Arabic Transcription: Choosing the Right Deliverables

For a detailed record, ask which repetitions, hesitations and incomplete sentences the transcript should retain. For a readable working document, agree which spoken features may be removed. Terms such as verbatim and edited can mean different things to different teams; approve a short sample.

Separate transcription from summarisation. A transcript follows the recorded speech, while a summary selects and condenses information. If your team needs decisions and action points, request those as a defined additional output rather than assuming they are part of the transcript.

State whether Arabic speech should remain close to the spoken dialect or be edited into Modern Standard Arabic. Editing the language changes the deliverable, so agree the level of intervention and how the original meaning will be preserved.

Identify any English or other languages in the recording. Explain whether those passages should remain in their original language or be translated. Supply approved spellings for people, institutions and specialist terms, while distinguishing confirmed references from uncertain suggestions.

Explain whether you need named speakers or anonymous labels, and supply a reliable speaker list where available. If identities cannot be confirmed from the recording, agree how that uncertainty should be marked rather than asking for guesses.

Choose timestamps according to use: locating quotations, reviewing interviews or preparing subtitles. Agree how inaudible speech and overlapping voices should appear. A subtitle file requires additional timing and presentation decisions beyond a basic written transcript.

Provide the recording duration, number of files, audio sample and required deadline. Flag sensitive content and agree access and transfer arrangements before sharing it. Poor audio or overlapping discussion may require clarification and can affect the proposed scope.

Ask for the output format, review process and correction window to be stated in the quotation. Linguative can scope transcription with translation or subtitling when required; identify each deliverable separately so the same recording supports the intended next step.