transcription

tran·scrip·tion
T1R1A1N1S1C3R1I1P3T1I1O1N1
/tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/

noun

The act or process of transcribing, or converting spoken (or sometimes signed) language to the written form.

“These frame tale interludes frequently include transcriptions of Italian folk songs.”

CommonScrabble 17

Meanings

nountranscription (countable and uncountable, plural transcriptions)

plural transcriptions

  1. countableuncountableThe act or process of transcribing, or converting spoken (or sometimes signed) language to the written form.

    [...] the error originated in a mistaken transcription, as the locomotive involved was No. 61271 (a B1 4-6-0), not No. 61771.

    1961 December, “Motive Power Miscellany: London Midland Region”, in Trains Illustrated, page 759
    2 more examples

    One might eaſier beleeue that the error was committed in the tranſcription of the copy from Ptolomies library, and ſo that it had a ſucceſſiue propagation through all the copies diſperſed.

    1610, chapter 13, in John Healey, transl., The Citie of God, London: George Eld, translation of De civitate Dei contra paganos by St. Augustine, page 548

    In other words, data are (re)constructed in the process of transcription as a result of multiple decisions that reflect both theoretical and ostensibly pragmatic considerations.

    2003, James Holstein, Jaber F. Gubrium, Inside Interviewing: New Lenses, New Concerns, SAGE, →ISBN, page 268
  2. Something that has been transcribed, including:
    1. countableuncountableentertainmentAn adaptation of a composition.

      These frame tale interludes frequently include transcriptions of Italian folk songs.

      1 more example

      In other words, the adantino was written first as an independent piece; it is, moreover, hardly more than an elaborated transcription of the little song, ‘Im Herbste’, written in 1828, with its two exactly similar strophes (each only five bars long) and four-bar piano epilogue.

      2013, Gerald Abraham, Slavonic and Romantic Music: Essays and Studies, Faber & Faber, →ISBN
    2. countableuncountablebroadcastingA recorded radio or television programme.

      From the outset, Selvage had hoped to interest NBC or CBS in broadcasting the American Family Robinson on a sustaining basis. Neither did, and the series ended up in transcription, recorded and circulated to individual stations by the World Broadcasting System.

      1999, William L. Bird, "Better Living": Advertising, Media and the New Vocabulary of Business Leadership, 1935-1955, Northwestern University Press, →ISBN
    3. countableuncountablehuman sciencesA representation of speech sounds as phonetic symbols.

      While the sounds of the language [English] undergo constant change and growth, the writing system is rarely reviewed or adapted to recent changes in speech. Consequently, there is a patent need for a transcription in linguistic research and dictionaries.

      1977, Ali M. Al Kasimi, Linguistics and Bilingual Dictionaries, Brill Archive, →ISBN, page 37
  3. countableobsoleteuncountableA written document.
    1 more example

    THeſe Ages have beene, and are to this day, much indebted to Tranſcriptions. Inventions are oft-times ſlow, where the application of things invented to the preſent State ſeemes more facile and eaſie : Hereto then ſhould the Scope of Hiſtories tend ; not onely to perſonate the Acts of men upon the Theater of this world, but likewiſe to cull out ſuch Lawes, Orders, and Precepts, as well Morall as Divine, which may benefit their preſent eſtate.

    1638, Richard Braithwait, A Survey Of History: Or, A Nursery for Gentry, London: I. Okes, page 27
  4. countableobsoleteuncountableSynonym of copywork.

    Synonyms: copywork

  5. countableuncountablebiologyThe synthesis of RNA under the direction of DNA.
    1 more example

    The process in which the DNA molecule unwinds, separates its two polynucleotide strands, and synthesizes an RNA molecule from one of these DNA strands is called transcription. Genes transcribe chemical messages in the form of RNA molecules. Transcription begins at some site in the DNA duplex and ends at some other point.

    2001, Richard Kowles, Solving Problems in Genetics, Springer Science & Business Media, →ISBN, page 315

Synonyms & antonyms

nounSynonym of copywork.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounsomething written, especially copied from one medium to another, as a typewritten version of dictation

Similar
written text
Broader
written communicationwritten languageblack and white

nounthe act of arranging and adapting a piece of music

nounthe act of making a record (especially an audio record)

Similar
Broader
creating from raw materials

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latintranscriptiōnem
  2. Middle Frenchtranscription
  3. Englishtranscription

From Middle French transcription, or directly from Latin transcriptiōnem, from trānscrībō (“transcribe”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic كَرْشَنَة, نَقْصَوَة
  • كَرْشَنَة (karšana)in linguistics
  • نَقْصَوَة (naqṣawa)in linguistics
  • نَقْل صَوْتِيّ (naql ṣawtiyy)in linguistics
  • نَسْخ لَفْظِيّ (nasḵ lafẓiyy)in linguistics
Bulgarian запис, транскри́пция
  • запис (zapis)recorded programme
  • транскри́пция (transkrípcija)in linguistics
  • транскри́пция (transkrípcija)in genetics
Catalan transcripció, transcripció
  • transcripcióin linguistics
  • transcripcióin genetics
Chinese Cantonese 轉錄 /转录
  • 轉錄 /转录 (zyun² luk⁶)in genetics
Chinese Mandarin 音譯 /音译, 轉寫 /转写
  • 音譯 /音译 (yīnyì)in linguistics
  • 轉寫 /转写 (zhuǎnxiě)in linguistics
  • 轉錄 /转录 (zhuǎnlù)in genetics
Czech transkripce, transkripce
  • transkripcein linguistics
  • transkripcein genetics
Danish transskription
  • transskriptionin linguistics
Dutch transcriptie
  • transcriptiein linguistics
Esperanto transskribo
  • transskriboin linguistics
Estonian transkriptsioon
  • transkriptsioonin linguistics
Finnish transkriptio, nuotinnos
  • transkriptioin music
  • nuotinnosin music
  • sovitusin music
  • tallennerecorded programme
  • tarkekirjoitusin linguistics
  • transkriptioin linguistics
  • transkriptioin genetics
  • kopiointiin genetics
French transcription, transcription
  • transcriptionin linguistics
  • transcriptionin genetics
German Transkription, Transkription
  • Transkriptionin linguistics
  • Transkriptionin genetics
Greek μεταγραφή
  • μεταγραφή (metagrafí)in linguistics
Hebrew שַׁעְתּוּק
  • שַׁעְתּוּק (shiatúk)in linguistics
Hindi लिप्यंतरण, प्रतिलेखन
  • लिप्यंतरण (lipyantraṇ)in linguistics
  • प्रतिलेखन (pratilekhan)in genetics
Hungarian átirat, felvétel
  • átiratin music
  • felvételrecorded programme
  • felvett műsor/adásrecorded programme
  • átírásin linguistics
  • kiejtés szerinti / fonetikus átírásin linguistics
  • transzkripcióin genetics
Icelandic hjóðfræðileg umritun
  • hjóðfræðileg umritunin linguistics
Indonesian transkripsi
  • transkripsiin linguistics
Italian trascrizione, trascrizione
  • trascrizionein linguistics
  • trascrizionein genetics
Japanese 転写, 音写
  • 転写 (tensha)in linguistics
  • 音写 (onsha)in linguistics
  • 転写 (tensha)in genetics
Korean 전사, 전사
  • 전사 (jeonsa)in linguistics
  • 전사 (jeonsa)in genetics
Latvian transkripcija
  • transkripcijain linguistics
Lithuanian transkripcija, perraša
  • transkripcijain linguistics
  • perrašain linguistics
Malay transkripsi
  • transkripsiin linguistics
Norwegian Bokmål transkripsjon
  • transkripsjonin linguistics
Polish transkrypcja
  • transkrypcjain linguistics
Portuguese transcrição, transcrição
  • transcriçãoin linguistics
  • transcriçãoin genetics
Romanian transcriere
  • transcrierein linguistics
Russian транскри́пция, транскри́пция
  • транскри́пция (transkrípcija)in linguistics
  • транскри́пция (transkrípcija)in genetics
Slovak transkripcia
  • transkripciain linguistics
Spanish transcripción, transcripción
  • transcripciónin linguistics
  • transcripciónin genetics
Swedish transkription, transkription
  • transkriptionin linguistics
  • transkriptionin genetics
Tagalog salinsulat
  • salinsulatin linguistics
Thai การถอดเสียง
  • การถอดเสียง (gaan-tɔ̀ɔt-sǐiang)in linguistics
Turkish transkripsiyon, kerşene
  • transkripsiyonin linguistics
  • kerşenein linguistics
  • çeviri yazıin linguistics
Ukrainian транскри́пція, звуко́пис
  • транскри́пція (transkrýpcija)in linguistics
  • звуко́пис (zvukópys)in linguistics
Vietnamese bản sao, sự phiên âm
  • bản saoin linguistics
  • sự phiên âmin linguistics
  • phiên mãin genetics

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with transcription

All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

transcription. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transcription

MLA

“transcription.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transcription. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “transcription,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/transcription.

Source: transcription on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.