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On transcription and other aspects of the craft of qualitative research

Levy Farías and Maritza Montero

Levy Farías, Doctor en Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas

Maritza Montero, Doctora en Ciencias Sociales, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas

Abstract: This article is directed toward helping to  bridge the gap between oral discourse and its written versions. The authors examine the way in which oral communication is registered and transformed into written text to avoid gross distortions but also to highlight the unavoidable interpretive character of any transcription. Special emphasis is put on artisan procedures, because many students and researchers in nonindustrialized countries have little access to specific software (both because of idiom and for economic reasons), which although not totally eliminating human intervention, certainly simplify the tasks to be done. The authors describe an accessible way of designing discursive tables using a popular word processor and discuss the degrees and limitations of editing transcriptions.

Keywords: transcription, oral discourse, qualitative analysis, dscursive tables, editing

Citation

Farías, L., & Montero, M. (2005). De la transcripción y otros aspectos artesanales de la investigación cualitativa [On transcription and other aspects of the craft of qualitative research]. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 4(1), Article 4. Retrieved [insert date] from http://www.ualberta.ca/~iiqm/backissues/4_1/ html/fariasmontero.htm