transcribe

English

Etymology

From Latin trānscrībō (“to write again in another place, transcribe, copy”), from trans (“over”) + scrībō (“to write”). See scribe.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /trænˈskɹaɪb/
• Rhymes: -aɪb

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: tran‧scribe

Verb

1. To convert a representation of language, typically speech but also sign language, etc., to another representation. The term now usually implies the conversion of speech to text by a human transcriptionist with the assistance of a computer for word processing and sometimes also for speech recognition, the process of a computer interpreting speech and converting it to text.
2. (dictation) To make such a conversion from live or recorded speech to text.

   The doctor made several recordings today which she will transcribe into medical reports tomorrow.

3. (computing) To transfer data from one recording medium to another.
4. (music) To adapt a composition for a voice or instrument other than the original; to notate live or recorded music.
5. (biochemistry) To cause DNA to undergo transcription.
6. (linguistics) To represent speech by phonetic symbols.

Derived terms

• transcriber

Related terms

• transcription
• translate
• transliterate

Translations

to convert a representation of language into another

• Belarusian: транскрыбі́раваць impf or pf (transkrybíravacʹ)
• Catalan: transcriure (ca)
• Finnish: siirtokirjoittaa, transkriboida
• Maori: tauwhaituhi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: transcrever (pt)
• Russian: транскриби́ровать (ru) impf or pf (transkribírovatʹ)
• Spanish: transcribir (es), desgrabar (Argentina)
• Ukrainian: транскрибува́ти impf or pf (transkrybuváty)

dictation: to make such conversion from speech to text

• Danish: transskribere
• Dutch: transcriberen
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: kirjoittaa puhtaaksi
• Portuguese: transcrever (pt)

computing: to transfer data from one media to another

• Finnish: transkriboida
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

music: to adapt a composition

• Finnish: sovittaa (fi)
• Spanish: transcribir (es)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Swedish: transkribera (sv)

biology: to cause to undergo transcription

• Finnish: transkriboida
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

linguistics: to represent speech by phonetic symbols

• Armenian: տառադարձել (hy) (taṙadarjel)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 音譯／音译 (zh) (yīnyì), 音译 (zh) (yīnyì)

• Finnish: tarkekirjoittaa
• French: transcrire (fr)
• German: transkribieren (de)
• Hebrew: לתעתק (leta'aték)
• Hindi: please add this translation if you can:
• Japanese: 転写する (てんしゃする, tensha suru)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: please add this translation if you can:
• Polish: przepisywać (pl), transkrybować (pl)
• Portuguese: transcrever (pt)
• Romanian: transcrie (ro)
• Russian: транскриби́ровать (ru) impf or pf (transkribírovatʹ)
• Spanish: transcribir (es)
• Swedish: transkribera (sv)
• Thai: ถอดเทป, คัด (th) (kát), ทับศัพท์ (th) (táp-sàp)

References

• “transcribe”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “transcribe”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

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Latin

Verb

(deprecated template usage) trānscrībe

1. second-person singular present active imperative of trānscrībō

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Spanish

Verb

transcribe

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) present indicative form of transcribir.
2. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present indicative form of transcribir.
3. Informal second-person singular (tú) affirmative imperative form of transcribir.