Meaning & use
transcribe
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To write or type out in full words that were spoken, such as an interview or a recording.
Grammar: Takes an object: transcribe the interview. Often followed by from and into.
Patterns
- transcribe something from something
- transcribe something into something
She transcribed the interview word for word.
The assistant transcribes the meeting notes from the audio file.
Court reporters transcribe everything said during a trial.
verbtransitivetechnical
To copy or convert writing, music or speech sounds into another written form or system.
Grammar: Takes an object, with into or for: transcribe a song for guitar.
Patterns
- transcribe something for something
- transcribe something into something
The composer transcribed the piano piece for guitar.
Linguists transcribe words into phonetic symbols.
Monks transcribed the old manuscripts by hand.
verbtransitivebiologytechnical
In biology, to copy genetic information from DNA into RNA.
Grammar: Often used in the passive: the gene is transcribed into RNA.
Patterns
- transcribe a gene
- be transcribed into something
Cells transcribe a gene into messenger RNA.
The gene is transcribed only when the cell needs the protein.
Enzymes transcribe the DNA code in the nucleus.
Word forms
| third person singular | transcribes |
|---|---|
| past tense | transcribed |
| past participle | transcribed |
| -ing form | transcribing |
Common combinations
- transcribe an interview
- It took me three hours to transcribe the interview.
- transcribe a recording
- The software can transcribe a recording automatically.
- transcribe notes
- He transcribed his handwritten notes onto the computer.
- transcribe word for word
- The clerk transcribed the testimony word for word.
- transcribe a song
- She likes to transcribe songs by ear.
- transcribe a gene
- The cell must transcribe the gene before it can make the protein.
Synonyms and how they differ
- copy
- Copy is the general word for making a duplicate, while transcribe usually means moving content from one form, like speech, to another, like text.
- type up
- Type up is informal and says only that the writing is typed, not that it came from speech.
- record
- Record means to capture sound or events in any form, while transcribe means to put it into written words.
- write out
- Write out is simple and general, whereas transcribe implies a faithful copy from a source.
Word family
- transcript noun
- a written copy of something spoken
- transcription noun
- the act or result of transcribing
- transcriber noun
- a person or program that transcribes
- transcriptase noun
- an enzyme that makes RNA or DNA copies
Commonly confused: transcribe or translate? transcribe or describe?
transcribe vs translate
Translate means to change meaning from one language to another, while transcribe keeps the same language and changes the form.
transcribe vs describe
Describe means to say what something is like. It looks similar but has no meaning of copying.
Practice
A journalist types out an audio interview word for word. Which verb fits?
Choose one answer.
Transcribe means to write down speech faithfully. Translate changes the language, and summarize shortens it, which does not fit word for word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “transcribe”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.