FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Updated: April 22, 2016
Do I need to be logged in to contribute?
No! Anyone can contribute at anytime without logging in. If you do choose to log in, you’ll be able to see all the edits you’ve made when you return the next time. This can be useful if you’re working on a long transcript and would like to return to it later. Your work is always automatically saved regardless of whether or not you’re logged in. If you chose to login, it's best to do so at the start of your editing session.
I want to leave the page how do I save my work?
All your work is automatically saved. When you come to a stopping point, you don’t need to do anything extra to save your work!
Why are there different progress bars?
This is a community effort. We display total progress made by the community in the transcript. Since we require several people to edit each transcript, the overall progress will appear less than your individual progress. Log in at the "Track Progress" to keep track of your individual progress through interviews.
What happens if I make a mistake?
Don't worry! Edit the transcript as best you can from what you hear. Several people will edit each transcript to help ensure accuracy.
The audio repeats on two lines. Which line should I transcribe it on?
Listen closely. If a word is cut off on one line, transcribe it on the line where you can hear it completely. If a word is spoken in it's entirety on two lines, use your best judgment to transcribe it on just one line. These tricky transcriptions will be smoothed out during the verify stage.
What happens if the line is correct and we don't need to make any edits?
Sometimes the speech-to-text hits it out of the park and transcribes a line perfectly. In that case, no edits are needed. When enough volunteers pass over a line without editing it, the line will reach consensus in the same manner as edited lines.
What to do when a line is locked and still contains errors? Sometimes a mistake will slip through and a line locked for editing may still contain an error. In this case, please use the flagging mechanism. By click on the flag symbol at the end of an incorrect line, you will be prompted to classify the error and to add an optional, explanatory note. We will periodically reviewing and correcting these flagged errors.
Where can I see the completed transcripts?
We will be publishing the completed transcripts on the Oral History Website.
Do I need to come to the Library to contribute to Together We Listen?
Contribute whenever and wherever suits you best! This is an online project and you can participate with a desktop and an internet connection. In the Spring of 2016, we’ll be holding some public sessions for working on the tool, more information can be found on NYPL.org

Can I delete and/or create a new line in the transcript?
No. Transcript lines are synced with clips of audio. For audio clips where the interviewer is silent, we want to retain the empty line to show this.
Several people are speaking in one line. What should I do?
Transcribe the audio as you hear it and tag the line as having multiple speakers.
Can I use the tool on my phone?
Currently the tool is configured for use on a desktop.
Can I edit my own audio?
The Open Transcript Tool code-base for this tool is open source software. Developers can visit the Github Repo to get started setting up their own instance of the tool.

Still have a question?

Contact us at oralhistory@nypl.org with questions and comments.