Transcription

When learning about things like best practices in respect to accessibility, it is commonly mentioned that if you are going to record a lecture, Podcast or anything containing only audio dialogue, then you should provide a transcript to accompany the recording. This can go beyond the topic of accessibility as well. There are several benefits to having a transcript created before even beginning the recording. Creating a transcript before recording is a good planning strategy. The speaker will be less likely to make mistakes when speaking and they will also be less likely to go off on tangents while forgetting to cover everything that is necessary. The common stalling words used when trying to think of the next thing to say such as the infamous "and" or "um" will be reduced when we have a pre-planned transcript to read from.

Once the recording is finished, the transcript can be offered as an alternate format, satisfying the needs of hearing impaired individuals. For everyone else it can act as a method of taking notes or even studying. If the transcript is not something that the creator wants to be made available until a request for it is filed, then they can simply store it somewhere until a request comes in. In the event that the transcript is needed, it will already be created, which will make the task of providing it fast and easy. It takes more time for a transcript to be created retroactively, than if it would have simply been done from the beginning. Another thing to consider is that students can request some accommodations just three days before they need them, and a higher educational institution would then be required to meet the request.