Forensic Transcription Professional Practice Workshop

We recently supported Lauren Harrington, a PhD student at the University of York co-supervised by Dr Rhodes at FVC, in holding an IAFPA webinar on forensic transcription methodology. The purpose of the workshop was to:

Part of what we aim to do at the Forensic Voice Centre is to collaborate with university partners to make real differences in practices and casework. We’re committed to helping ground research in the issues that come up in forensic cases, in the wider justice system and in court.

Here are some of the key areas that were explored:

In the session, we defined the purpose of a forensic transcript: to assist the CJS user in interpreting speech in an audio/video recording.

We also outlined the requirements for producing transcripts for court cases, and the types of recordings and situations that are normally submitted for transcription:

  1. Telephone call to 999: emergency services
  2. Other types of telephone call including intercepts (outside UK)
  3. Covert recording device / undercover officer recording of ‘targets’
  4. Recording of conversation (non-)deliberately made by participant
  5. CCTV recording showing a violent incident
  6. Videos/WhatsApp recordings found on seized mobile phone

Transcripts should be:

  1. Accurate / reliable
  2. Readable / Easy to follow (‘followable’)

Topics of discussion

  • Are transcripts better when produced by multiple analysts and how many analysts is optimal?
  • Should transcript drafts by different analysts be produced in series or in parallel, or when is each approach best used?
  • Should a transcript contain speech content that does not have the transcriber’s full confidence? Is it counterproductive to provide alternative interpretations to certain unclear words?
  • Should transcribers refer to relevant case information and existing transcripts, or should evidential transcripts be produced maximally independently?

These topics will be covered in an article intended for the International Journal of Speech, Language and the Law.

If you would like to read about Lauren’s work you can visit: https://www.lauren-harrington.com/.

For all other enquiries regarding forensic transcription, please contact us here.