Transcription, translation and subtitles across languages
African reporting often moves between several languages: an interview, a working document and a published story may each use a different one. AI can assist with this demanding process, provided the last step remains careful human listening and linguistic judgment.
The essentials
Start with a clean recording. Automatic transcription can produce a working text, but compare it with the audio, especially names, figures and every passage intended for quotation. Unfamiliar local names and mixed-language speech require deliberate attention. Speed at the first stage does not remove the need to check the final words.
Distinguish working translation from published quotation. A machine translation may help you understand which document deserves closer reading. A quotation needs a person competent in the language to check that its meaning and nuance are preserved. Tell the audience when words have been translated, rather than presenting the translated wording as an original-language statement.
Subtitles deserve the same discipline. Review their text, names and figures against the recording and consider the audience that will read them without hearing the sound. Across all three tasks, the useful workflow is an automated first pass followed by a human check. The journalist remains responsible for the fidelity of the version published.
Take it to the field
Listen again to every passage intended for quotation. Check names and numbers against the recording, then have sensitive translations reviewed by a competent speaker. The corrected text must remain faithful to what was said.
Your turn
Transcribe a ten-minute recording that mixes English or French with a local language. Count errors separately for each language. Identify where human checking needs particular care before any words are quoted.