Fact · Transcription
4-6hours of transcribing per hour of recorded interview
A Cornell interview project guide tells interviewers to expect to spend 4 to 6 hours transcribing each hour of recorded interview by hand.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“Expect to spend 4-6 hours transcribing per hour of recorded interview.”
Creating Profiles: Transcribing, Cornell University, Cornell University, Creating Profiles project guide, n.d., Transcribing section.
Open the original- What it measures
- The guide is for interviewers typing their own transcripts from a recording, using playback controls. It notes that fast typists may finish sooner and very slow typists will need longer.
- What it does not show
- A planning estimate from one university project, not a measured average. It does not state the audio quality or the transcript style it assumes.