Questions I Have For Anyone With the Knowledge
Okay, I’m a little confused on some things. Apparently I haven’t been keeping up because nowadays you’re supposed to only have one space after a sentence. Who knew? As long as I’ve ever been typing, it’s been second nature to always put two spaces behind a sentence. Who went and changed this on me? Why did no one tell me?
I’m also kind of confused as to different preferences that people have when I’m transcribing things for them. Some prefer alright and others prefer all right. Some want dashes and some want ellipses. Some want parentheses and others want brackets. I wish there was some universal transcription bible. It really would help all of us who just want to satisfy their clients.
I’m asking for a little guidance here. What do you prefer? What are the rules on all these little quirks? I’d love to get some feedback.
Thanks for reading!
Pamella said,
May 1, 2008 at 1:11 am
I still put two spaces between sentences as I have done for years. I have never received a complaint about that.
Find a good website with proper writing rules and then always try to use the same one or two sites as your “transcription bible.” That way, you can always be consistent in what you do and your customers will know what to expect from you. This will also take some of the guesswork out of it for you. You have somewhere where you always look to find the answer if you are unsure and you know you always get the same answer each time. Consistency is key.
If they have questions about a certain style, punctuation, or something that you use you can explain to your customer what is appropriate for the various situations and most times they will agree and allow you to use your expertise in those situations. You can even point them in the direction of the style guides that you use and they can do a little research themselves on the topic, if they so choose.
Occasionally, they will insist that you do it their way. In those cases, always remember, the customer is always right! Do it their way and move on. If they are a repeat customer, you might like to make a note of how they like it done, if it is different from the standard, and they will always be happy with you that it never comes up as an issue again.
May I recommend the following websites for standard writing styles?
Dictionary.com:
http://dictionary.reference.com/writing/
11 Rules of Writing:
http://www.junketstudies.com/rulesofw/
Guide to Grammar & Writing:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Grammar Slammer:
http://englishplus.com/grammar/
Grammar Monster:
http://www.grammar-monster.com/.
Best of Luck to you!