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PUTTING YOUR ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS TO WORK FOR YOUR HISTORICAL SOCIETY OR MUSEUM: PART II By Michelle Crow-Dolby, Historical Agency Consultant, Local History Office, Ohio Historical Society Local History Notebook, July / August 1995 Once a determination has been made on how to implement an oral history collection a decision must be made about how to process the taped interviews. There are many ways to process an interview, depending on how detailed you want the final product to be. Before you start, however, one consideration must be kept in mind no matter how an interview is processed. Try to involve the interviewer in all stages of oral history processing so the intimate knowledge of the interview can be retained. This information can be helpful when putting the spoken word into type. Immediately following the completion of each new interview, the interviewer and interviewee should develop a word list that details correct spellings for all place names and proper names, spells out any acronyms, and clears up confusing statements the interviewer might have noticed during the recording session. This list will aid the future transcriber and editor during processing and will ultimately help create a more accurate record of the interview.If a word list was not compiled at the time of the tape recording, both the interviewer and interviewee should be contacted to help clarify questionable areas. In the event that neither is available to compile a word list, the processor should not make assumptions and should instead research all questionable items to produce a faithful transcript, index, abstract or finding aid. Processing oral history interviews is labor intensive and requires patience. It is important nonetheless because it provides easier access to the tape-recorded information, and because sound recordings are unstable and unpredictable. Audio cassette and video tapes are inherently unstable, and many will deteriorate within twenty years unless either transferred to a more stable medium or continually copied from previously made copies. Even the best climate controls and storage conditions cannot stop tape breakdown. Therefore, processing interviews prevents the complete loss of data in the unfortunate event that a tape is irreversibly destroyed. Having the majority of your oral history collection transcribed and indexed ensures its usability and longevity. Abstract There are several grades of processing, ranging from a cursory treatment to a thoroughly edited transcript. The quickest and most basic processing application for oral history interviews is the interview abstract. This provides the user background information on the interviewee, plus a basic summary of the subjects discussed in the interview. It also details any special technical problems with the tape, unintelligible words, and difficulties associated with heavy accents. Developing abstracts for interviews is a good starting point for organizations not sure how they want to use their oral history collection, but know they want more than dormant cassettes sitting on a shelf. Completing an abstract for an interview involves no more than filling out a standard form and listening to a taped interview carefully. The benefit of the abstract is that the user does not have to listen to all the interviews in a collection to find the topic, person, or story that he or she wants to investigate. To illustrate: once an oral history committee decides, for instance, that they want to develop a project based on interviewees associated with a nearby college, committee members can quickly identify potential subjects by reading through concise, written abstracts for each interview.Index If an oral history or education committee decides that it would like to offer more detail than what an abstract can provide, then it should develop a cumulative tape index. A tape index connects names, places, and major themes with the time they occurred in the recorded interview. When developing an index, two methods can be applied. One uses the tape recorder counter to indicate reference points within the interview, and the second is based on actual time elapsed. Each method has its pros and cons. For example, digital counters on tape recorders are convenient when the listener wants to fast-forward a tape to a particular counter number. Not all tape recorder counters record at the same speed, however, which can cause confusion. On the other hand, using actual time is always accurate, but the listener is required to use a stopwatch and listen to the entire interview to find specific excerpts. A combination of counter numbers and actual time elapsed is the best strategy. Transcribing The act of transcribing is basically transforming tape-recorded words into a printed form. This process can be time consuming, tedious, and expensive, but worth the effort to improve the usability of the interview. The questionable longevity of audio interviews, discussed earlier, must also be considered. A transcript, although lacking the tonal nuances of speech, can be copied onto acid-free archival bond paper, which has an estimated shelf life of three hundred years. Transcripts are also preferred by most researchers over a tape recording, and this fact alone might ensure that your oral history collection is accessed and used more frequently. A good candidate for a transcriber is someone with accurate, rapid typing skills, a good ear for electronic sound, and a well-rounded knowledge of grammar and punctuation rules. The designated transcriber should understand that in addition to simply transcribing a tape into words, he or she must try to capture the flavor of the spoken word through standard transcribing conventions. Although some of the conventions vary from expert to expert, there is one practice that is never accepted. A transcriber should never "improve" an interview. Incorrect grammar, expletives, vocabulary, and word order should be left in their original forms and never changed or removed. Fairly standard conventions exist, however, for dealing with false starts, repetition, habitual connectives and qualifiers, crutch words, extraneous remarks, and select editor additions that help make the finished product more readable. False starts occur when the speaker begins to say something, changes his or her mind, and says something else. These nervous habits should be eliminated, so it is important that transcribers stay behind the speaker while typing so they can catch false starts before typing them. Inadvertent repetitious words or phrases that are common when someone is pulling his or her thoughts together should also be omitted. Delete crutch words and approval noises made by both the interviewer and the interviewee, such as "okay, really, uh huh, sounds interesting, you know, um, and ah." They serve no purpose and only confuse and tire the reader. Most of the time you should eliminate habitual connectives ("and," "so," and "but") when they occur between sentences and qualifiers ("I think," "you know"). Too many connectives and qualifiers make the text repetitive and unwieldy. The transcriber does not want to remove all of these occurrences, though, because the transcript would cease to sound like the spoken word. Extraneous remarks made if, for instance, the telephone rang or someone had to leave momentarily should not be typed, although the action ("telephone rings," door bell answered," "pause for refreshments," "laughter") can be indicated in brackets [].The standard format for a typed transcript uses the following guidelines: wide margins, a title page (narrator, interviewer, place, date, project, topic, transcription date, biographical information, and repository), page numbers, headers, and tape notations in brackets [Tape One, Side B]. Within the text in the left-hand margin, initials or last names should be used to identify speakers, with a tab space between them and the text. It is important to have these format guides posted in a conspicuous place so all transcribers will produce uniform documents. Editing The next stage in processing an interview, which can either be accomplished concurrently while transcribing or after the first draft is complete, is editing. The basic function of editing transcripts differs from regular editing because its primary goal is to retain the conversational qualities and informality of a spoken interview. Consequently, editing a transcript should not, as mentioned earlier, "improve" an interview; it should only ameliorate the clarity and readability of an interview. Most oral history editing follows the guidelines of standard style manuals, such as The Chicago Manual of Style, to establish a project style guide. It is imperative that once editorial policies have been compiled and written out, that they be adhered to by all editors. For example, if the editorial committee decides to spell out all numbers under one hundred or to punctuate dates a certain way, then these stylistic rules must remain constant from transcript to transcript. Common areas covered by editing include: correct spelling, punctuation, paragraphing, spelling out acronyms, capitalization, unidentified pronouns, editor's notes for additional information, run-on sentences, underlined blank passages to indicate a word or phrase could not be understood, and correcting confusing verb tense. There are no hard and fast rules regarding editing, and policies tend to fluctuate from project to project. Allow your own project to dictate how you edit, and use the many books and articles available on oral history editing to help you form your own editorial style.Audit Once the initial transcribing and editing has taken place, someone (preferably the interviewer and not the transcriber) with a knack for detail and a good listening ear, should carefully read the transcript draft while simultaneously listening to the tape. This procedure is called an audit. Thousands of mistakes are caught in this manner simply because the mind is often imperfect in its perception of speech. Even the simplest punctuation or misspelling error can alter the meaning of a sentence or distort an entire interview. Author Willa K. Baum, in her book Transcribing and Editing Oral History, provides the following examples to prove this point: Transcription: That was the first raise in the marketing agreement that went into effect. Correction: That was the first raisin marketing agreement that went into effect. Transcription: He was a character, for sure. Correction: He was a caricature. Transcription: They used to have the customers sitting up with the dead. Correction: They used to have the custom of sitting up with the dead. Using the project's style guide, the auditor should check to see whether the transcription is consistent, paying close attention to punctuation, false starts, crutch words, and trouble areas indicated by the transcriber. Narrator Review A written transcript presents an opportunity for the narrator to check the transcript and make corrections or clarifications. Care must be taken, however, to control the narrator's desire to rewrite or delete sections he or she feels are embarrassing or ill stated. A unique aspect of oral history is its inherent casualness or spontaneity. The transcript should not end up sounding sterile or lifeless. The narrator review is sometimes controversial because different groups approach it in contrasting ways. Sometimes only questionable excerpts or paragraphs taken from the interview are forwarded to the narrator for review, while other times the narrator is consulted only about the formation of a comprehensive word list. Still others will submit the entire transcript to the narrator with explicit instructions to only change things that are wrong or need further explanation. Decisions such as these are ultimately up to the oral history transcribing committee. After the narrator completes his or her review of the oral history interview, the final draft is ready to be printed. Bind the final interview transcript with the title page, release form or deed of gift, table of contents and index (if any). An effective cataloging system will ensure that the finished product will be easy to locate and use.Equipment Once the commitment has been made to transcribe an oral history interview, the necessary equipment and available services should be reviewed. Owing to the numerous draft revisions that will be encountered, a personal computer, word processing program, and printer are a must when transcribing. Most word processing programs will suffice, with various versions of WordPerfect being a common denominator among the majority of transcribers. A self-correcting typewriter can be substituted, although the final draft, having gone through several rounds of proofreading and changes, would have to be retyped in its entirety. A standard-size cassette-transcribing machine is another required piece of equipment. A standard tape recorder can be used for transcribing, although the constant manual rewinding causes wear and tear to the machine as well as to the operator. Transcribing machines offer several features that make the process much more efficient and comfortable for the transcriptionist. Features to look for in a transcribing machine include: • Foot pedal: It allows the transcriber to stop and restart the tape without having to take his/her fingers off the keyboard or constantly jockey for position. • Foot pedal jack• Volume/tone controls • Variable speed control: This allows the tape to be played at different speeds. • Automatic backspace control: Whenever you pause the tape with your foot pedal to catch up with your typing, this control will automatically back up one or two seconds on the tape so details are not missed. • Earphone jack/Earphones: It is much more comfortable to transcribe while listening to the interview using earphones. In a recent survey of office supply stores in the Columbus metropolitan area, the following standard-cassette transcribing machines suitable for oral history work were identified: • Panasonic Transcriber, $269.95 • Panasonic Transcriber, $199.99 • Sanyo Transcriber, $259.99 • Tip: Most lawyer's offices transcribe depositions and court proceedings on a daily basis. A historical society representative might approach lawyers in his or her area to inquire if their staff might transcribe oral histories as a donation to the society or allow society volunteers to use office transcribing machines. Most lawyers, do, however, record case information on mini-cassette tapes, but some firms might be found who have standard-size equipment. Sources For organizations willing to pay someone else to transcribe their oral histories, there are companies available who specialize in transcription services. A partial list is included below. • All-Quality Secretarial Service, Liz Roach, President 66 Glenbrook Road, Morris Plains, NJ 07950 (201) 829-0090; cost estimates for one hour of tape time: $2.25 - $3.00 per page; $60 - $135 total • Michele Palmer, Manager, TAPESCRIBE Box U-103 University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269 (203) 486-5245; prices: $3 per page plus postage • Local Secretarial Services A survey in the Columbus metropolitan area of secretarial services specializing in transcribing (look under 'Secretarial Services" and "Word Processing Services" in the yellow pages) resulted in these statistics- approximately one page of text for every two minutes of tape, $10-21 per hour or $4.50 per page, and four to eight hours to transcribe a one-hour tape. These services usually transcribe for professionals in the medical, counseling, and legal fields and people who perform these services generally feel history-oriented tapes are easier to work with because oral histories are generally free of technical jargon. When using these services, there are a few things you should remember to do: provide a name/terminology list; send only duplicate tapes; stipulate the format you would like the transcript to be in (double or single spaced, margins, and title page); provide the transcriber with your general editorial style sheet; have all transcripts double-checked against the original tape (preferably by the interviewer) to check for accuracy; and always ask if revisions cost extra. Also, be aware that most transcribing services provide both a hard copy and a copy on disc, more than two speakers per interview will probably cost more to transcribe, and "problem" tapes (speaker with a heavy accent, noise interference, poor-tape quality) will cost extra.Conclusion Processing oral history interviews is an integral part of putting oral history to work for your institution. Allow your own projects and collection to dictate how to make interviews more productive and accessible. By all means, accept interview processing as an interesting challenge and jump right in. Select Bibliography *Baum, Willa K. Transcribing and Editing Oral History. Nashville: American Association for State and Local History, 1991. Brown, Cynthia Stokes. Like it Was: A Complete Guide to Writing Oral History. New York: Teachers & Writers Collaborative, 1988. Davis, Cullom, Kathryn Back, Kay MacLean. Oral Histroy: From Tape to Type. Chicago: American Library Associatin, 1977. *DeBlasio, Donna M. "Oral History Basics." Local History Notebook 7, OAHSM: The Local Historian (September/October 1991). Deering, Mary Jo and Barbara Pomeroy. Transcribing Without Tears: A Guide to Transcribring and Editing Oral History Interviews. Washington, D.C.: George Washington University Library Oral History Program, 1976. Harris, Ramon I., Joseph H. Cash, Herbert T. Hoover, Stephen R. Ward. The Practice of Oral History: A Handbook. Glen Rock: Microfilming Corporation of America, 1975. *National Public Radio, All Things Considered, Sunday, December 11, 1994, Washington, D.C., Executive Producer Ellen Weirs, Daniel Zwerdling, host, "Disintegrating Audio and Video Tapes Call for Solutions," transcript pages 16-23. *Toomey, Nancy. "Tapescribing: The Transcription Process." Talking About Connecticut Oral History in the Nutmeg State. Storrs: University of Connecticut, 1985. *Tyrrell, William G. "Tape-Recording Local History," Technical Leaflet 35, American Association for State and Local History: History News, Vol. 21, No. 5, May 1966, revised 1978, Nashville, Tennessee. * Available from the OAHSM Lending LibraryThe Local History Notebook is edited and published by the Ohio Historical Society's Local History Office in order to bring useful information to people working in the local history field. The selection of subjects and authors is based on the OAHSM Editorial Board's and the Local History Office's determination of issues which are timely in nature and lasting in scope. The reference inserts are copyrighted @ 1995 by the Ohio Historical Society. Reprints are available individually or as complete sets. For further information, contact: Local History OfficeOhio Historical Society 1982 Velma Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43211 Phone: (614) 297-2340 Toll-free: (800) 858-6878 Fax: (614) 297-2318 oahsm@ohiohistory.org 
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