Transcripts are required for audio and video files that have speaking in them.
If it is content with no speech, then a written alternative to the video/audio is required. If a person could not see or hear the video or audio content, what would they be missing?
- Example: 30 second video showing red robin birds with audio of their singing.
- Example: How to upload a file to the WordPress media library. First, ensure that you are logged into WordPress dashboard and are able to find “Media” in the navigation menu on the left. In a submenu from the “Media” item is the “Add Media File”. Select the “Add Media File”. On this “Upload New Media” window, select “Select Files” and choose the file from your computer you wish to upload. Once selected, it will automatically upload. Make sure it fully uploads before leaving this page.
Many screen reader users don’t listen to audio or video. They prefer to have their screen reader read out the transcript. This uses their preferred reading speed (which in many cases is 2 to 3 times normal reading speed) and uses their preferred speech.
I normally use the same tool to create both my transcript and captions. Please see the captions SOP for additional info. There are also speaker tips on the captions SOP.
Audio & Video Content
For content, make sure there is an accurate and complete transcript of the audio. For this, you can omit minor mistakes such as “um” and repeated words. Minor edits for the sake of clarity are encouraged.
When there is audio content (such as a doorbell) which is important to the understanding of the audio, it needs to be noted as a sound.
You can add in headings to help break up the transcript and make it easier to understand. You can also use bold or italics for emphasized points.
Use paragraph breaks about every 4 lines on desktop. This makes it much easier to read.
When there is more than one speaker, include speaker information.
Timecodes are not required. I generally use timecodes when the content is more than 5 minutes. Frequently I set the timecodes to appear every 2 minutes. This is often enough that someone reading the transcript could find the relevant portion, without becoming a nuisance.
Video Content
Encourage speakers to provide any visually important content as spoken audio. For example, I make video tutorials for my clients. In them I go slowly through WordPress actions and clearly explain what I am doing. Such as, “in the upper right corner I click on the blue Save button”. What they do is watch the video once, then set the video to play and switch tabs on their browser. They can no longer see the video, but since I narrate everything, they can still follow along.
If the speaker does not provide visually important content as spoken audio, you will need to add to the transcript the visually important info.
Checking transcripts
- Need to be human proof-read for accuracy.
- Must convey important sounds.
- Must convey any visually important info that is not spoken by the speaker.
- Should remove verbal mistakes such as “um” and repeated words.
- Line breaks about every 4 lines of text on desktop.
- Include speaker identification when there is more than one speaker.
Example Transcript
Transcript: Company Quarterly Update (April 2025)
Sarah Johnson (CEO): Welcome everyone to our quarterly update. I’m excited to share our progress for Q1 2025. As you’ll see in the slides, we’ve exceeded our revenue targets by 15%.
Michael Chen (CFO): Looking at slide 3, our operating expenses came in under budget primarily due to the new procurement system we implemented in February.
Sarah Johnson: That’s right, Michael. And if we move to the next slide—
[Door opens]
David Lee (CTO): [Interrupting] Sorry I’m late everyone! Had an emergency with the server upgrade.
Sarah Johnson: No problem, David. We were just discussing the financial results. Can you update us on the tech roadmap?
David Lee: [Papers shuffling] Absolutely. Our development team has completed the beta version of the mobile app. [Mobile notification sound] Excuse me. As you can see from the timeline, we’re on track for a May release.
[Applause]
Sarah Johnson: Thank you, David. Now, let’s open the floor for questions.