What Is Full Verbatim?

Direct definition

Full verbatim (sometimes called true verbatim) records speech with fillers, stutters, repetitions, and often nonverbal sounds, following the client’s notation rules. It is used when how something was said is part of the evidence.

The sections below explain how full verbatim is used in transcription and subtitle work, what people often mix up, and which VideoText workflow applies when the next step is a file or review pass.

Key takeaways

• Full verbatim is slower to read and more expensive to produce.
• Notation for [laughs] or [inaudible] must match the style guide.
• ASR output is a poor substitute for specified full-verbatim delivery.

When full verbatim is used

Qualitative interviews, some legal and disciplinary recordings, and user-research playback sessions often require it. Marketing transcripts almost never do.

The thing people often get wrong

Full verbatim is not “type every breath.” Style guides still drop coughs or specify brackets. Use only the notation the assigned guide lists.

Related terms

• clean verbatim
• verbatim transcription
• overlapping speech
• All glossary terms

Sources

1. Rev: Rev Transcription Style Guide