Transcription practices
The following practices aim to incorporate transcription best practices, particularly those provided by the Smithsonian Institution’s General Instructions for Transcription and Review and the Library of Congress By the People How to Transcribe, with practices that also foster digital accessibility. We have outlined our practices and the rationale behind our decisions on this page and expect to update them periodically based on user feedback and evolving standards.
In order to remain as open to these changes as possible while also working to continue to provide more resources we are embracing progress over perfection. To mitigate inconsistencies we are providing transcription notes at an assett level and at an image level. The image level notes are provided in the image metadata to document choices made in the process of transcribing the text. This includes denoting emphasis, such as bold, underline, or italicized text with stars (*) and capitalization changes. It is also used to spell out abbreviations or make other clarifications. These notes also allow us to better adjust to individual types of texts that have different needs. The overall goal is for transcriptions that are as assessible as possible and to make our choices transparent.
Please contact Archives staff for further clarification or for adjustments needed to existing transcripts for better accessibility.
Abbreviations
- Practice: Abbreviations are left as is, but spelled out in the transcription notes.
- Common abbreviations include:
- Perkins Inst. for Perkins Institution.
- "Vol." is an abbreviation for volume.
- "No." is an abbreviation for number.
- "cts." is an abbreviation for cents.
- "Wm" is an abbreviation for William.
- Current and historical state abbreviations can be found on the United States Postal Service website.
Acronyms
- Practice: Acronyms are left as is, but spelled out in the transcription notes.
- Common acronyms:
- AFB for American Foundation for the Blind
- APH for American Printing House for the Blind
All caps and small caps
- Practice: All caps in titles or text that is short is left as is. Larger amounts of All caps are changed to sentence case and noted in the transcription ntoes.
- Reasoning: All caps and small caps make it difficult for certain users to read content correctly. All caps and small caps reduce readability for all users but are particularly difficult for users with dyslexia. Text-to-speech software may read each letter out loud instead of reading the word.
- Example:
- “Perkins School for the Blind, May 30, 1819, Vol. 31, No. 5, Boston Mass. ” instead of “PERKINS SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND, MAY 30, 1819, VOL.31, NO. 5, BOSTON MASS.”
Ampersand symbol
- Practice: Ampersands & will be left as is. Other symbols noting the word "and" like + will be spelled out and noted in the transcription notes.
- Reasoning: Some readers, including those using screen readers, may find varying sympbols difficult to understand
- Examples:
- Transcription note, “the symbol + has been changed to 'and'."
Bold, italicized, or underlined text
- Practice: Transcriptions cannot be styled with bold, italicized, or underlined text. To identify text that is styled in this way * will be placed before and after the word or words and explained in the transcription notes.
- Reasoning: Text that conveys emphasis is included to preserve the historical accuracy of the historical record. Including this in the transcription ensures those that are relying solely on that transcription have access to it.
- Examples:
- “you may *not* borrow the book”
- “the finances from *July to October* are incomplete”
- Transcription note" * indicated underlined text."
Brackets [ ]
- Practice: Brackets are a standard punctuation used to convey uncertainty or a note from the cataloger. Notes include the original text that follows abbreviated or explained text. It can also be used to describe an image in the materials.
- Reasoning: Brackets provide the user with a best guess as determined by those familiar with the materials, historical context, handwriting, and more. Brackets can also be used to provide helpful historical context or clues so researchers can interpret the materials with additional information. When balancing out accessibility and clarity with transcription best practices we have decided the abbreviated words in publications that are certain can be spelled out. Less certain text and any text in a manuscript, will include original text in brackets, following any spelled out or added words.
- Examples:
- Perkins Inst.
- January 1 188[8]
- I will [bring] the book
- [note written in a different handwriting]
- [handwritten note "1888"]
- Gabrielle Farrell [signature]
Currency symbols
- Practice: Money symbols are left as is. Any chages to this will be noted in the trasncription notes.
Dates
- Practice: Dates are left as is but spelled out in the transcription notes if abbreviated. Dates in a different handwriting are noted as such.
Deletions
- Practice: Crossed out or otherwise deleted text is provided within square brackets with a note about intention to exclude. Words that are intelligible will be noted as such, in part or in full.
- Reasoning: To ensure users relying on screen readers have access to those original edits.
- Examples:
- “I have always loved ["vanilla" crossed out] coffee ice cream.”
- “He approached me on [unintelligible words crossed out] in Boston”
Insertions
- Practice: When text has been inserted over a line or otherwise added later, (but should be read as part of a sentence), it is included in the original text in the order it was intended to be read in brackets indicating this with the text added in quotes. If the text is in another handwriting a note indicating this should be added in brackets with the text added in quotes. Carrots ("^") themselves aren't transcriped.
- Reasoning: Insertions in the same or different handwriting may provide informational value thus it is included in brackets so that it is available to users realying on screen readers.
- Examples:
- “He went to Boston yesterday July 4" instead of “he went to Boston yesterday ^ July 4”
- Mrs Smith ["Janet" inserted in another hand] went to Washington
- February 5th ["1888" inserted] went to Washington
Legibility
- Practice: Words that aren't legible at all are noted as [illegible]. Single letters or numbers that cause uncertainty are noted in brackets.
- Reasoning: To let researchers know all or parts of a word or sentence are illegible. Brackets with words or dates filled in indicate what the transcriber thinks that the word or number might be. This is often based on contextual knowledge with a whole collection.
- Examples:
- Next Tuesday July [illegible] I’m going on a picnic
- Example: July 4, 188[4]
Line breaks
- Practice: Breaks in the text are included when it is part of the structure of the document but are ignored if the breaks are purely decorational, overused, or complicate the reading experience. Line breaks such as titles and headings and paragraphs are preserved with a hard return. Hyphenated words that were originally broken up due to space in the original layout, are spelled out as one word. Hyphenated words that were originally broken up because they stretch across two pages, will appear as a single word on the first page only.
- Reasoning: The information is prioritized over the visual design, as that is most likely what researchers are interested in. Keeping the text as intended rather than as constrained by the layout will make navigating the text easier for more readers. Soft returns are not often read by screen readers so aren't used to replicate any of the layouts being transcribed.
- Examples:
- “Perkins Institution" instead of "Perkins Inst-itution”
- “Boston Representative for the Wm. Bourne & Son Pianos” instead of “Boston Representative [line break] for the Wm. Bourne & Sons [line break] Pianos”
Marginalia
- Practice: Handwritten notes added to the document marginalia at a note at the end of the document are included. If the author of the marginalia is known, that is indicated in the note.
- Reasoning: Notes are included to provide access to handwriting, or other parts of an asset in an effort to provide more equitable access to the resource and provide contextual clues, or potentially contextual clues to a wider group of users, including those using screen readers.
- Examples:
-
- [Notes in marginalia likely written by Polly Thomson reads...“]
- [Notes in the marginalia written in a different hand reads, “1896” and “Mr. Anagnos”]
Non-English languages, characters, and translation
- Practice: The language is presented as is. Include accents only if included in original text. English translations are provided in brackets if there is a short amount. Non-English language materials are transcribed in the language with English translations being provided below that copy or in a transcription metadata field if the content is entirely in a language other than English.
- Reasoning: Translations will provide access to the information, appear in English searches, and still be available in its native language and to native readers.
- Examples:
- Bonjour my friend.
- Bonjour [Hello] my friend.
Non-text features
- Practice: Notations about the record are made in brackets after the original text or in a place that makes sense when read aloud. They are located in areas that favor understanding over duplication of exact location. Purely decorative elements that break up a page, such as lines are not described. Images are described.
- Reasoning: Purely decorative elements are not included in transcription because they serve no informational value. Letterhead, stamps, doodles, or other imagery will be described so that all users can have access to at least some of that information and decide for themselves if it is relevant or not. More details about images can be requested from Archives staff.
- Examples:
- [Stamp postmarked Jul 5 1888]
- [American Printing House for the Blind letterhead featuring the logo and illustration of the headquarters]
- [Printed letterhead] 3249 Newark Street - Washington, D.C.
- [Printed letterhead with an illustration of a tree on the left and cottages among trees in the background "Hotel La Morada" is printed above the cottages in all capital letters and "A Home in the Country" is printed in script below. "Rancho Sante Fe, California" is printted in script below the illustraton.] (Source: Letter from Frances Noyes Hart to Nella Braddy Henney, September 25, 1933)
Parentheses ( )
- Practice: Parentheses are used at the end of a name to provide birth and death dates. Parentheses are used to provide a maiden name. Date ranges that are more informally presented on the site will be spelled out.
- Reasoning: Parentheses are a standard form of indicating both birth and death dates after names and for providing maiden names in genealogy research.
- Examples:
- Laura E. (Howe) Richards (1840-1943)
- Samuel Gridley Howe (1850 – 1943) was director of Perkins from 1829 to 1876
Roman numerals
- Practice: Roman numerals are spelled out in published and unpublished materials and noted in the trasncription notes.
- Reasoning: Roman numerals can be problematic for users relying on screen readers. Screen readers often have trouble differentiating between letters and numbers and consequently increase the likelihood that the numbers will be incorrectly read by text-to-speech tools.
- Examples:
- “Hamlet Act 4, Scenes 5 and 6” not “Hamlet Act IV: Scenes V & VI”
- Transcription note. "Acts and Scene numbers were changed from Roman numerals to Aarbic."
- “Hamlet Act 4, Scenes 5 and 6” not “Hamlet Act IV: Scenes V & VI”
Spelling and punctuation
- Practices: Original spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word order are preserved even if it is grammatically incorrect. [Sic] is used to indicate that original spelling. The correct spelling of a word is included in brackets next to the incorrectly spelled word if it is a name or may otherwise be integral to searches. The full names of women will be included in brackets following the original name provided.
- Reasoning: Incorrect spellings, particularly of names, hides them in searches. Historically married women are written as “Mrs. First and last name of their husband.” In order to undo this erasure, the Archives strives to provide the full names of these women whenever possible.
- Examples:
- Anagnous [Anagnos]
- Mrs. John Smith [Jane Sullivan Smith]
Symbols and special characters
- Practice: Symbols and other special characters may be spelled out in some instances and noted in the transcription field.
- Reasoning:
- Special characters and symbols can make web content difficult to read for users with disabilities, especially those who use assistive technologies.
- Formatting such as superscript and subscript aren't available in transcriptions.
- Examples:
- “Section 14” instead of “§ 14”
- “Edward Bradley [foot note states, 'Only one in two studies' ]” instead of “Edward Bradley*” with foot note at the bottom of the page.
- “only one in two studies [footnote reads, "located on page 34.]” instead of “only one in two studies³”
- “company [trademark symbol] instead of “company™”
- “Second” instead of “2nd” and noted in transcription notes.
Tables
- Practice: Tables are transcribed in a manner that conveys the information rather than original design. If noting information in a column is not necessary, it won't be included. Line breaks, rather than symbols such as the pipe symbol (|) or slashes (/) will be used.
- Reasoning: Tables are designed to convey information and doing so in the clearest way possible provides clarity for more readers and a better user experience for text-to-speech users. Doing so may help users who have difficulty decoding words; have difficulty using context to aid understanding, have limited memory or rely on screen magnifiers (magnification may reduce contextual clues).
- Example:
- [First column] To paid Committee's orders, $4,998.04 [US dollars]
- [sum] 61,279.43 To balance carried over, 214.01
- [Second column] By balance brought forward from old account, $1,272.69 US dollars
- [First column] To paid Committee's orders, $4,998.04 [US dollars]
Text order
- Practice: Transcribed text is generally in the order it appears on the page. Preference on ease of reading is placed over maintaining design elements or matching the visual layout exactly. This is most commonly practiced when transcribing columns or advertisements.
- Reasoning: Doing so provides clarity for more readers and a better user experience for text-to-speech users. Doing so may help users who have difficulty decoding words; have difficulty using context to aid understanding, have limited memory or rely on screen magnifiers (magnification may reduce contextual clues).