Tags - Basic

Carefully read and understand the following tag guidelines. Tags are ALWAYS in lowercase letters in square [ ] brackets. Make snippets for your tags to avoid mistakes. The only exception to the tags-are-always-lowercase rule is the Guess Tag, which takes on the text and formatting of whatever your guess is.

DO NOT use any tags that are not listed below. Using incorrect tags or misspelling these tags could result in your work being rejected.

Tags That Take the Place of Speech

The first four tags mentioned here are to be used when you are unable to decipher something said in the recording. It is your responsibility to do your best to capture all speech relevant to the audio and to accurately represent the words you are not able to make out with the appropriate tag. There will be times when you cannot understand what is being said; this is normal, but please use these tags appropriately. Do not simply ignore speech that you can't understand.

[inaudible]

This tag takes the place of one or more words that you cannot make out due to a difficult accent, poor audio quality, a noise like a cough obscuring the words, or a word that you couldn't decipher after thorough research.

[inaudible] is the best [inaudible] I've ever heard of.

Remember that, even at the beginning of the sentence, this tag is lowercase. Also remember that you are expected to use all reasonable means to determine the correct words before resorting to this tag. For example, if there is a cough on the audio, but you can understand the speaker anyway, then you would include the words said and NOT use this tag. Similarly, if you are able to find the correct terms through research or by playing the audio back at a slower speed, then please do so.

[crosstalk]

The [crosstalk] tag functions the same way as the [inaudible] tag, in that it stands in for words that you are not able to decipher. The only difference is the reason for not being able to understand the words. This tag is is NOT used to "represent" where a speaker interjected over another. It is only used to stand in for a speaker's words that you cannot understand due to another primary speaker talking over them.

Did you get the papers and [crosstalk]?
Yeah, [crosstalk] the papers, definitely.

If two speakers are talking over one another but you can understand one or both, then transcribe the words as spoken, and there is no need for the [crosstalk] tag. You can often pick out what at least one of the speakers is saying by playing the audio back at a slower speed. It helps to focus on one voice at a time to pick apart the conversation.

Did you get the papers and file them?
Yeah, I filed the papers, definitely.

Different Speaker, New Line

If one speaker interrupts in the middle of another's speech and it does not seem to be feedback but you cannot make it out, then you need to represent the interrupter's speech with a [crosstalk] tag on a new line. Always remember that each speaker has their own respective line to represent what they said: different speaker = new line. Assume in the below example that you can understand everything the first speaker said but not the second speaker.

Please make every effort to make out all spoken words before resorting to using the [inaudible] or [crosstalk] tags. In addition to listening, read the transcript to make sure it makes sense; if it doesn't, there is probably a mishear in there. Remember that context is key in the world of transcription. For example, if you hear, "Funs of people will be there," listen to the audio again and ask yourself what makes sense. "Tons of people will be there." Do not include words that make no sense to the context of the file.

[foreign]

If one or more speakers are conversing in a foreign language, please represent the dialogue with the [foreign] tag. If your file is entirely foreign, always submit a Help Desk ticket with the file ID so the TM admins can act appropriately.

If, however, they are speaking English and throw in a foreign word or phrase that you can find with an internet search, transcribe what they say. It is okay to use special characters in this case, such as accents and macrons. However, DO NOT copy directly from a webpage; first copy/paste the text into the Google Search Bar, then copy it from there into the workhub to remove any formatting that may be present.

So he turns to me and goes, "Mi casa es su casa, as we say back home. Cómo estás?" The French and Italian words for hand, main and mano, come from the Latin manibus. One of the foundations of whānau is whakapapa, which has great importance in Māori society.

Al Arabiya was traditionally taught in madāris, or schools, which often contained a masjid.

If you can't find the term after searching, then use the [foreign] tag instead of [inaudible].

He told me he wanted a [foreign]. I was like, "I'm sorry, I don't have one."
A [foreign]? What's that?
No clue. I think it's Polish.

Optional Tags

The following tags may also be used but are not required: [laughter], [music], [applause], [silence].

[laughter]

This tag may be used to represent laughter relevant to the file, but note that the [laughter] tag never appears on its own line.

Sometimes there are small laughs scattered throughout a conversation. It is not necessary to capture every giggle or chuckle as long as the general mood is captured. Roaring laughter, however, which makes it difficult to decipher anything being said at that time, should be captured using this tag. If the laughter obscures the words of a speaker, you may have a [laughter] tag followed by [inaudible], like this:

Then Wile E. Coyote jumped [laughter] [inaudible] away.

[music]

This tag is used to note music relevant to the recording, such as the introductory theme music to a podcast. Do not use this tag for background music, e.g., something playing on the radio or at a restaurant (unless the main speakers mention the music).

[applause]

If there is relevant applause heard in the recording, please use this tag.

[silence]

If there is no human speech, music, or applause for a notable length of time, then use the [silence] tag, regardless if there is other "noise" - cars, dogs, coughs, etc. - or not.

Remember that not every pause or momentary silence should be tagged. Short silences can be ignored, while overly long stretches of silence, such as 10 or more seconds, should be tagged.

Other Noises

Non-verbal or non-human sounds - coughs, sneezes, ringing phones, honking cars, barking dogs, nuclear explosions, etc. - should be ignored. We only transcribe speech and use these specific tags. DO NOT use any tags that are not listed above. Using incorrect tags or misspelling these tags could result in your work being rejected.