How to Get the Best Results From Interview Transcription: Practical Guidance for Better Recordings and More Accurate Transcripts

The quality of an interview transcript is determined by two things: the quality of the audio recording and the skill of the transcriber. The transcriber’s skill is a matter for the service you choose. The quality of the recording is almost entirely within your control, and the decisions you make before and during your interview will have a direct and significant impact on the accuracy, completeness, and cost of the resulting transcript.

This guide is aimed at anyone who conducts interviews that will subsequently be transcribed: academic researchers, journalists, HR and legal professionals, market researchers, and anyone else who regularly records conversations for a professional purpose. It covers recording best practice, preparation, briefing your interview transcription service, and how to work with the transcript once it is delivered.

Why Recording Quality Matters So Much

There is a direct relationship between recording quality and transcription accuracy. A clear, well-captured recording of a two-person interview conducted in a quiet room will produce a transcript of very high accuracy in a reasonable amount of time. A muffled, background-noise-heavy recording of several people talking simultaneously in a busy environment will produce a transcript that contains significantly more inaudible passages, is more prone to error, and takes considerably longer to produce.

This has practical and financial implications. Most professional transcription services charge per audio minute. Difficult recordings often attract a surcharge because they require more time to transcribe accurately. Some passages on very poor-quality recordings may be genuinely inaudible, meaning that even the most skilled transcriber cannot recover them. Content that is lost at the recording stage is lost permanently.

The relatively small amount of time invested in ensuring a good recording pays back very directly in transcript quality and, often, in cost.

Choosing and Using Your Recording Equipment

Dedicated Digital Recorders

A dedicated digital voice recorder is the best choice for face-to-face interview recording in most professional contexts. Modern digital recorders are compact, reliable, and produce high-quality audio files in widely compatible formats. They have longer battery life than smartphones, are less prone to interruption from notifications or calls, and typically produce cleaner audio because their microphones are designed specifically for speech capture rather than general-purpose use.

When recording a two-person interview, place the recorder on a flat surface between you and the interviewee, roughly equidistant from both parties. Test the recording level before you begin and listen back to a brief test recording to confirm that both voices are being captured clearly at a comparable volume. If one person is significantly quieter than the other, adjust the recorder’s position before the interview proper begins.

Recording on a Smartphone or Tablet

Smartphones and tablets are widely used for interview recording because they are convenient and always to hand. They can produce acceptable recordings if used carefully, but there are several pitfalls to be aware of. Place the device face-up on a flat surface rather than holding it, which introduces handling noise. Ensure the device is in flight mode or otherwise configured to prevent calls or notifications interrupting the recording. Be aware that the built-in microphones on most devices are optimised for phone calls rather than room recording, which can result in uneven capture of people at different distances.

A clip-on lapel microphone connected to a smartphone is a significant improvement over the built-in microphone for one-to-one interviews, particularly in less-than-ideal acoustic conditions. These are inexpensive and widely available, and the improvement in recording quality they deliver is disproportionate to their cost.

Recording Remote Interviews via Video Conferencing

Remote interviews conducted via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and similar platforms have become a routine part of research and professional life. Most of these platforms offer built-in recording functionality that captures both the audio and the video of the call. For transcription purposes, the audio track is what matters, and the quality of this track is a product of the microphone equipment and internet connection quality of all participants.

When recording a remote interview, encourage participants to use a headset or earphones with a built-in microphone rather than the laptop’s built-in speakers and microphone, which often produce echo and are more susceptible to background noise. Ask participants to be in a quiet location if at all possible, and to close applications that might produce notification sounds during the recording. Record the meeting using the platform’s built-in recording function rather than third-party screen recording software, as this generally produces better audio quality.

Video conference recordings are typically saved in MP4 format. Most professional transcription services accept MP4 files without any need for conversion, but it is worth confirming accepted file formats when you instruct the service.

Controlling the Recording Environment

The acoustic environment of the interview has an enormous impact on recording quality. Even excellent recording equipment will struggle to produce a usable recording in a noisy or reverberant space. Where you have control over the interview location, the following considerations will make a material difference.

Avoiding Background Noise Sources

The most common sources of problematic background noise in interview recordings include air conditioning units, which produce a persistent low-level hum that masks quieter speech; open windows in urban environments or near roads; nearby conversations and general office or building noise; music playing in adjacent rooms or in shared spaces; kitchen or catering equipment; and computer fans.

Before beginning the recording, take a moment to listen to the room and identify any noise sources you can eliminate or reduce. Switch off air conditioning if this is practical. Close the door and any open windows. Ask colleagues in adjacent areas to keep noise to a minimum during the interview if this is feasible.

Avoiding Reverberation and Echo

Large, hard-surfaced rooms such as conference rooms with bare walls, glass partitions, and hard floors are acoustically challenging for recording. Sound bounces off hard surfaces, producing reverberation that muddies speech and makes it harder to distinguish individual words. Softer, more furnished rooms with carpets, curtains, and upholstered furniture absorb sound and produce much cleaner recordings.

If you regularly conduct interviews in a meeting room with poor acoustics, consider whether a softer, more enclosed space would serve the purpose better. If the meeting room is the only practical option, positioning participants closer together and keeping the recorder as close as possible to the speakers will help to compensate.

Paper, Cups, and Handling Noise

Microphones are sensitive, and noises that seem quiet to the human ear can be very prominent in a recording. Rustling paper, tapping on a table, the clink of cups, the scrape of chairs, and even jewellery against a hard surface can all produce noise on the recording that obscures speech. Placing the recorder on a folded cloth or a notebook rather than directly on a hard table reduces surface vibration transmission. Being mindful of handling noise during the interview and minimising it where possible is a straightforward way to improve recording quality.

Conducting the Interview With Transcription in Mind

The way you conduct the interview itself can make a significant difference to the quality of the resulting transcript, quite apart from the recording quality.

Introduce Yourself and the Interviewee at the Start

Begin the recording with a brief verbal introduction that states the date, the names of all participants, and the purpose of the interview. This takes less than thirty seconds and provides the transcriber with the information they need to correctly attribute speech throughout the recording. It also provides useful context that can assist in interpreting ambiguous references later in the interview. Something as simple as saying ‘This is an interview conducted on the fourteenth of October. I am [name] and I am speaking with [name]’ is sufficient.

Avoid Talking Over Each Other

Overlapping speech is one of the most significant causes of inaudible passages in interview transcripts. When two people speak simultaneously, even for a second or two, the audio becomes very difficult to disentangle. In a research interview, overlapping speech can mean that a significant response is only partially captured.

The conversational habit of affirming what someone is saying with ‘mm’, ‘yes’, ‘right’, and similar backchannel responses is natural and socially appropriate, but it frequently overlaps with the speaker’s continuing speech and creates transcription difficulties. Being conscious of this habit and allowing slight pauses before responding, rather than immediately vocalising agreement, will produce a noticeably cleaner recording without materially changing the quality of the conversation.

Spell Out Unusual Names, Terms, and Acronyms

If your interview involves specialist terminology, unusual proper nouns, or acronyms that the transcriber may not be familiar with, there are two ways to address this. The first is to provide a glossary or list of relevant terms when you submit the recording to the transcription service. The second is to ensure that key terms are stated clearly in the recording itself. If you are discussing a specific programme, organisation, person, or technical concept by name, using the full name rather than an abbreviation at first mention gives the transcriber a clear reference point.

Make a Note of Any Specific Difficulties

After the interview, before submitting the recording, make a note of any sections of the interview where you are aware of recording difficulties: a period when a door was open and noise came in from outside, a passage where the interviewee moved away from the recorder, a moment when something fell and created a sudden loud noise. Sharing these notes with the transcription service helps the transcriber to approach those sections with appropriate care and to note them clearly in the transcript rather than attempting to guess at content that was genuinely not audible.

Briefing Your Transcription Service Effectively

The more information you give your transcription service at the outset, the better the result. A brief but comprehensive briefing takes very little time and avoids the back-and-forth queries that can cause delay.

• Transcription style required: specify whether you need strict verbatim, intelligent verbatim, or a summary. If you are unsure, explain the purpose of the transcript and ask the service to advise
• Speaker identification: confirm how many speakers there are, provide their names or roles, and specify how you want them identified in the transcript (by name, by role, or by a label such as Interviewer and Respondent)
• Terminology and glossary: provide a list of any specialist terms, proper nouns, acronyms, or names that are likely to appear in the recording
• Timecoding requirements: if you need timecodes in the transcript to allow you to locate specific passages quickly in the audio, specify the interval at which you want them inserted
• Format: specify the document format you need the transcript delivered in and any formatting conventions, such as how you want inaudible passages indicated or how long pauses should be marked
• Turnaround time: confirm the deadline and ask the service to confirm it can be met. If there are any sections of the recording that are higher priority than others, indicate this so the service can structure its work accordingly
• Confidentiality requirements: confirm the level of confidentiality required and whether there are specific data handling requirements, such as the deletion of the recording after completion

File Formats and Submission Best Practice

Most professional transcription services accept a wide range of audio and video file formats. Commonly accepted formats include MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, WMA, and DSS. If you are in any doubt about whether your file format will be accepted, check with the service before recording.

When submitting files, use the secure upload mechanism provided by the transcription service rather than sharing via email, which is generally not appropriate for sensitive content. Label your files clearly so that the transcription service can easily match them to your brief and to the correct output document.

If you have a very large audio file, consider whether it needs to be compressed before upload. WAV files in particular can be very large. Converting to a compressed format such as MP3 at a quality setting of 128kbps or higher will significantly reduce file size without materially affecting transcription quality. Free audio conversion tools are available online if your recording application does not offer export format options.

Working With the Completed Transcript

Once your transcript is delivered, a few practical steps will help you get the most from it and ensure that any issues are identified and addressed promptly.

Checking the Transcript

Even with an excellent transcription service, it is good practice to carry out a check of the completed transcript, particularly in the early stages of working with a new service or on a new project type. The most efficient approach is not to listen to the entire recording again alongside the transcript, but to spot-check key passages, particularly any that you know were difficult in the recording, and to review any sections marked as inaudible.

If you find errors or have queries, raise them promptly with the transcription service. A reputable service will address corrections quickly and will want to know about any systematic issues that may affect the quality of their work.

Using Transcripts for Qualitative Analysis

Researchers using transcripts for qualitative analysis will typically import them into a qualitative data analysis package such as NVivo, ATLAS.ti, or Dedoose. These tools allow the researcher to code the transcript by theme, search across multiple transcripts, and generate outputs that support the analytical process. The formatting of the transcript matters in this context: clearly identified speaker labels, consistent formatting, and the absence of extraneous characters will all make the import and coding process more straightforward.

If you intend to use transcripts in a qualitative data analysis package, inform the transcription service at the outset and ask whether they can produce transcripts in a format optimised for import into your chosen tool.

Using Transcripts for HR and Legal Purposes

Where transcripts will be used as evidence in disciplinary proceedings, grievance processes, or employment tribunal claims, they should be stored securely, version-controlled, and treated as formal documents. The transcript should not be amended after delivery other than through a formal process that records the nature of the change and the reason for it. If a query arises about the accuracy of a specific passage, the recording should be the reference point and any correction should be agreed with the transcription service.

Providing a copy of the transcript to all parties in a disciplinary or grievance process, as part of the standard disclosure of evidence, demonstrates fairness and transparency and reduces the risk of disputes about what was or was not said in the meeting.

A Note on Consent and Recording Law in the UK

In the UK, it is generally legal to record a conversation to which you are a party without the other person’s knowledge, though this remains a contested area and the legal position can depend on the context. For professional purposes, however, the practice of informing participants that the interview is being recorded, and obtaining their consent, is both ethically appropriate and practically sensible.

In research contexts, informed consent is typically a requirement of the ethics framework governing the study, and consent forms will usually specify that the interview will be recorded and transcribed. In HR contexts, the ACAS guidance on disciplinary and grievance procedures addresses the question of recording hearings and the circumstances in which it is or is not appropriate. In journalistic contexts, the practice varies depending on the nature of the interview and the publication’s editorial standards.

As a general principle, informing the person you are interviewing that the conversation is being recorded is the right thing to do, and it protects you against any subsequent challenge to the legitimacy of the recording or its use.

Summary: Key Actions for Better Interview Transcripts

• Choose appropriate recording equipment for the interview format and environment
• Conduct a brief test recording before the interview begins and listen back to confirm quality
• Choose a quiet, acoustically comfortable location where possible
• Minimise background noise: close doors and windows, switch off air conditioning, ask for quiet from nearby colleagues
• Place the recorder equidistant between speakers for face-to-face interviews
• Introduce all participants by name at the start of the recording, along with the date and purpose
• Be mindful of overlapping speech and allow slight pauses before responding
• Speak clearly and ask interviewees to do the same if necessary
• Provide a comprehensive brief to the transcription service, including transcription style, speaker names, specialist terms, and formatting requirements
• Submit files via the service’s secure upload mechanism in a widely supported format
• Check the delivered transcript against the recording for key passages and raise any queries promptly

Following these practices consistently will produce recordings that are easier and faster to transcribe, result in more accurate transcripts, and reduce the likelihood of inaudible passages that cannot be recovered. The investment of attention at the recording stage is modest. The return in transcript quality is substantial.