Embedded Files
Comprehensive Guide for Transcribing Insurance Recorded Statements
REVISION DATE: 8/10/23
Added section: Obscured speech due to recording issues. Alternatives to [inaudible] tag: [RD], [static], [interference]
Added info about adding Date of Loss and Date of Interview
This Quick Start Guide explains the basic guidelines for transcribing recorded insurance interviews. If you have questions or concerns, email worker@speechpad.com and put “HIPAA Insurance job question” in the subject line.
- If a file is completely foreign language, please notify us so we can remove it from the queue. Be sure and double check that there's not an Interpreter first.
- If a file is blank for a large portion (over 5 minutes) please let us know so we can trim it appropriately.
Guide Contents
***ATTENTION** - the quick start rules and guidelines are HIGHLIGHTED. These are highlighted intentionally to get you started quickly and answer the most common questions about formatting. You can use CTRL +F to search the extended guide for more particular questions if you have them. As always, if you can’t find an answer here, please email worker@speechpad.com, adam@speechpad.com and jill@speechpad.com and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
Quick start
o Speaker Tags
- Date of Loss
- Date of Interview
o Spacing
o Paragraphing
o Capitalization
o Timestamping
o Utterances and specific spellings
o Numbers
o Background Speaking
o Interviewee and Interviewer names
o Long periods of silence and pauses
- Security Requirements
- Curse Words
• Verbatim Transcription
• Blank Audio
• Speaker Tokens
• Heading
• Uh, Um, Mm, Hmm
• OK/All right
• You Know/Like/Yet
• And/So/But
• Repeated Words
• Incomplete Words/False Starts
• Inaudible Words and Phrases
- [RD], [static], [interference] - obscured speech due to recording issues
• Spelling and [sounds like]
• Punctuation
- Interrupted Numbers
- Automated Voice Messaging system
• Quotes Within Recorded Statements
• Bracketed Items
• Email Addresses
- Driver’s License Numbers
- Social Security Numbers
• Silence
• Ellipses
• Interrupted Speech Patterns
• Speaking Simultaneously
• Dates
• Time
• Numbers
• Interpreted Interviews
• Glossary of Recorded Statement-Related Words
• Sample Insurance Interview Transcription
Quick Start guide:
[Recording initiated] does not need to be typed
Speaker tags:
Use Q: and A:.
If there are more than 2 speakers, use B:, C:, etc.
If you know that the person speaking is the attorney, use ATTY:.
If an interpreter is present, please do not type the foreign language and use INT: as the speaker tag for the interpreter.
Date of Interview:
If at any point, the current date of the interview in the audio file taking place is given, please include that at the top of the document, underneath the Speaker tags in this format: MM/DD/YYYY
Date of Loss:
If at any point during the audio, the speaker provides the date that the accident occurred, please include that date at the top of the transcription, underneath the Speaker tags and underneath the Date of Interview in this format: MM/DD/YYYY
EXAMPLE:
Q: Andrew Clark
A: Claire Standish
Date of Interview: 01/22/2022
Date of Loss: 01/20/2022
If they are not provided, then do not put anything except the name list:
Q: Andrew Clark
A: Claire Standish
Or if just one date is provided, provide that:
Q: Andrew Clark
A: Claire Standish
Date of Interview: 01/22/2022
Spacing
• One space after punctuation instead of two.
• Single space after speaker tag
• One blank paragraph between speakers:
A: Yes.
Q: OK, and is it still OK if we record this conversation?
A: Definitely.
Paragraphing
• Don’t break up long passages into paragraphs. If a person talks for a long time, their speaker turn will be one long unbroken wall of text.
Capitalization
• Use initial capitals in the transcript information at the top of the document. Ex: If a speaker’s name is not known, use “Unknown,” and not “unknown.”
Timestamping
• These transcripts will not use timestamps. Inaudible tags will just be [inaudible].
Utterances and unspecified spellings
• "All right" should be use, not "alright" as previously stated
• "OK" should be used instead of "okay"
• Use [sounds like] instead of [SP] for peoples’ names you're not sure how to spell. It should only be used at the first instance of their name in the transcript:
o Q: Robert [sounds like]
o A: Bridget [sounds like]
• Use Uh-huh, not un-hunh
• Use Mm-hmm, not Mm-hm
• Driveable not Drivable
• Use percent instead of %
Numbers
Always use Arabic numerals for measurements (age, weight, height, distance, speed, money, lab values, et cetera) whenever possible, even at the beginning of a sentence.
Use words for other numbers one through ten ("We own three cars") and 11 and up as numerals.
Exception: For addresses and highways, etc., please type as they would appear in a phone book or on a map.
Do not mix numerals and words:
There were ten or twelve kids in the van with me, OR
There were 10 or 12 kids in the van with me
NOT: There were ten or 12 kids in the van with me
Exception:
I am 17 and a half years old.
Use numerical fractions in street addresses. Example: 2041½ West Fairfield.
Spell out fractions in all other cases.
Background speaking
• [Speaking to person in background: This is what hasn't been done yet. This one. And this one. And this is where the flooring has been [inaudible]. [Person speaking in background: OK.] [Speaking to person in background: And then, wait one second.] Hey, Jeremy. (this is all one paragraph)
Interviewer and Interviewee names
• Use Unknown if you aren't sure of their names
• If a person’s name is Unknown because it was inaudible when their name was stated, then be sure and put [inaudible] when their name was stated in the text.
• First name is okay to use if last name isn't known. Never use Mr. or Ms.
Long periods of silence and pauses
• Use [pause] for silence over 10 seconds
• Customer Security Requirements
Bank account number Replace with xxxxxxxxxx (ten x). Example: 10012345 would be xxxxxxxxxx.
Bank routing number Same as bank account number. Replace with xxxxxxxxxx (ten x).
Credit/debit card number Replace with xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (16 x). Example: 3348992938291093 would be xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Driver's license number Replace with xxxxxxxxxx (ten x). Example: 299388829 would be xxxxxxxxxx.
Federal tax ID, if same as SSN Replace the first five digits with x. Example: xxx-xx-1234.
Mother's maiden name Replace with xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx (15 x). Example: Jones would be xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx.
Progressive e-mail address Replace with [omitted]. No need to omit the interviewee’s email address.
Progressive employee ID Replace with [omitted].
Social Security Number Replace the first five digits with x. Example: xxx-xx-1234.
Voicemails Do not type Progressive voicemail-only files.
Curse Words
- For curse words, please put the first letter of the word followed by the appropritae number of asterisks: f***, s***, g******
Verbatim Transcription
In verbatim transcription, interviews are transcribed word for word and voiced sound. Every um, uh, laugh, and sound must be recorded for posterity. Examples of what should be in your transcription:
• Every word you can understand.
• A placeholder for every group of words you can't understand.
• Slang words like 'cuz, 'em, 'til, y'all, gonna and wanna. See Glossary for additional slang words.
• Non-word utterances such as um, uh-huh.
• Sound of emotion or body sounds:
• Even pauses and silences should be noted.
What shouldn't be in your transcription:
• Don't add words that weren't spoken, even to improve grammar.
• Don't transcribe languages other than English.
MUSIC or Recordings
- Do not notate [music] or [recording initated]
Speaker Tokens
• Use Q: for the Interviewer and A: for the main Interviewee. Follow speaker tokens with a colon and one space.
• Start a new paragraph only when the speaker token changes.
• If there is more than one Interviewee or participant, use B:, C:, D:, etc.
• Use ATTY: for an attorney participant (only if they are identified as an attorney.)
• Use INT: for an interpreter. (See Interpreted Interviews section.)
Uh, Um, Mm, Hmm
Type all ums, uhs, and hmms that occur in the interview. ALWAYS set off the words with commas.
Q: OK. Did you, um, well, did you have anything to drink before the accident happened?
A: Uh, no. Uh, I don't, uh, drink or anything, never.
These are the preferred spellings of typical utterances:
• Affirmative: uh-huh, mm-hmm, yeah[PH1] , yep, yup.
Don't use: um-hum, um-hmm, uh-hum.
• Negative: uh-uh, mm-mm, nuh-uh[PH2] .
• Other: um, uh, mm, hmm.
OK / All right
Use the version OK instead of Okay or okay, m'kay, and 'k.
Q: OK. Where did the accident happen?
A: Let me look that up. OK. It happened on Main Street.
Use all right, not alright.
OK and all right are almost always followed by a period. Exceptions:
Q: Were you and your passengers OK?
A: The officer said it was all right for me to leave.
If spoken, use the spelling okey doke, okey dokey or all righty.
Q: All righty. Could I have your full name, please?
A: Okey dokey. It's Marge Simpson.
You Know/Like/Yet
Be sure to set off the words like and you know and with commas appropriately.
A: It was, like, you know, like, I thought I knew where to go.
Note: Like does not always require commas around it.
A: I like to jog in that neighborhood.
Q: What were the roads like?
When YET is used to as a conjunction, a comma precedes it.
A: He was going 40 miles an hour, yet the speed limit there is 25.
Q: Have you seen your doctor yet?
And / So / But
When And, So, or But begin a sentence, do not follow with a comma.
Q: And how fast were you traveling?
A: So I was going about 30 miles an hour.
When these words end a sentence, usually indicating a trailed off thought, follow with an ellipsis.
Q: Was the light green as you approached it or …
A: I thought it was green but …
Repeated Words
Repeated words should be typed, but for readability, put no more than three repeats.
A: Well, I, I, I thought that he, uh, she, she was going to turn left.
Incomplete Words/False Starts
When words are partially spoken but cut off by a participant, type the part of the word spoken followed by a hyphen and a comma.
A: He hit my fe-, uh, fender. I saw his vehi-, vehicle coming at me.
Q: W-, w-, where was he com-, where was he coming from?
Inaudible Words and Phrases
Inaudible words and phrases are dealt with by inserting the word "inaudible" surrounded by brackets [inaudible].
Only use once for each occurrence. Do not put two [inaudible] right next to each other. If you have a word or two in between inaudibles, type the words you hear, then use another [inaudible] for the words that you can't decipher, but do not put two [inaudible] together.
Q: [inaudible] was [inaudible] her name?
A: Yes, [inaudible].
NOT
Q: [inaudible][inaudible] her name?
If there is no sentence structure when [inaudible] is used, do not use punctuation.
A: [inaudible]
Obscured speech due to recording issues. Alternatives to [inaudible] tag
[RD] stands for "recording damage." We use it if an audio glitch, skip, or dropout renders a word/words inaudible.
[static] is used when there is a crackling or hissing noise that obscures speech.
[interference] is used when there is phone interference that obscures speech.
Spelling and [sounds like]
Spelling is important. Some spellings, such as the name of a street, city or business, can be looked up on the internet using Google or another search engine. Always use your word processing spell check program before submitting your transcript, but be aware that it usually doesn't catch mistakes like the misuses of there/they're/their or to/too/two.
A list of insurance industry terms and other words, their proper spellings and usage can be found in the Glossary of Recorded Statement-Related Words at the end of this guide.
If you have a ZIP Code, you can use http://www.melissadata.com/lookups/zipstreet.asp?InData to verify street names and cities and their proper spelling.
[sounds like] is used after the first instance of a person’s name in the transcript if you’re unsure of the spelling. Do not use [sounds like] after every instance of the name, but make sure it’s spelled the same throughout.
Do not put [sounds like] in the list of names at the top of the document. Just in the first instance of the name in the body of the text if you’re unsure about spelling.
- You can use [SP] for instances where you can’t find the name of a street or place and it’s mentioned. But do try to Google and find correct spelling first.
Q: What was your passenger's name?
A: John Milecki [sounds like].
Q: Do you know Mr. Milecki's phone number?
If the word, name or place is spelled out later in the interview, go back and remove the [sounds like] from its first occurrence and make corrections as necessary.
Punctuation should follow [sounds like] in the text of a transcript.
Q: Did you say his name was Juan Escoban [sounds like]?
A: I believe it was McKenzie [sounds like], not McDonald.
NOTE: For common names, do not use [sounds like]. Use the most common spelling.
When a participant of an interview spells out his/her name, a place, etc., indicate this by typing the letters that are being spelled in all caps, and separate them with hyphens.
Q: Please state your full name and spell your last name.
A: My name is Susan Miller, spelled M-I-L-L-E-R.
Using Letter Identifiers. When a participant uses letter identifies (M as in Mary) while spelling a name, separate spoken letters with hyphens, write out information for letter identifiers, and follow with a comma.
A: My name is Scott Smith, S as in Sam, C-O-T-T S as in Sam, M as in Mary, I-T-H.
A: My name is Scott Smith, S-M as in Mary, I-T as in Tom, H.
A: My name is Scott Smith, S-M-I-T as in Tom, H.
Punctuation
Use standard punctuation as much as possible, keeping in mind the following rules of thumb:
• Do not use any type of bolding, italics, underlining, semicolons or exclamation points.
• Use ellipses for interrupted sentences and trailed off sentences. See the section on Ellipses.
• The following should virtually always be set off with commas: um, uh, mm, hmm, stutters and repeated words.
• If a person has a stutter and has no control over the stutter, do not indicate all of the additional sounds they make in the transcript.
• OK should generally be followed by a period rather than a comma.
• Polite requests should be followed by a period rather than a question mark.
Q: Please state your name.
Q: Can you, please, state your name?
Interrupted Numbers
When a participant is giving a number, for example: telephone number and report numbers, and they are interrupted by the other participant, ellipses are used for the interruptions AND continuations for the person BEING interrupted.
Q: What is your phone number?
A: 453 ...
Q: Uh-huh.
A: ... 260 ...
Q: 260.
A: ... 5678
NOTE: The second speaker is simply repeating and/or confirming the information received from the first speaker. Therefore, the repetition is a complete thought. No opening or closing ellipses are used for these complete thoughts.
Do not put hyphens in the interrupted numbers unless specifically spoken. When a report number is given and a dash is spoken but the number is then interrupted, use the following format:
Q: What is the report number?
A: N35 dash ...
Q: Okay.
A: … 45678.
BUT:
Q: What is the report number?
A: 09-123 …
Q: Okay.
A: … 456.
Automated Voice Messaging System
You can include the automated voice recording, and place it on its own line and in brackets. And then put the message the agent leaves. Also the recording would not be part of the name list at the top.
EXAMPLE:
[Recording: Thank you for calling Language Line Solutions …]
Q: Hindi.
[Recording: I understood Hindi, if this is correct …]
Quotes Within Recorded Statements
Single quotes are used versus double quotes because the entire statement is quoted material. Use single quotes within a recorded statement sentence to reflect a direct quotation, that is, the exact words of the speaker.
Q: Did she say, 'I am at fault for the accident?'
A: She said, 'It was my fault.'
BUT
A: I asked her if she was OK and she said yes.
A: I was thinking wow, he's not going to stop.
Note the difference in meaning between She said, 'It was my fault' versus She said it was my fault.
Bracketed Items
Bracketed items are used in recorded statement transcripts to give as much information about the recording as possible. A few examples of these are: [pause], [makes sound].
[laughs] and [crying] should always be noted in the transcript as appropriate.
Items such as [coughs], [sneezes], [clears throat], [yawns] are only used when a participant makes a reference to it, such as saying 'Excuse me' after a cough or sneeze.
Use [makes sound] if a person makes a sound that cannot be transcribed, such as sucking their teeth, 'thinking sounds' (tu tu tu tu), or sighs.
A: Oh, gosh, [makes sound] let me think about that. [makes sound] Um, I guess it was yesterday.
Punctuation should precede [makes sound]
Do not capitalize the word inside the bracket.
Email Addresses
Both "email" and "e-mail" are acceptable. Just be consistent throughout the transcript.
Uninterrupted E-Mail Addresses
When punctuation or other symbols are spoken in an uninterrupted e-mail address, use the symbols rather than spelling out the word.
Spoken: Joe underscore Jones at yahoo dot com
Typed as: joe_jones@yahoo.com
Spoken: Sarah dot M at Hotmail dot com
Typed as: sarah.m@hotmail.com
Interrupted E-Mail Addresses
When capital letters, letter identifiers, or other information is used to give an e-mail address, type out all the information exactly as given, then type the actual e-mail address in brackets at the end.
A: My e-mail address is Mary, T as in Tom, at dreamjob, that’s all one word, dot com [maryt@dreamjob.com].
A: My e-mail address is M as in Mary, A as in apple, R as in Robert, Y as in yellow, M as in Mary, at dreamjob dot com [marym@dreamjob.com].
When an e-mail address is interrupted while being given, use the spelling rule for interrupted words or numbers (i.e. use hyphens between the letters, spell out the symbols for ‘underscore’, ‘at’, ‘dot’, etc.).
A: My e-mail address is Bob underscore …
Q: Uh-huh.
A: … Jones at Gmail dot com [bob_jones@gmail.com].
NOTE: Punctuation follows the bracket.
Capital letters are generally inconsequential when typing and using e-mail addresses unless the word "capital" is spoken while giving the e-mail address.
Silence
Silence is indicated in the following ways:
• Use [pause] in a transcript to indicate any amount of time over ten seconds when there is nothing spoken on the recording.
• [pause] does not go on a line of its own, but rather with the participant 'responsible' for the pause or the participant whose 'turn' it is to speak..
• Be careful not to overuse the ellipsis as an abundance of them can affect the readability of the transcript.
• Use an ellipsis when a sentences trails off with words like so, but, or, and.
Ellipses
Ellipses are typed as three periods with spaces before and after them. They are used to format interrupted speech patterns and trailed off sentences.
Examples:
A: Um, well, she hit him and kind of T-boned him, and so the front of her car on the driver side, I think, has the most ... Sorry I'm on a bus and it is getting really loud.
Q: OK. And you, you said you couldn't tell if he'd stopped or not ...
A: No.
Q: … when the light turned red?
A: I don’t think he stopped, but I didn't see his car fast enough ...
Q: OK.
A: ... see if he had stopped, so ... but I really don't think he did.
Use ellipses ( ... ) when there is a change of thought in mid-sentence.
Examples:
A: He was going to ... well, maybe not.
(Do not capitalize the W in "well" because it's the same thought.)
A: He was going to ... Hey, get that camera out of my face.
(The H in Hey is capitalized because it's a completely different thought and a new sentence.)
Do NOT use an ellipsis when there is a short pause at the beginning of a question or an answer.
Interrupted Speech Patterns
Interrupted speech patterns are common in recorded statement transcripts. These can occur in the middle of sentences or when numbers are being provided. Interruptions typically create three types of situations:
Trailed-off thought: When a sentence trails off before it ends, indicating uncertainty or suggesting an abrupt suspension of thought.
Q: Were you hurt in the accident?
A: No, I guess not. I mean, I was shook up but it wasn't anything serious, so …
Leading questions: When one speaker (usually Q) prompts another speaker to complete the sentence.
Q: Were you traveling north, south …
A: I was traveling south.
Q: You were traveling south. OK.
Interrupted sentences and/or numbers: When participants speak simultaneously, but you are ABLE TO HEAR AND/OR DECIPHER ALL OF WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, indicate it in the text of the document by formatting the interruption AND the beginning of the continuation with ellipses.
Q: So the car was …
A: It was red.
Q: … red? OK.
Speaking Simultaneously
When participants of an interview speak simultaneously and you are UNABLE TO HEAR OR DECIPHER WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, indicate it in the text of the document as … [SS] …
Always place an ellipsis before and after the [SS].
Before using ... [SS] ... the following TWO criteria must be met:
1. There are words you cannot decipher.
2. The inaudible words are caused by two or more participants talking at the same time.
Always try to pick up the words being said by each party, and do not overuse ... [SS] ...
Only use ... [SS] ... if you cannot hear or decipher the words for a particular participant and the reason is because they are speaking at the same time. If you can hear all the words of the party, put them in.
Separate each speaker as clearly and accurately as possible.
Do not use ... [SS] ... in the middle of a sentence. New speaker tokens should be created and the ... [SS] ... is placed for the person whose words are inaudible.
Q: So you're saying that the car was black, or ...
A: ... [SS] ...
Q: ... was it red?
NOT
Q: So you're saying that the car was black, or ... [SS] ... see it?
When one party interrupts another and you hear/understand all of the first party's exchange (simple interrupted sentence.)
Q: Did you know where you were going to park when you ...
A: No.
Q: ... arrived at that area?
When one party interrupts another and you do not hear/understand all of the first party's exchange.
Q: Did you know where you were going to ... [SS] ...
A: No.
Q: ... arrived at that area?
When one party interrupts another and you do not hear/understand all of the second party's exchange.
Q: Did you know where you were going to park when you ...
A: ... [SS] ... didn't know for sure.
Q: ... arrived at that area?
When one party interrupts another and you do not hear/understand all of either party's exchange.
Q: Did you know where you were going to park ... [SS] ...
A: ... [SS] ...
Q: … arrived at that area?
Dates
For dates expressed as numbers, use the month/day/year format and separate the components with slashes.
Spoken Typed As
seven eight eighty 7/8/80
seven eight 7/8
seven eight nineteen eighty 7/8/1980
For dates expressed with month names, spell out the month name and format the date as follows:
Spoken Typed As
July eight nineteen eighty July 8, 1980
July eighth nineteen eighty July 8th, 1980
July eight eighty July 8, '80
Time
Time is always expressed with figures separated by a colon. It should resemble a digital clock display. The word o'clock is never used.
Spoken As: Typed As:
"The accident happened at ten o'clock." The accident happened at 10:00.
"I arrived at five." I arrived at 5:00.
"It was nine thirty." It was 9:30.
"I think about five, oh, five, p.m." I think about 5:05 p.m.
Always type a.m./p.m. with lower case letters separated by periods.
A: It was 10:00 a.m. when the accident happened.
If a.m. or p.m. comes at the beginning of the sentence, capitalize the first letter but not the second.
Q: Was that a.m. or p.m. when the accident happened?
A: P.m.
Time Zones
Capitalize each word when expressed as:
• Eastern Daylight Time
• Central Standard Time
Lowercase all but the region in the short forms.
• the Eastern time zone
• Eastern time
Numbers: Additional Information
Addresses
In writing addresses, use words for all numbered street names from one to ten and use figures for all numbered street names over ten.
A: My address is 5030 Third Avenue South, Seattle, Washington 98011
A: My address is 4122 22nd Place Northeast, Tukwila, Washington 98068
BUT
A: We were on I-5. We were going to exit onto Route 3.
Telephone Numbers
When typing telephone numbers, use hyphens to separate the components. Do not use parentheses to set off the area code.
A: My telephone number is 999-999-9999.
If the words “area code” are spoken before the telephone number, they should be included in the transcript.
A: My telephone number is area code 999-999-9999.
Interpreted Interviews
The goal in transcribing interpreted interviews is to make the transcript understandable for the reader, while still transcribing verbatim.
For interpreted recordings, transcribe all parts spoken in English.
Type any English parts spoken by the interpreter under the INT: speaker token.
If the A participant (interviewee) speaks in English and is not translated by the interpreter, type the English under the A speaker token. (See exceptions below.)
Spoken Typed As
Q asks in English Q: What is your address?
INT asks A in Spanish
A replies in Spanish to INT INT: My address is 123 Main.
EXCEPTIONS
Same Response. If A responds in English and the interpreter repeats the same response, type only what the interpreter says. Do not put in A's response.
Spoken Typed As
Q asks in English Q: What is your address?
INT asks A in Spanish
A replies in English
INT repeats A's response INT: My address is 123 Main.
Different Response. If A responds in English and the interpreter interprets differently than A, type both A's response and the interpreter's response.
Spoken Typed As
Q asks in English Q: What is your address?
INT asks A in Spanish
A replies in English A: 123 Main Street.
INT interprets differently in English INT: 125 Main Street.
[foreign language response]. If A responds in a foreign language, and no interpretation is given by the interpreter in English, use [foreign language response] from A.
Spoken Typed As
Q asks in English Q: What is your address?
INT asks A in Spanish
A replies in Spanish but INT does not
interpret response into English A: [foreign language response]
Glossary of Recorded Statement-Related Words
The following is a list of words commonly used in recorded statements and their correct usage.
and-a-half always hyphenated
911 NOT: 9-1-1
4 x 4 refers to a four-wheel drive vehicle
2 x 4, 2 x 6, etc. NOT: two by four, two by six
AAA NOT: A-A-A or Triple A
ACV actual cash value
adjuster NOT: adjustor
affect (v.) to have an influence on
effect (n.) result; intent
arbitration
a hold two words
airbag one word
all right two words
all righty two words
a.m. / p.m. lower case, separated by periods (capitalize if first word in a sentence: A.m. / P.m.)
area code lower case, two words
ARMS Automated Rental Management System
a while
axle NOT: axel, unless referring to a figure skating term
back seat two words
bear with me NOT: bare with me
berm shoulder of a road or noise barrier
bodily injury liability coverage
brake (n.) device for slowing or stopping a vehicle
break (v.) to fracture or cause to separate into pieces
brand-new (adj.) hyphenated
bumper-to-bumper hyphenated as an adjective (bumper-to-bumper traffic)
car length two words, not hyphenated
Central Standard Time BUT Central time.
CLUE Comprehensive Loss U/W Exchange
collision coverage
comprehensive coverage
co-pay, co-payment
coverage synonym for insurance
'cuz NOT: 'cause, 'cos, or 'cus
Declaration can be referred to as the "dec page" or "dec sheet"
deductible
disc When referring to the spine.
double-check hyphenated
driveable NOT: drivable
driver side NOT: driver's side
drive-through/drive-thru either version is acceptable, just be consistent
dualie a type of truck
each other two words
eastbound one word
Eastern Daylight Time BUT Eastern time
E-brake short for emergency brake
'em slang for them
e-mail, email both are acceptable, just be consistent
ER acronym for emergency room
etc. NOT: et cetera
first-party coverage type of insurance
flatbed one word
fraud gap insurance NOT: GAP or Gap
geez or jeez both ways are fine, just be consistent
gonna slang for going to
gotcha slang for got you
gray NOT: grey
grille NOT: grill, when talking about the part on front of a car
guardrail one word
iPhone, iPad note capitalization
insofar as two words
it's contraction of "it is" or "it has"
its possessive form of "it"
I-5, I-51 hyphen between the letter and number when referring to a road or highway
jeep/Jeep jeep (n.): a specific type of military vehicle.
Jeep (n.): trademark for a similar vehicle for civilian use
lane number two no hyphen
left-hand turn hyphenated
left-hand lane hyphenated
left-hand turn lane one hyphen
left-handed hyphenated
liability insurance/coverage
liability-only policy/insurance hyphenated
lienholder one word
limits maximum amount of insurance that can be paid for a covered loss
loss incident or accident that resulted in a claim.
ma'am short for madam
meantime one word
mediation
medpay a type of insurance coverage
MOI acronym for Memorandum of Insurance
Mountain Standard Time BUT Mountain time
MVR acronym for Motor Vehicle Report
no-fault (adj.) hyphenated, "no-fault accident" "no-fault insurance"
northbound one word
nowhere one word
OEM acronym for "original equipment manufacturer"
offhand one word
OK See section on ‘OK’
okey dokey, okey doke
off-ramp (n.) hyphenated
on-ramp (n.) hyphenated
oncoming one word
out-of-pocket (adj.) hyphenated, BUT "I paid out of pocket."
over-the-counter (adj.) hyphenated, BUT "Did you buy this over the counter?"
Pacific Standard Time BUT Pacific time
passenger side not passenger’s side
percent one word -- do not use %
pickup (n.) one word: "He was driving a pickup truck."
PIP an acronym for Personal Injury Protection coverage
P.O. Box abbreviation for Post Office Box
preexisting no hyphen
rear end (n.) two words: "I hit the rear end of her vehicle."
rear-end (v., adj.) hyphenated "He rear-ended me." "It was a rear-end accident."
rearview mirror NOT: rear view mirror
rideshare, ridesharing No hyphen
right-hand lane hyphenated
right-hand turn hyphenated
right-hand turn lane one hyphen
right-handed hyphenated
right-of-way hyphenated
salvage
scale of one to ten NOT: scale of 1 to 10
seat belt two words
sideswipe, sideswiped one word
Social Security Number initials capitalized
southbound one word
stop-and-go (a.) hyphenate, but "I intended to stop and go in."
stoplight one word
stop sign two words
subrogation/subrogate
tail lamp two words
taillight one word
T-bone (n.), (v.) for an accident position; also T-boned
the 405, the 5 when referring to freeways in this manner "the" is not capped
there (adv.) in or at a point
their possessive form of ‘they’
they’re Contraction of ‘they are’
third-party coverage
thruway NOT throughway
'til NOT till
tort a wrongful act resulting in injury or damage
total loss
tractor-trailer hyphenated
two-door, four-door (adj.) hyphenated BUT: the car had two doors
U-turn U is capitalized
U-ie slang for U-turn
underwriting
uninsured motorist coverage type of insurance
voicemail one word
waiver
westbound one word
whereas one word
workers’ comp. apostrophe after the s
workman’s comp apostrophe before the s
x-ray NOT: X-ray
y'all contraction of you all, NOT: ya'll
yea pronounced "yay" means hooray
yeah informal "yes"
you're contraction of "you are"
your possessive form of you
yep
ZIP Code ZIP - all caps, Code - initial cap
Sample Insurance Interview Transcription
Q: Andrew Clark
A: Claire Standish
Q: This is Andrew Clark conducting a recorded interview by phone with Ms. Claire Standish [sounds like]. Today's date is May 23rd, 2015, and the time is 2:30 p.m. We are also joined by Ms. Standish's attorney, Brian Johnson. This is regarding an accident that occurred on May 13th, 2015. Ms. Standish, please, state and spell your full name.
A: My name is Claire, C-L-A-I-R-E, Standish, S-T as in Tom, A-N-D as in dog, I-S-H.
Q: Um, what is your date of birth?
A: 2/18/1968.
Q: Thank you. Ms. Standish, is your address 4418 North Third Street, Friendly, North Dakota?
A: Uh, not any more. [laughs] I've moved.
Q: OK. What is your new address?
A: 5509 47th Avenue, Friendlier, North Dakota.
Q: And the ZIP Code?
A: 55555.
Q: Do you know your Social Security Number?
A: No. Uh, wait. 999-99-9999.
Q: OK. And your phone number, please?
A: 555-555-5555.
Q: OK. Thank you. Ms. Standish, do you remember the time of the accident?
A: No, I don't.
Q: Was it morning, afternoon, evening …
A: I think it was morning, right before 12:00.
Q: Uh, could it have been closer to 10:00 a.m.?
A: Um, I don't know. I really don't …
ATTY: She's already said she doesn't remember.
Q: OK. Moving on, then. Ms. Standish, where did the accident occur?
A: It was at the intersection of Bender and Sheedy [sounds like].
Q: Which street were you on and what direction were you traveling?
A: I was on Bender going to the mall, so I was westbound. Yeah, west.
Q: In your own words, please, tell me what happened.
A: Well, I was going down Bender and I guess the light changed right when I entered the intersection, 'cuz this guy in a, in a blue Toy-, Toyota Matrix just T-boned me, so ...
Q: Did he try to brake?
A: [laughs] No, he was too busy talking on his cell phone. That's against the law, isn't it?
Q: Did you get his name or insurance information?
A: He said his name was [inaudible].
Q: Sorry, what was that?
A: J-, John Stephenson [sounds like], yeah.
Q: Where was your car damaged?
A: My fr-, fr-, front end is, like, completely messed up.
Q: What about ... [SS] ...
A: ... [SS] ... messed up my mirrors, too.
Q: OK. Mirrors, too. Did you have any conversation with the other party after the accident?
A: Yes. He said, 'Lady, this is your fault.'
Page updated
Report abuse