What is the quality of forensic transcripts like?
The quality of many forensic transcripts reflects the points raised in previous questions: because many scribes do not have the necessary knowledge and skill they will often miss important points, summarise critical sections, make value judgements about what people are saying, ignore totally those sections where there is overlapping speech, and input their own ideas about the context of a particular section of the tape. Worse, some scribes may insert comments about body language on video recordings, or make commentary on a speaker’s tone of voice. Similar concerns relate to the transcription of written language, including correction of writers’ spelling, alteration of punctuation, and the changing of a wording because of related context. Very often non-trained personnel who undertake transcription work do gain some relevant skills and experience, but all would benefit from proper training and accreditation.
