Transcribing with Purpose: Ethical Practices in Oral History
In our third week of class, we shifted our focus to transcriptions—a critical step in the oral history process that often gets overlooked. While transcription may seem like a straightforward task of converting spoken words into text, it is, an interpretive act that requires careful consideration. The choices we make while transcribing influence how stories are told, preserved, and understood. We were introduced to best practices in transcription, emphasizing how it is never neutral. Every decision—what to include, how to represent speech patterns, and even how to label speakers—carries ethical weight.
The Ethics of Transcription
As we learned from the class discussion on qualitative data analysis, transcription is not just about recording speech verbatim; it is about interpretation. Every transcription method—from thematic coding to performativity analysis (drawing from Judith Butler)—shapes how narratives are framed. For example, if we focus on content alone, we risk stripping away the tone, pauses, and nonverbal cues that give meaning to the speaker’s words. Conversely, an overly detailed transcription might create unintended analytical assumptions about the speaker’s intent.
We also examined antiracist methodologies in transcription, reflecting on the power dynamics embedded in the process. Often, standard transcription conventions erase linguistic diversity, silence non-dominant ways of speaking, or impose artificial structure on oral traditions. In CBPR, we work against this by centering the voices of the community and ensuring that their words are represented in ways that honor their intent.
Applying These Lessons to Our Project
This week, we launched an assignment where student teams will collaboratively transcribe oral history interviews with community members. This assignment goes beyond learning technical skills by practicing ethical transcription in a way that aligns with CBPR principles.
Each team will:
- Decide on the level of detail needed to accurately reflect the speaker’s voice.
- Make intentional choices about how to represent verbal and nonverbal interactions.
- Ensure consistency across the transcript while respecting the individuality of each speaker.
-Work collectively, with a group leader guiding the process to maintain uniformity without erasing diversity in speech.
We are also integrating insights from CBPR, which reminds us that decolonizing research methods means allowing new and diverse ways of framing inquiry. Transcription is not just a step in data collection; it is an act of co-creation that shapes how knowledge is preserved and shared.
Preparing for Our Fieldwork
In the coming week, we will apply these lessons in the field. Our upcoming visit to Ventura’s watershed and ancestral sites, including a meeting with the Tribal Chairman of the BVBMI, will allow us to deepen our understanding of how community members want their histories recorded and what part of their history matters. Students will prepare by crafting thoughtful, open-ended questions and practicing active listening, another crucial component of ethical oral history work.
As we continue to develop our oral history project, we will keep returning to the core questions raised this week:
+Who decides how a story is told?
+How can we transcribe in ways that are just, equitable, and reflective of lived experience?
+How do transcription choices reinforce or challenge existing power structures?
By keeping these questions at the forefront, we ensure that our project remains grounded in the values of collaboration, accountability, and respect for community voices.
Stay tuned for next week’s reflection, discussing how our fieldwork experiences shaped our understanding of CBPR and oral history methodologies!
