Gail Jefferson’s transcription code: adaptation for its use in social sciences research

Abstract

On this paper I propose an adaptation of Gail Jefferson’s transcription code in order to promote its use in social sciences non-discursive research. I argue that, contrary to what is commonly believed, transcription is not a simple and irrelevant task: it involves complex decisions and, as part of a given research process, it helps construct the results. Hence, transcribing is a political task worthy of as much attention as any other. With this goal in mind, I propose i) reduce the quantity of symbols, ii) simplify its access on keyboards in Spanish, iii) exclude symbols, such as periods and commas, that can make comprehension harder for the not initiated and, finally, iv) exclude symbols a priori useless within non discursive research