transcription
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a written copy of words that were originally spoken or recorded.
a written or printed representation of something originally spoken or recorded. Often used in legal or journalistic contexts.
Simple“The court reporter provided a full transcription of the witness's testimony.”
In context“The researchers spent weeks creating a detailed transcription of the interviews to ensure every nuance of the dialect was preserved for analysis.”
UsageOften used with the preposition 'of'.
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
the use of special symbols to show exactly how a word is pronounced.
the representation of speech sounds in written form using a phonetic alphabet. Usually refers to the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
Simple“The dictionary includes a phonetic transcription to help you with pronunciation.”
In context“Broad transcription provides a general idea of pronunciation, whereas narrow transcription captures specific articulatory details using diacritics.”
Teacher's tipIn linguistics, distinguish between 'broad' and 'narrow' transcription when discussing phonetics.
Synonymsphonetic notation - 03 C1 Advanced
a piece of music rewritten so it can be played by a different instrument.
the adaptation of a musical composition for an instrument or medium other than that for which it was originally written.
Simple“He played a piano transcription of a famous orchestral piece.”
In context“Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven's symphonies allowed these massive works to be performed in private homes on a single piano.”
UsageTypically takes the preposition 'for' (e.g., a transcription for solo violin).
Synonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
the process where a cell makes a copy of a gene's DNA into RNA.
the first step of gene expression, in which a particular segment of DNA is copied into RNA by the enzyme RNA polymerase.
Simple“Transcription is a vital part of how our bodies use genetic information.”
In context“Errors during the transcription process can lead to the production of dysfunctional proteins, potentially resulting in genetic disorders.”
Usage transcription factor
“What emerged was a far more dynamic and surprising picture of the copy machine process, called gene transcription, than they had expected.”
“For example, Gboard now has AI-assisted voice transcription built in for Pixel phones.”
From Middle French transcription, or directly from Latin transcriptiōnem, from trānscrībō (“transcribe”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.