Translator Guidelines

General Guidelines

• Add a speaker tag for every speaker change. 

• Use the person’s first name if mentioned or provided. 

Example: 

Jill: Hi, April, thanks for being here today.  

April: Hi, Jill, thanks for having me.

Jill: How are you today, April? 

April: Good, good. You?

• If the name of the person is not mentioned, use the following speaker tags appropriately:

Interviewer: (You may number this if there is more than one interviewer)

Interviewee: (You may number this if there is more than one interviewee)

Man: or Woman: (You may number if there is more than one man or woman)

Male Speaker: or Female Speaker: (You may number if there is more than one male or female)

Facilitator: or Moderator: (For focus groups)

Instructor: (For training, lectures, instructional courses, etc.)

Child: (For interviews with children)

• Do not use any speaker tags other than those listed above. For example, Speaker 1, 2, 3, etc. is incorrect.

• Transcribe as "okay" instead of "OK."

• Enter two spaces (two hard returns) between paragraphs and speaker changes.

Example:

Jill: Hi, how are you? (enter)

(enter)

Krystal: Fine, I guess. How are you?

• Use this format for words that cannot be understood [inauidlbe hh:mm:ss].

Example:

Jill: I don’t know. Maybe [inaudible 01:05:01]. 

April: Sorry, can you repeat that? 

Jill: You know, [inaudible 1:05:30]. 

• When translating to English, consider using the Grammarly extension to assist you.

• Please review your transcript before submitting it to ensure correct punctuation, no typos, and no unintended characters. 

• Be careful not to translate literally. It may not effectively convey the intended meaning, tone, or nuances of what was originally said.

• Translate the meaning of the text rather than translating word-for-word.

• Familiarize yourself with the context and purpose of the text. 

• Make sure your translations are suitable for the people you're translating for.

• If unsure about specific terms or phrases, conduct research or consult reliable sources.

Recordings with Interpreters/Translators

• Some files may have a participant who translates or interprets for another speaker. (Sign language, foreign language, etc.)

• How you label this participant depends on their participation as an individual versus as a strict interpreter.

• If the customer asks for a translation from Foreign Language to English, but some speakers sometimes speak in English, transcribe the English exactly as it is said (unless advised to do so or if an English transcript has already been provided). Do not change or rephrase words.

Example:

Chan: Can you hear me okay? (as spoken)  ✅

Chan: Can you hear me well?  ❌

• The speaker tag should match the person who is speaking. 

Example:

Vanessa: Vanessa is the translator. She is interpreting what the interviewer is saying. 

Shih: Shih is the interviewee. He answers in a foreign language. 

Vanessa: Vanessa translates Shih's words into English for the interviewer. 

Chan: Chan asks a question in English. 

Creating Captions

• It is very important to follow the rules below. This formatting helps to create accurate SRTs.

• Please note that captions use different speaker tags. Start with a hyphen and a space, followed by the speaker tags in brackets. When the speaker speaks again, use a dash.

Example: 

-  [Jill] Hi, April, thanks for being here today.  

- [April] Hi, Jill, thanks for having me.

- How are you today, April? 

- Good, good. You?

• For transcribers, please add a timestamp every 15 seconds.  You can use the Insert Timestamp tool on the worker console.