Help! CastingWords transcribing question

Discussion in 'CastingWords' started by Believe, Nov 28, 2012.

  1. Believe

    Believe User

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    How do you transcribe a sentence that when spoken sounds like a question. The only way I know how to describe this is "valley girl". I hope I don't offend anyone (not sure if valley girl is politically correct).

    Example: You said something earlier about eating ice cream

    The female speaker puts an emphasis on the last part of a sentence that makes it sound like a question, but it is not.

    So...do you put a period or question mark at the end of the sentence?:confused:

    Thanks so very much!
     
  2. naturegirl

    naturegirl User

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    Hm. That one sounds like it actually could be a question, so you'd have to consider the context. Generally, if the speaker means it as a question, then it gets a question mark. If it was meant as a statement that required no answer, then give it a period.

    This is where the human part of transcribing comes in: you have to be the judge of what was going on, what the intent was, in order to know how to punctuate accurately (which is why I like the word "accurate" in transcription, rather than the word "correct"---what's correct when a speaker has one intention is not correct if they have a different intention).

    Hope that helps!
     
  3. Believe

    Believe User

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    Thank you for your reply. I didn't actually post the exact words from the audio, so I know it's hard to tell without hearing the conversation. By the time you replied, I had already submitted the HIT. I chose not to put a question mark. It just seemed more like a statement than a question. We will see what happens! (fingers crossed) ;)

    Again, Thank you! ;)
     

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