Instructions
to Transcribers
- How to set up two screens so you can transcribe
without flipping back and forth.
- Bring up your word processing program onto your
screen. In Page Setup, set the top margin to zero. This puts the cursor
right at the top of the page.
- Make sure you have the reduced screen size (not
full screen) by clicking on the middle button of the 3 buttons at the
top right of the screen (left of the red X).
- Now bring up your image program with your page to
work on. Adjust the size and set the lines to be transcribed at the top
of the screen. Also reduce it so that it is not full screen.
- Your word processor will have disappeared to the
lower bar. Click on it and it will come up over part of the image.
- By moving the screens a bit, you can read the image
of the old document and type the words that you are transcribing
without flipping back and forth. With a little practice this gets
smooth.
- Transcribers are asked to accurately type each page
as to spelling, punctuation, capitilization and new paragraph starts.
However, for formatting purposes, please do not copy, that is truncate,
sentences as they appear on the page. Let the sentences wrap normally,
using your word processor, without inserting hard returns. We are
trying to copy the text, not the precise format.
- Sometimes a word at the end of a line is split and
continued on the next line with a dash to show the continuance. Ignore
the dash and type the word without the dash.
- Use ? at the end of a word to note that you aren't
sure about the spelling as written.
- Sometimes a caret
 is used to insert words in a
sentence. Ignore the caret and just enter the words in the proper
location.
- Writing that is crossed out or struck out is typed
(if you can read it) with a strikethrough line.
- When there is a long list of names with no
punctuation; separate each person's name with a double space if the
intent is obvious. ie "Lydia
Dorland Elizabeth Clapp Rebecca
Bowerman Mary Haight Mary White
Sarah Barker and Micha Vanhorn"
- Sometimes ss is written like fs - Ross looks like
Rofs.
Type in Ross. This f like character is called a "long s". Go here for more on the
subject.
- Use square brackets if you wish to add a note: ie,
[torn
page, missing words]
- Spelling is so variable that the use of [sic] is not
needed.
- Add [signed] to indicate the presence of a
signature on the document.
- Quaker dating uses numbers only. The month is
indicated by "mo". You could see: 1 6mo 1808 or 6mo 1 1808 for the same
date - day one of the sixth month in 1808.
- Send the transcription to me as word processor file -
preferably a Word.
.
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