I am in the process of transcribing some 20 semi-structured interviews, which I have recorded using a Zoom H1 recorder.
This is a really good bit of portable kit - not too expensive, two multi-directional mics, with an accessory pack including a small tripod, pop shield and USB cabling. It records in Mp3 or WAV format and communicates with a laptop in the manner of a memory drive, allowing you to move and access files easily. It gives clear recordings in individual and group settings, with the ability to reduce wind noise for outside recording.
All well and good, but for each hour of recording I am facing a day or so of transcription time, given my mediocre typing skills. I could send this off for a professional to do, but that costs. I could use a software package, but I would need just as much time to learn to operate it. So I hit the keys, try to keep it regular and often, and plough onwards.
It is a frustrating, repetitive, time-consuming process, but there are benefits. I am directly in touch with the data, can spot nuance, non-verbal cues (sighs, laughter) and revisit the dynamics of interaction in group settings. I can add a time code to help me easily revisit key sections. Direct transcription helps me get the 'drama' of the interview and a sense of the dynamics of social situations. I think this contributes to a stronger focus on member's views and meanings, and an appreciation of the flow between personal and 'public' statements: the 'front and back' of personality and opinion (Goffman).
It is 9am and I face a day of exactly this activity, which is probably why I am avoiding getting started by replying to this thread, but I am interested to hear more about colleagues' methods for collection, fieldnoting, transcription, coding and analysis.
I also highly recommend this book for anyone starting out in qualitative fieldwork: Emerson, R., Fretz, R., & Shaw, L. (1995). Writing ethnographic fieldnotes. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press
Transcription: tough love from your data!
Jon Croose
PhD Student - The Practices of Carnival: Communities, Culture and Place.
Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences
University of Exeter
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