How I Stopped Dreading and Learned to Love Transcription

Abstract

As a novice qualitative researcher, the author had little idea of the significant and vital role of transcription in the qualitative research process until she undertook her own transcription tasks. The questions she asked herself during that work led her to insights on transcription both as product and as methodological process. Her purpose in writing this article is to enter into the discussion of the nature and role of transcription in qualitative research by contributing an experiential context created when the transcription process is regarded as a key phase of data analysis within interpretive qualitative methodology. The structure of this article parallels the sequence of her learning experiences. The findings generate an enhanced view of transcription and transcriber as methodological components, provide a clearer vision for researcher positioning on the intersecting landscapes of transcription and qualitative methodology, and illuminate some implications for the training of qualitative researchers.