transcribe
/trænˈskraɪb/ (bre, ipa) · /trænˈskraɪb/ (ame, ipa) · /tran(t)-ˈskrīb/ (ame, mw)
transcribe — verb
- transcribepresent simple I / you / we / they
- transcribeshe / she / it
- transcribedpast simple
- transcribing-ing form
1. To write down exactly what someone says, sings, or plays, so that the content is
To write down exactly what someone says, sings, or plays, so that the content is kept as a written record — for example, turning an interview recording into text or copying a handwritten letter onto a computer.
Baraka transcribed the lecture recordings for students who could not attend.
transitive: transcribe + direct object (recording/speech)
The interview was transcribed and submitted as evidence in the court case.
passive: be transcribed
Zayd carefully transcribed every word the elderly storyteller shared with them.
Anjali transcribed the meeting notes from her notebook onto the shared document on her computer.
It took the assistant three hours to transcribe the CEO’s speech from the recording.
文法句型
transcribe + direct object (speech/recording/document)
be transcribed + (by agent)
用法筆記
Frequently used in formal or professional contexts such as journalism, law, medicine, and academic research. The object is typically spoken or recorded material (an interview, a lecture, a dictation).
常見錯誤
❖ "She transcribed a new email for her boss" (if she composed it herself). ✅ "She transcribed the voicemail message her boss left." — transcribe implies copying from a source; writing something original is composing, not transcribing.
2. To change written material or a musical work into a different version — for inst
To change written material or a musical work into a different version — for instance, moving from one script to another, or rewriting a piece so a different instrument can play it, while preserving the core content.
The choir director asked Lara to transcribe the piano score for soprano voices.
infinitive: ask + to transcribe + [composition] + for [different voice/instrument]
The novel was transcribed into simplified Chinese characters for young readers.
passive: be transcribed into [alternative script]
Transcribing the author's handwritten journal into digital text took the editor six months.
Beatrix spent a year transcribing the symphony for a chamber orchestra of twelve players.
文法句型
transcribe + [composition] + for [instrument/medium]
be transcribed + into [alternative format]
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: in this sense the target format changes (e.g. different instruments, different writing system), whereas sense 1 simply produces a written version of spoken or played content. Often used in music and translation contexts.
常見錯誤
❖ "The pianist transcribed the sonata" (without specifying the new form). ✅ "The pianist transcribed the sonata for a woodwind trio." — always state the target instrument or format to make the meaning clear.
3. To write a word, sentence, or speech sound using a special set of symbols that r
To write a word, sentence, or speech sound using a special set of symbols that represent pronunciation, such as those in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
The Arabic word was transcribed into IPA symbols for the pronunciation guide.
passive: be transcribed into [phonetic system]
Élise transcribed the regional dialect sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Asher transcribed the subtle difference between two vowel sounds in his phonetics class.
The linguist transcribed the tone patterns of each word for the language textbook.
- represent phonetically
more explicit but less concise; makes the method obvious
- note the pronunciation of
describes the purpose rather than the method
文法句型
transcribe + [word/sound] + using [phonetic system]
be transcribed + into [phonetic notation]
用法筆記
Subject is typically a linguist, phonetician, or language student. This sense is rare in everyday conversation and appears mostly in academic linguistics or dictionary-making.
常見錯誤
❖ "You should transcribe this word." (ambiguous with senses 1 and 2). ✅ "You should transcribe this word using phonetic symbols to show how it is pronounced." — specify the method (phonetic symbols) to distinguish this sense.