Meaning & use
transcription
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Meanings
nouncountable
A written or typed copy of spoken words, made by listening carefully to a recording or speech.
Grammar: Countable: a transcription of the interview, several transcriptions. Often followed by 'of'.
Patterns
- a transcription of something
- make a transcription
- produce a transcription
The researcher made a full transcription of the focus group discussion.
You can read the transcription of the podcast on the website.
Her transcription of the lecture was accurate but took all evening.
noununcountable
The act or process of writing down spoken words or converting speech into text.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the activity: transcription takes time. Do not say 'a transcription' for the process.
Patterns
- transcription takes time
- do transcription
- transcription software
Transcription is a slow job if the recording is unclear.
The company offers transcription as part of its service.
He spent the morning doing transcription for his thesis.
noununcountablebiologytechnical
In biology, the process by which information in DNA is copied into a molecule of RNA.
Grammar: Uncountable in this scientific sense: transcription occurs in the nucleus.
Patterns
- transcription occurs
- reverse transcription
- transcription factors
Transcription happens in the cell nucleus before proteins are made.
The enzyme controls the first step of transcription.
Scientists studied how transcription is regulated in different cells.
nouncountablespecialist
A special system of writing that shows exactly how words are pronounced, such as the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Grammar: Often used with 'phonetic': a phonetic transcription of the word.
Patterns
- phonetic transcription
- a transcription of a word
The dictionary gives a phonetic transcription after each headword.
Students learn to read the phonetic transcription of English sounds.
Word forms
| plural | transcriptions |
|---|
Common combinations
- accurate transcription
- Accurate transcription is essential in legal work.
- full transcription
- The book includes a full transcription of the trial.
- phonetic transcription
- The phonetic transcription shows that the 'k' is silent.
- transcription service
- We use an online transcription service for our interviews.
- transcription error
- A transcription error changed the date in the report.
Synonyms and how they differ
- transcript
- A transcript is the finished written document, especially an official one; transcription can mean the document but also the process of making it.
- record
- A record is a general written account of something; transcription specifically means words written down from speech.
Word family
- transcribe verb
- To write down spoken words or copy text into another form.
- transcriber noun
- A person or device that makes a transcription.
- transcript noun
- The written document produced by transcription.
Commonly confused: transcription or translation? transcription or transcript?
transcription vs translation
Translation is changing words from one language into another; transcription is writing down speech in the same language or copying a text exactly.
transcription vs transcript
A transcript is the written document itself, while transcription can refer to the document or to the process of making it.
Practice
In biology, transcription is the process of ___.
Choose one answer.
Transcription in biology means copying the DNA code into RNA. Translating RNA into protein is called translation, and the other options belong to different fields.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “transcription”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.