Family archives
Prepare an oral-history transcript for the speaker to review
Prepare the transcript with timestamps and a separate question list. Preserve unclear passages instead of guessing them, and ask the speaker to review names, meaning and privacy preferences. Keep later clarifications distinguishable from the words in the original conversation so readers can see what changed.
A text to start with
Here is a transcript draft with timestamps and the uncertain passages marked: [permitted text]. Supporting notes I want compared are [notes or none]. List unclear wording, names or places to confirm, and discrepancies visible in the supplied material. Keep the speaker's wording and draft questions for their review. Do not fill gaps, claim to have heard audio or invent conflicts with other accounts.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Transcript review log
Recording title and date: [ ] Speaker: [ ] Transcript version and date sent: [ ] Timestamp: [ ] Draft passage: [ ] Unclear or inaudible word: [ ] Name or place to confirm: [ ] Factual question: [ ] Speaker correction: [ ] Date and method of reply: [ ] Passages the speaker wants private or limited: [ ] Agreed use of your recording and transcript: [ ] Open items remaining: [ ]
Check for gaps filled with plausible words
Compare the draft with your transcription notes and any audio you are authorized to review. Preserve the timestamp of each unclear passage. Flag a name for confirmation instead of silently correcting it. Check whether removing a hesitation changes the speaker's meaning. Record a later clarification as a dated addition when it differs from the original words. Smithsonian guidance recommends agreeing on interviewing, recording and use in advance; confirm the speaker's preferences before sharing the draft more widely.
Ask another agent to check the result
Compare this draft with the unclear-passage list. Find any place where an inaudible or doubtful word was replaced with a plausible one, or where a name was corrected without a question. Quote the line and timestamp. Do not suggest what the speaker probably said.
Send the draft with a clear request
Share the draft and the question list with the speaker, and say how they can reply: by phone, on a marked-up copy or in person. Offer your recording alongside if they want to check wording. Record each correction with its date. Ask which passages, if any, should stay private or limited, and note the answer before the transcript goes into the archive.