As part of our work with this stream of workshops, we aim to organise a transcription workshop this autumn to show researchers, from disciplines like sociology which may be unfamiliar with these technologies in action, how sociologists can utilise these valuable tools within their work. Since these tools are open source, we hope to offer researchers a glimpse into how speech and language technology can transform their datasets and analysis, opening up the possibilities of writing new taiwan rcs data understandings of history and social life. Thomas Hain, Professor of Speech and Audio Technology at the University of Sheffield, to submit some of our large-scale audio collections to his project, and contributing to exploiting the development of speech and audio technology to help improve tools that can continue expanding the potential to analyse the social world.
From the perspective of a budding researcher, I’ve also taken away a few practical tips about better practices for recording interviews. If I want to maximise the most I can get from these tools, I now know that I should:
record audio files in WAV format
try to use a neutral setting with minimal background noise to record the interview
use a microphone that records in stereo
The setup can be as simple as something you record on your phone with plugged-in microphone – no need for expensive equipment! Additionally, recording in 16 hertz – which is all that is needed for ASR programmes to work – is an option if digital storage space is an issue. By ensuring that I am making a quality audio of the interview, I’ll be able to utilise the full potential of these tools, which will help me to get the most out of my data.