Adopt + Transcribe An Episode
Are you interested in adopting a Future Ecologies episode?
Transcripts are so important to making podcasts accessible and searchable. We’ve wanted to offer them forever, but once an episode airs we’re already working on the next one. But now we finally have a way to make transcription possible!
We’ve started using an automated platform (otter.ai) to do the heavy lifting. It’s surprisingly effective, but it still needs a human to give it the finishing touches.
If you’ve ever thought about supporting the show, but didn’t know how, this is the perfect opportunity. You can ~Adopt an Episode~ by editing the transcript for accuracy, and adding descriptive notes for music and soundscapes. In thanks, we’ll include your name on that episode’s webpage forever, invite you to the private community discord, and send you a little goodie bag of stickers and a patch.
Most episodes in the back catalogue are already complete, but we would absolutely love to have you on deck for Season 3.
Please use the contact form, and file your message under “Adopt an Episode” to say hi and let us know you’re interested.
You just need a free account with otter.ai
Expect a single episode to be about 3-5 hours of work. See below for our style guide.
For an example, see futureecologies.net/listen/fe1-3-the-loneliest-plants#transcript
Transcription Style Guide
1. "Clean" vs "Verbatim"
Otter tends to automatically clean the transcript of 'um's and other filler words. This is generally a good thing, but sometimes it takes away from the character of the speech. Please use your judgement to re-add stutters or stumbles that you think are expressive.
Please add laughter as “[Laughs]” inline with the speaker’s dialogue.
2. Describing Music and Sound effects
When a piece of music or background sound begins, please insert a line and assign it a new speaker. The speakers "Music" & "Soundscape" may be on the speaker dropdown menu. If not please add and assign “Music” and “Soundscape” speakers as appropriate.
Then use square brackets and include a brief description. For example: [Upbeat electronic music] or [Freeway sounds]. It may also be useful to note when musical pieces end, and how (eg. fade out or musical climax)
Describing music can be tough! If you can find a descriptor like "Moody / Suspenseful / Dark / Hopeful / Meditative / Bright / Distorted" .... that's great. If not, maybe just try to name the instrumentation e.g. Electric Bass / Synthesizer etc. And if it is causing you any grief at all, just call it [Music], and we'll give it a shot.
3. Archival Tape or Media Clips
Please assign the speaker "Media Clip". Within that clip, individual speakers should be identified within the text inside square brackets. It is not necessary to assign them as speakers within Otter. For example:
Media Clip 21:29
[Fox News anchor] Right, so would you spend $175,000 to move a bush? Now, San Francisco recently did and Steven Crowder went to the city by the Bay to find out why. Steven.
[Steven Crowder, with upbeat music in the background] This is Doyle Drive - a billion dollar freeway reconstruction project in San Francisco. Now nobody has a problem with the rebuilding of this place. But what people might have a problem with, however it is 175,000 taxpayer dollars used to move a bush!
[Unspecified interviewee] -that was smack dab in the middle of it.
4. Non-English Dialogue
For all non-English dialogue, if you are not a fluent speaker please do not attempt to transliterate. Instead, insert “[speaking in XXXX]”.
For example:
Peter Underwood 34:55
There's a river – a creek I guess, more like a small creek – nearby [speaking in SENĆOŦEN], which used to make a special sound and it was named after that special sound. The name of that little creek is called [speaking in SENĆOŦEN], because it describes the way that the water would run over the rocks there. But after some of the blasting that's been done there it doesn't make that sound anymore. So it almost shouldn't even have that name anymore, which is really sad.
We will seek out expert transliteration for all of these instances.
If you are uncertain of the name of an Indigenous language used, simply insert [speaking in Indigenous language], and we will amend it afterwards.
5. Latin Binomials
If someone refers to an organism by its scientific name, you may enjoy confirming its spelling elsewhere on the internet, or simply flag it with “[Latin Binomial]” for us to chase down.
Each species of the Dragons of Climate Inaction may be found here