transcribe

[tran-skrahyb]

verb (used with object)

transcribed, transcribing 

1. to make a written copy, especially a typewritten copy, of (dictated material, notes taken during a lecture, or other spoken material).

2. to make an exact copy of (a document, text, etc.).

3. to write out in another language or alphabet; translate or transliterate.

   to transcribe Chinese into English characters.

4. Phonetics.,  to represent (speech sounds) in written phonetic or phonemic symbols.

5. Radio.,  to make a recording of (a program, announcement, etc.) for broadcasting.

6. Music.,  to arrange (a composition) for a medium other than that for which it was originally written.

7. Genetics.,  to effect genetic transcription of (a DNA molecule template).

transcribe

/ trænˈskraɪb /

verb

1. to write, type, or print out fully from speech, notes, etc

2. to make a phonetic transcription of

3. to transliterate or translate

4. to make an electrical recording of (a programme or speech) for a later broadcast

5. music to rewrite (a piece of music) for an instrument or medium other than that originally intended; arrange

6. computing

   1. to transfer (information) from one storage device, such as punched cards, to another, such as magnetic tape

   2. to transfer (information) from a computer to an external storage device

7. (usually passive) biochem to convert the genetic information in (a strand of DNA) into a strand of RNA, esp messenger RNA See also genetic code translate

Other Word Forms

• transcriber noun
• transcribable adjective
• mistranscribe verb (used with object)
• nontranscribing adjective
• pretranscribe verb (used with object)
• retranscribe verb (used with object)
• untranscribed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of transcribe¹

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin trānscrībere “to copy off,” literally, “to write across,” from trāns- trans- + scrībere “to write” ( scribe ¹ )

Word History and Origins

Origin of transcribe¹

C16: from Latin transcrībere , from _trans- + scrībere to write

Example Sentences

The data will be open access, allowing developers to build tools that translate, transcribe and respond in African languages.

From BBC

Daniels transcribed the conversation on his new Web site.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s constantly speaking; our job is to be alive to transcribe its lessons, metabolize them through our process and put them onscreen as best we can.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s not my job to translate for Western readers — but to transcribe my ancestors’ voices.

From Los Angeles Times

Last but not least, there is the audience, your stand-ins at the Winter Garden Theatre, which laughed at the jokes and applauded the big speeches, transcribed from Murrow’s own.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• decipher 
• duplicate 
• interpret 
• reprint 
• reproduce 
• rewrite 
• translate 
• write out