transcribe

/træntˈskraɪb/

/trænˈskraɪb/

Other forms: transcribed; transcribing; transcribes

If someone asks you to transcribe something, they want you to listen to it and write down what was said, word for word. Speeches, interviews, and trials are often transcribed for records.

From the Latin transcribere, which means “to copy, write over, or transfer,” the verb transcribe means just that: to write out a copy. You might want to transcribe a recording of an interview onto paper, or maybe you need to transcribe all the notes you collected from an important meeting. If you can remember that trans means “over” and that a scribe is a writer, you shouldn’t forget this word. Fun fact: to transcribe poorly is to transcribble.

Definitions of transcribe

1. verb

   write out from speech, notes, etc.
   “Transcribe the oral history of this tribe”

   type of:

   get down, put down, set down, write down

   put down in writing; of texts, musical compositions, etc.
2. verb

   make a phonetic transcription of
   “The anthropologist transcribed the sentences of the native informant”

   type of:

   rewrite

   write differently; alter the writing of
3. verb

   rewrite in a different script
   synonyms: transliterate

   types:

   Latinise, Latinize, Romanise, Romanize

   write in the Latin alphabet

   braille

   transcribe in braille

   type of:

   rewrite

   write differently; alter the writing of
4. verb

   rewrite or arrange a piece of music for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended
   type of:

   accommodate, adapt

   make fit for, or change to suit a new purpose
5. verb

   convert the genetic information in (a strand of DNA) into a strand of RNA, especially messenger RNA
   type of:

   convert

   change the nature, purpose, or function of something