'I think that's what I heard? I'm not sure': Speech and language therapists' views of, and practices in, phonetic transcription.
Sarah White, Anne Hurren, Sarah James and 1 others
PMID 35714098WHAT IT FOUND
Generalist speech therapists often use broad transcription and refer complex cases to specialists.
They report lacking confidence in narrow transcription and struggle with telehealth audio. Services rarely fund training or support recording tools, leaving transcription as a low priority.
Key findings
01Generalist SLTs frequently lack confidence in perceiving and transcribing less common or sub-phonemic speech errors, often relying on broad transcription or referring to specialists.
02Transcription is not prioritized in clinical practice due to strict time limits, lack of service funding for training, and technical barriers such as electronic records that do not support phonetic symbols.
03SLTs report significant difficulty transcribing via telehealth, particularly for airflow errors and place of articulation, due to audio distortions and time lags.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Participants were self-selected and likely had an existing interest in transcription, potentially skewing results toward those who value the skill. The study relied on self-reported practices rather than objective analysis of actual transcriptions. Adult speech therapists and service managers were underrepresented, limiting insights into broader service policies and adult caseloads. Small sample size (19 participants) from focus groups means findings cannot be generalized to the wider profession.
Declared interests
The first author is a qualified SLT and university lecturer who ran one of the CPD networks from which some participants were recruited. No other conflicts of interest or funding sources are explicitly detailed in the provided text beyond ethical approval.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that broad transcription is clinically sufficient for all clients. The study reports therapists' perceptions and barriers, not objective accuracy, and highlights that generalists often miss details they are not confident transcribing.