December 2, 2020, by Chris Gell

Launch of the University of Nottingham Automated Transcription Service

Are you a University of Nottingham researcher who records speech as part of your research? Do you transcribe this yourself or pass on the audio for others to transcribe?

Digital Research and Information Services are pleased to announce the launch of the University of Nottingham Automated Transcription Service, a new capability built with funding from the University’s Research Strategy and Digital Futures Programme. The service, developed following pilot work with researchers, is a fast, secure and cost-effective way to translate English-language audio files into text.

• The service is fast. The transcription process typically takes less time than the duration of the audio.
• The service is secure. All data processed and produced by the service stay on secure servers (only you have access).
• The service is cost effective (£0.75p per hour of audio transcribed).
• The output is available as a simple text file or a NVivo-compatible, metadata-rich JSON format for more complex analysis.

“It’s the best thing I’ve used so far. I couldn’t recommend it highly enough for those who have sensitive data or just prefer to stay close to the data to improve analysis.”

– Associate Professor Kerry Clamp, School of Sociology and Social Policy

More than sixty users from the Faculties of Arts, Science, Medicine and Health Sciences, and Social Sciences, have already used the service to transcribe 1,100 hours of audio. This includes sensitive research interviews, laboratory observations, public webinars, discussions with community stakeholders, and semi-structured field interviews.

The academic lead on the project, Professor Mathew Humphrey from the School of Politics and International Relations, notes that:

“As someone who relies on research interview transcriptions on a regular basis, I’m delighted to have played a role in developing this automated transcription service. The team have delivered a service that is fast, secure, and reliable, while priced at a fraction of the cost of external transcription suppliers.”

The Automated Transcription Service is now live and available for use. Find more information on the Automated Transcription SharePoint page.

Launch Event:

The IS Service Team and Digital Research invite you to an online launch event on Wednesday 13^th January (sign up here). This will be followed by a series of practical drop-in sessions through March 2021, at which new users will be able test the platform and learn how to get the most from it.

 

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