4. x to the nth equals 25

 

Negative Numbers

If not shown on screen, for all mathematical notations involving negative numbers, use the spoken word.

3 minus 4 equals negative 1.

Trigonometric Functions

Spell out all trigonometric functions, do not abbreviate.

  1. sine (sounds like sign)
  2. cosine
  3. tangent
  4. secant
  5. cosecant
  6. cotangent

Fractions

For all mathematical notations involving fractions, transcribe the spoken word.

1 plus 1 and two-thirds equals x.

Variables

All mathematical variables (a, b, c, x, y, etc.) should be written lowercase unless shown in the video or specifically spoken by the instructor as uppercase.

Spoken:
Um, e to the 2 pi i k, m minus n divided by capital N.

On screen:
e 2 π i k (m - n) / N

Transcribe as:
e to the 2 pi i k (m – n) / N

Scientific Terminology, proper names

Research name or term to ensure proper spelling.

Simply input the phonetic spelling of the term into your favorite search engine to check spelling.

Transcribe your best guess and append the word with /g if you are not sure.

 

Leibniz notation

Professor writing on board

If the speaker makes noise while,

  • Flipping pages,
  • Writing on a board or projector screen,
  • Or any typing noises

and all else is silent for 2 or more seconds, transcribe as [BLANK_AUDIO].

Spoken:
If we want to minimize J of theta (writes on board for 5 seconds) then we’ll need to take the derivative

On screen:
J(θ) =

Transcribe as:

If we want to minimize J(theta), [BLANK_AUDIO] Then we’ll need to take the derivative

 Back to the top

 

 

Section Eight- Computers & Software

Capture the audio content of the HIT in your transcript, use the video to guide your formatting of any buttons, tabs, or other elements of the computer interface.

Rule

Instruction

Example

Shift

Shift

Shift-click to select all of the files in the folder

Alt (And other keyboard combinations)

Alt

If it Sounds like : Hold alt, control, delete.

Transcribe like this:  Hold Alt+Ctrl+Delete

Option

 Option

 Option+N creates the ñ character.

Command

Cmd

Press Cmd+Z (Mac) to undo the last action.

Control

Ctrl

 Press Ctrl+Z (Windows) to undo the last action.

Enter or Return

Enter or Return

 Then hit Enter.

Arrow up / arrow down

Arrow up or arrow down

Press the arrow up or arrow down keys to increase or decrease the pen diameter.

Comma

Spell out symbol keys like “comma”

Press Ctrl+comma to increase the brush size.

“Dot” and File names

When a speaker says “dot” DO NOT spell it out, transcribe it with a period.

Transcribe the final version of the file name as it appears on screen.

 My email address is xyz@yahoo.com.

 

Spoken:
I’ve uploaded the image dot P N G file.

Transcribe as:
I’ve uploaded the image.png file.

Space bar

Space bar

 

F three

(or any function key)

Transcribe as the letter and numeral

F3

Double-click

double-click

Double-click the border symbol to open it in symbol editing mode.

OK button

Follow the spelling and formatting shown on screen in the computer interface.

e.g. Capitalize words that are shown as capitalized in the computer interface.

Only use this spelling, OK, when referring to the computer command.

I'm gonna go to the Emulate tab, select Mobile Devices option, then click OK.

CamelCase and code formatting

(Writing compound words or phrases so that each word begins with a capital letter.)

 

Follow on-screen formatting in computer-related HITs. If a line of computer programming code shows specific spacing, capitalization, and punctuation, use the same in your transcript.

I will be using PowerPoint today.

Use the onCreate method.

Software names

All software and company names must be spelled correctly. If you are not sure, look it up to find correct spelling and formatting.

Use the CrowdSurf Glossary for assistance.

Spoken:
V M ware was the first company to successfully virtualize the x eighty-six architecture.

Transcribe as:
VMware was the first company to successfully virtualize the x86 architecture.

File Path Instructions

When the speaker instructs the user to go to a menu or to press a certain combination of keys, use the following conventions, with a space on either side of the “>”.

Spoken:
Go to File, then Documents, then Open.

Transcribe as:
Go to File > Documents > Open

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Section Nine- Internet & Contact Information

Rule

Instruction

Example

Spelling a Name, Address, Word, etc.

If a speaker spells out a last name or street or something, indicate the recitation of letters with hyphens in between each letter.

My name is Christina, C-H-R-I-S-T-I-N-A.

Internet

Internet must always be capitalized.

You must have a stable Internet connection to work on Mturk.

URLs

Transcribe the final web address even if the speaker has completely spelled it out.

Spoken:
You can find us at W S J dot com.

Transcribe as:
You can find us at WSJ.com

Emails

Transcribe the final email address even if the speaker has completely spelled it out.

Spoken:
My email is J O H N dot D O E at g mail dot com.

Transcribe as:
My email is john.doe@gmail.com.

Telephone Number

Transcribe the final telephone number in digits and dashes form.

My cell number is (123)-444-5555.

IP Addresses

Transcribe the final IP address in digits and periods form.

98.182.30.194

Hashtags

If used as a word in a sentence, spell out the word hashtag.

If used in the format #blablabla use the pound sign, #

Contact me at the hashtag shown below.

 

Spoken:
What’s your opinion? Let us know at hashtag CrowdSurf.

 

Transcribe as:
What’s your opinion? Let us know at #CrowdSurf.

Twitter handles

Use the at sign, @, when someone references their twitter handle

Find me on Twitter @AshleyEsqueda.

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Section Ten- Sample Transcripts!

Rule

Spoken

Correct Transcripts

  • Clean Verbatim
  • Punctuation
  • Currency and Time

Yesterday at around twelve o clock I was, um, visiting, uh, doctor smith’s office and he wa- was saying, “exercise is an important part of one's cardiovascular regimen“

Yesterday, at around 12 o'clock I was visiting Dr. Smith's office. And he was saying exercise is an important part of one's cardiovascular regimen.

  • Speaker Change Flags
  • Contact information

Speaker 1:
Let's welcome Mary to the call. Mary,   how do you spell your last name?

Speaker 2:
W O R T H I N as in Nancy G T O N.

Speaker 1:
And what’s your email address?

Speaker 2:
M Worthington at Hotmail dot com.

Let's welcome Mary to the call. Mary how do you spell your last name?

>> W-O-R-T-H-I-N as in Nancy, G-T-O-N.

>> And what’s your email address?

>> Mworthington@hotmail.com.

  • Numbers
  • Percentages
  • Monetary amounts

We've seen a fifty percent increase in our market share, representing over four million dollars in potential revenue

We've seen a 50% increase in our market share, representing over $4 million in potential revenue.

  • Numbers
  • Slang
  • Capitalization of proper nouns

Don't you mean 5 point 1 million? Or are you leavin’ out latin America?

Don't you mean 5.1 million, or are you leaving out Latin America?

  • Sentence breakpoints
  • On-screen formatting
  • Computer Coding
  • Camel Case

We give you the code for actually downloading the, uh, the image so its called download image, you give it a context and a url that you want to download, and it goes and does a bunch of magic to download things

Shown on screen:
(line of code) public static Url downloadImage

We give you the code for actually downloading the image. So it's called downloadImage. You give it a context and a URL that you want to download. And it goes and does a bunch of magic to download things.

  • On-screen formatting
  • Math variables
  • Sound tags

The first property [clears throat], states that A to the N times a to the m equals a to the N plus M, and is often referred to as the product rule.

Shown on screen:

Product Rule: An x Am = A(n+m)

The first property [COUGH] states that A to the n x A to the m is equal to A to the (n+m), and is often referred to as the Product Rule.

  • Speaker change flags
  • Speaker Interruptions
  • Punctuation
  • Spelling consistency
  • Research unknown terms

Speaker 1:
Will we be discussing ciphertexts this semester? Or is- (interrupted by second speaker)

Speaker 2:
Cypher texts, also known as encoded or encrypted information will be part of our discussion on touring machines and the different algorhythms that are used in a computers cpu.

Will we be discussing ciphertexts this semester? Or is-

>> Ciphertexts, also known as encoded or encrypted information, will be part of our discussion on Turing machines and the different algorithms that are used in a computer's CPU.

  • Sound tags
  • Slang

(violin note for 2 seconds) Okay, just went a little bit sharp. Now I’m gonna give a tug for a little slack. And test it again. (violin note for 4 seconds) Perfect.

[SOUND] Okay, just went a little bit sharp. Now I’m gonna give a tug for a little slack. And test it again. [SOUND] Perfect.

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