‘Verbatim transcription is like your friend that is far from concise, they love their details and give all their energy to the story. We all have one.’
But what exactly is verbatim transcription?
Here is the short answer: Verbatim transcription is a style of transcription that captures every word, pause and filler exactly as it’s spoken. It’s needed when full clarity and context are required, such as in journalism.
But it is also much more than just a definition. Keep reading our latest blog to find out more about it, how it differs to non-verbatim and the exact situations where it is best used.
Verbatim transcription: in more detail
Ultimately, the purpose of verbatim transcription is to have a record of every single utterance within an audio or video file.
There are other types of transcription that come under the umbrella of verbatim.
- Intelligent verbatim: This removes unnecessary language such as ‘umm’, ‘like’, ‘you know’ or any other filler words whilst still maintaining the essence of what was said.
- Bilingual transcription: This involves transcribing content in two languages, such as Spanish and German.
When is verbatim transcription needed?
Verbatim transcription is especially helpful in settings where complete accuracy and context is pivotal and any inaccuracies have consequences, such as legal settings, courts, interviews and research.
It is also important in entertainment and media to truly convey a character or person and all their individualities that form their personality. By doing so, audiences can better grasp and understand the person or character.
In a setting such as a business meeting combining stakeholders of various backgrounds and languages, bilingual transcription would be useful here to cover the whole conversation in the relevant languages.
How does it differ from non-verbatim?
Non-verbatim transcription focuses on the clarity of the message or content rather than the exact words spoken.
This can be confused with intelligent verbatim, but the difference here is that non-verbatim can paraphrase, alter sentences to make more sense, or potentially summarise.
On the other hand, intelligent verbatim wouldn’t take this approach.
Verbatim transcription example
Below is an imagined example of what full and smart (intelligent) verbatim transcription looks like.
In the full verbatim example, you may notice interruptions, emphasis, filler words and other details (such as laughs) are all accounted for.
Whereas for the smart verbatim, these extra details are all gone.
![The graphic shows two examples of verbatim transcription. To the left, the title is 'full verbatim example'. Text reads: M Moderator R Respondent ‘/’ Interruption italics Emphasis M: So, um, listen, I was watching you on Strictly last year — first of all, hats off to you because my knees would have exploded halfway through week one. R: Mine did! [laughs] You just didn’t see it — there’s a lot of creative editing going on, Jonathan. M: So it’s all smoke and mirrors? R: / Completely. They made it look like I was doing a samba. I was actually just trying not to fall over. M: Well, it worked, I was convinced! You had that look, like [stumbles], “I know exactly what I’m doing,” but at the same time, “Please send help.” R: [Laughs] Um, that’s my default setting, actually. Works in most social situations — weddings, job interviews, you name it. On the right-half of the graphic, it shows a smart verbatim example. Text reads: M Moderator R Respondent M: So, listen, I was watching you on Strictly last year. First of all, hats off to you because my knees would have exploded halfway through week one. R: Oh, mine did! You just didn’t see it. There’s a lot of creative editing going on, Jonathan. M: So it’s all smoke and mirrors? R: Completely. They made it look like I was doing a samba. I was actually just trying not to fall over. M: Well, it worked, I was convinced. You had that look, like, “I know exactly what I’m doing,” but at the same time, “Please send help.” R: That’s my default setting, actually. Works in most social situations, weddings, job interviews, you name it.](https://www.taurho-transcribes.co.uk/app/uploads/2025/09/Full-vs-smart-verbatim-300x251.png)
“It gives you the full picture. Verbatim transcription is such a useful tool when either the context and clarity is required. We can say that with confidence after offering it as a service since 2014. A bias-free record of text means that teams using it can make better and more informed decisions.”
– Tamara Morris, Head of Inside Sales, TauRho Transcribes
Key takeaways
- Full verbatim transcription is ideal for entertainment, media, police interviews, legal and more
- Smart (intelligent) verbatim is a good solution for clean content, such as journalistic interviews that cut through the extra fluff
Contact us today to find out more about our transcription services.
