How to Transcribe an Interview in 2026: Tools, Tips & Real Examples

Wondering how to transcribe an interview?

You’re in the right place. In today’s guide, we’re going to walk you through how to transcribe interviews quickly and easily.

To transcribe an interview, you need to do the following:

1. Choose whether to do things manually or with AI transcription tools or software 
2. Choose a transcription style 
3. Listen closely and note things down 
4. Label speakers Refine, edit, and format

But it’s not that simple. There’s a lot more to it, including different styles for different industries, helpful tools, and different ways to boost accuracy while saving time.

Remember those painful hours spent typing out recorded conversations word-for-word, rewinding constantly to catch what someone said? Those days are ancient history thanks to advances in transcription technology. 

This article covers everything from AI-powered tools that automatically identify speakers to smart devices that generate instant summaries across multiple languages. Get ready to transform how you turn spoken conversations into written documents.

Note: We will get right into an easy process for transcribing any conversation as well as different methods for doing so. If you're interested in general transcription questions, such as use cases, benefits, or tools, please scroll down.

How to Transcribe Interviews in 2026? (Quick Overview)

In 2026, you have more choices than ever for transcribing interviews. A few of the most common methods for interview transcription are:

• AI transcription software and tools: The best method is to use an AI voice recorder that automatically records, transcribes, formats, and organizes your interviews for you. If you’re conducting in-person interviews for work, sales, or journalism, this is the best option for you. These tools can generate an entire transcript in minutes flat.     
• Professional transcription services: These services use a professional transcriptionist that takes your audio files, and then transcribes, edits, and formats them. 
• Use online transcription apps: There are some companies online that offer basic transcription, like Fireflies or Rev. But these are more for day-to-day meetings. They are good for basic transcription and speaker identification, but not for detailed analysis or accuracy.

We recommend using AI-powered transcription tools. They transcribe audio and video automatically, and they come with tools to help you summarize, organize, and share transcripts in seconds. 

Tools like the AI-powered Plaud Note have achieved “near perfect” transcription accuracy, and all you need to do is hit “Record”. After recording an interview, Plaud automatically transcribes, summarizes, and organizes what you recorded. You can edit, add speaker labels, and store your interviews for easy access, and all of your recordings are protected by privacy-compliant security.  

Why Plaud is the transcription tool of choice for 1.5+ million professionals: 

• “Near-perfect” transcription accuracy in 112 languages  
• Record audio in any environment (in-person, online, over the phone, etc.). 
• Searchable transcripts for easy recall   
• Automatic speaker detection, speaker labels, custom vocabulary, and more tools     
• 10,000+ templates for turning interviews, meetings, and more into clear insights  
• Data privacy compliant worldwide (certified ISO 27001, ISO 27701, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, EN 18031)

How to Transcribe an Interview in 4 Steps (General Method)

Now it’s time to learn how to transcribe. Remember, when you’re transcribing, you can choose which method you want to use: manual, software-assisted, or hardware tool-assisted. Let’s cover how to transcribe an interview before getting into more important details further down. 

1. Organize Your Audio Files and Set Expectations

Before you start transcribing, create a folder for your audio file and transcript document. Clearly label them with the date and interviewee.

You may also want to make a note of the type of transcription (verbatim, clean, or edited). You don’t want to mistake an edited transcription for a verbatim transcription later. Remember to be realistic about time requirements. Professional transcribers typically take 4-5 hours to transcribe one hour of good-quality audio.

Further Reading: If you need to transcribe long meetings, check out this guide on transcribing audio to text from long meetings. There are a lot of tips you need to learn to get it right.

2. Choose a Method: Software, Hardware, or Manual

Before you start recording your interview, decide whether you’re going to transcribe it manually, with a tool like Plaud (that does the hard work for you!), or a basic online transcriber like Otter. If you have the budget, you may also choose professional services, but they are expensive. Here are some rules of thumb:

• For business, high-stakes interviews, or journalism: Use a tool like Plaud with sharp accuracy and advanced features.
• For day-to-day meetings: Use software apps like Rev or Fireflies.
• For legal, high-end content creation, or other matters: Use professional services.

Pro Tip: Transcribing anything is A LOT of work. Please let a robot do the work for you. That’s what they’re there for!

3. Upload Your Audio and Generate

Upload your audio to your chosen platform and get your transcript. Depending on which method you choose, the steps may be different. 

If you’ve chosen the manual method, please ignore this step.

If you’ve chosen Plaud (HINT HINT), it’s as easy as pressing a few buttons:

Upload Your Audio File

Just upload it to the Plaud app.

Generate Your Transcript

Choose your template, language, and AI model, then click generate:

That’s it!

Note: Please skip down for a full tutorial of using our hardware device for transcribing meetings, interviews, lectures, and more.

3. Editing, Speaker Tags, and Time Stamps

Label each speaker distinctly throughout your transcript (e.g., "Interviewer:" and "Respondent:" or by initials). Add timestamps every few minutes (e.g., [05:23]) so you can find specific points in the audio later. For longer interviews, add paragraph breaks when topics change to make it easier to read.

If you’ve chosen Plaud or another similar device, this process is dead easy. Just click “Name Speakers” and the rest is self-explanatory:

4. Edit Your Transcript and Perform Final Formatting (QA)

Once you've completed the first draft, conduct a quality check. Replay the audio at regular speed and compare it with your transcript to check for errors. 

Next, spell-check names and technical phrases and verify that your speaker indicators are uniform. Put enough space between speakers, and make sure the heading includes the date, participants, and reason for the interview. Once you’ve proofed your draft, print it using a clear, readable font. Back up the digital file and store it somewhere where you can easily find it.

Congrats, you’ve now got a fully transcribed interview with speaker labels and everything.

How Plaud Saves Time And Boosts Transcription Accuracy

Plaud's recording and transcription tools transform the outdated manual transcription process with smart technology:

1. Hands-free recording via Plaud Note & Plaud NotePin: The credit card-sized Plaud Note and wearable NotePin capture crystal-clear audio without recording apps. The Plaud Note features dual-pickup technology for precise recording, and the lightweight NotePin is a wearable recorder for on-the-go professionals.
2. AI speaker detection and summary: Plaud identifies multiple speakers in recordings and labels them in the transcript. Powered by GPT 5.1, Claude Sonnet 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro, Plaud transcribes your audio and generates summaries to provide key insights without having to read the entire interview.
3. Custom templates: Plaud offers professional templates designed for different interview scenarios. There are templates for academic research, job interviews, and podcasts, to name a few. These templates help organize your transcripts into a standardized format for easy review.

With 112 supported languages and 64GB of storage on the Plaud Note, these tools handle everything from quick one-on-one conversations to day-long interview sessions without breaking a sweat.

How to Use Plaud to Transcribe an Audio File

We’re now going to show you everything you need to do to transcribe audio from an interview, meeting, or other conversation using our AI voice recorder. Unlike other methods, using a voice recorder that automatically transcribes and summarizes recordings does not take long and requires almost 0 manual work.

Creating error-free transcripts with Plaud is simple. The process takes minutes, not hours, and it doesn’t require technical skill or external software.

Step 1: Set up the Plaud App & Device

Download the Plaud App and create an account. Then, turn on your Plaud Note or NotePin and open the Plaud app on your phone. The setup wizard will walk you through connecting the device and choosing recording settings for how you need to record (in person, online, etc.).

Step 2: Record Your Interview

For in-person interviews, place the Plaud device between you and the interviewee or clip your NotePin onto your shirt (make sure the interviewee is not too far away). Press the record button once to start recording audio. For remote interviews, place your Plaud device near your phone's speaker or computer audio port. No internet connection is required to record. One last tip: Be sure to choose a quiet place without background noise.

Step 3: Auto-Transcription + AI Summary

After recording, connect your Plaud voice recorder to the Plaud app to transfer your audio files automatically. If you’re working with others, enable Plaud Private Cloud Sync. This will sync your data across the app and web platforms for multi-device access. Select your interview recording to begin the automatic transcription process (it usually takes a few minutes). 

Step 4: Customize Output

Review your transcript in the app and make edits, if necessary. Include speaker names if they weren't automatically detected. You can edit both the summary and the automatic transcription after recording.

The Complete Guide to Interview Transcription: What is it, Benefits, Types, & More

What is an Interview Transcript?

An interview transcript is a written record of a spoken interview conversation. It takes spoken words and puts them into written form, along with questions, answers, pauses, and sometimes non-verbal communication. The main purpose of transcription is to create a permanent, searchable document that’s easy to analyze for information, precise quoting, and content sharing with others who were not involved in the original conversation.

What Are The Different Types of Interview Transcription?

There are several ways to transcribe an interview. Each one serves a different purpose:

• Verbatim Transcription: Verbatim captures everything word-for-word, including filler words ("um," "uh"), false starts, repetitions, and non-verbal sounds like laughter or sighs. It is used in legal settings or research where every detail matters.
• Clean Verbatim: This style (or "intelligent verbatim transcript") removes most of the filler words and repetitions without changing the speaker's intent. This creates a readable version, and it’s popular for business and journalism.
• Edited Transcription: Editing further refines the text by correcting grammar and removing tangents. This is a standard approach for published or widely distributed content.
• Summary Transcription: Summary transcription provides a summary of the interview in points rather than recording every word. This is useful for covering overall ideas when a verbatim transcription is not required.

All of the above are considered accurate transcripts, and each is useful for specific purposes. There are transcription methods for legal precision, research details, published content, and providing an overview of ideas from a conversation.

Which Fields Require Interview Transcription?

Transcription is normally used in fields such as journalism, media, the law, or for academic research. Here’s more on each of them:

• Academic Research: Researchers transcribe interviews to create permanent records of their data. Researchers must be able to demonstrate this evidence to verify studies, clinical trials, and dissertations. Students can also use our tools for recording lectures or studying.
• Journalism and Media: Reporters use transcripts to help them accurately quote sources and dig deeper into stories. They can’t remember everything, especially in chaotic situations. Transcription helps prevent misquoting, and it gives a full account of what was said without bias.
•  Legal and Medical Fields: Legal professionals use transcripts of interviews, depositions, and more in case preparation. In the medical field, doctors tape-record patient interviews to maintain complete files, such as clinical notes, and for referrals.
• Business & Human Resources: Accurate accounts of interviews and meetings can improve a business’s effectiveness or aid in compliance. For example, executive teams may be required to make transcripts of strategic meetings for stakeholders. 

Example of an Interview Transcript

Here’s what an interview transcript generated by Plaud might look like:  

Recording name: User Research Interview – Session 3

Date: 12 March 2026

Duration: 18:12

Speakers: Speaker 1, Speaker 2

[00:00:03] Speaker 1: Hi Alex, thanks for joining today. Before we get started, I just want to confirm that you’re okay with this interview being recorded for research purposes.

[00:00:12] Speaker 2: Yes, that’s fine.

[00:00:15] Speaker 1: Great, thank you. To start, can you tell me a little about how you currently manage your daily tasks and notes?

[00:00:27] Speaker 2: Sure. I usually use a mix of handwritten notes and a task app on my phone, but it’s not very organized. Sometimes I forget where I wrote things down.

[00:00:46] Speaker 1: What would you say is the biggest challenge with that setup?

[00:00:52] Speaker 2: Probably switching between tools. I’ll write something in a notebook and then forget to add it to my app later.

[00:01:08] Speaker 1: Have you tried any tools that help centralize everything?

[00:01:14] Speaker 2: I’ve tried a few apps, but they usually require a lot of manual input, which I don’t always have time for.

[00:01:32] Speaker 1: If you could design an ideal solution, what would it look like?

[00:01:38] Speaker 2: Something that captures ideas quickly and organizes them automatically, without me having to think about it too much.

[00:01:55] Speaker 1: That’s really helpful. I think that covers everything on my end. Thanks again for your time.

[00:02:02] Speaker 2: No problem. Happy to help.

—

[End of recording]

After generating a verbatim transcription, you can use the Plaud app to edit speaker labels, fix errors, create summaries, and more. You can also apply ready-made templates to reorganize the transcript into structured summaries or create branded transcript displays that impress the boss. This is really helpful if you have a lot of interviews to review and you don’t want to spend your weekend at the office. 

We suggest you save this transcribed interview example for later reference if you’re doing things manually.

Now, let’s move on to the best transcription tools.

What Are The Benefits of Transcribing Interviews?

The main benefits of transcribing interviews are easy analysis, instant accessibility, the ability to repurpose content quickly, time savings, and better collaboration. Let's cover these each in a bit more detail:

• Easier analysis: Written text allows you to search, highlight, and code themes much faster than rewinding and replaying audio.
• Accessibility: Transcripts make content available to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and to those who prefer reading over listening.
• Repurposing content: You can easily extract quotes for articles, reports, social media, or other formats without re-listening to hours of audio—for example, pulling a compelling customer testimonial from a 45-minute interview to feature in your next newsletter.
• Better collaboration: Team members can quickly review and share insights from interviews without everyone needing to listen to the full recordings.
• Time savings: Research shows that people can read up to 3-4 times faster than they can listen to audio, meaning you and your team can review interview content much more efficiently in text format.

The Best Interview Transcription Tools of 2026

Last up, we want to walk you through a few of the best transcription tools in case you want to find a tool or app right away.

These are the most popular transcription tools going into 2026.

Plaud

Plaud is the world’s #1 voice recorder, and it’s by far the best tool for transcribing interviews. Plaud is a physical voice recorder with an AI brain. Unlike software-only tools, Plaud captures high-quality audio at the source to improve transcription accuracy. Just press the Record button, and Plaud captures interviews in any environment (in-person, online, over the phone, etc.). 

Plaud is available in two award-winning models, the credit-card-sized Plaud Note and the wearable Plaud NotePin.

Why choose Plaud:

• Transcribe any interview (online or in person); no software-based limits or restrictions 
• Accurate transcriptions in 112 languages, powered by the latest AI models (GPT 5.1, Gemini 3 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.5) 
• Every recording is protected by leading data privacy standards (certified ISO 27001, ISO 27701, GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2)   
• 30 hours of recording per charge and 64 GB of storage 
• Unintrusive and compact design keeps interviews natural 

Descript

Descript is a transcription-based audio and video editing platform. The software transcribes audio and gives you a range of tools to recut, rearrange, and adjust it by modifying the transcript. 

Descript is great for editing podcasts or summarizing interviews and research findings. If you need to make a lot of changes to your transcripts or edit the audio from your interviews, it might be a good choice. However, it has a bit of a learning curve, and it’s not exactly a simple solution for basic transcriptions.

Why choose Descript: 

• Text-based audio and video editing   
• High-quality transcription that detects up to 8 speakers (depending on your mic and location)   
• Lots of AI editing tools to enhance audio and video. 
• Ideal for content creators (podcasters, journalists, etc.) 

HappyScribe

HappyScribe is an AI-based app for accessibility services like transcription, translation, and closed captions. Users have the option to generate content with AI (such as AI-generated subtitles) or use HappyScribe’s more costly human-based professional transcription service. For interviews, it offers clean AI-generated drafts that are easy to edit and export.

Why choose HappyScribe:

• Supports 120 languages Both AI transcription and human transcription are available 
• Simple editing tools 
• Integrates with Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom 
• Focus on accessibility services and translation 

Sonix

Sonix is a cloud-based transcription and translation app. This is a simple tool, so you won’t find many editing tools or extra features here. But for many, that’s the draw of Sonix. Sonix integrates with the tools you use and automatically transcribes audio and video content. 

The only issue is it’s quite expensive. It’s $5/hour for transcription plus $22 per month.

Why choose Sonix:

• Highly accurate transcription (depending on the audio quality)
• Searchable transcripts 
• Automatic subtitling and translation in 54 languages 
• Cloud-based app is secure and easy to access 

FAQs About Interview Transcription

Do I need consent to transcribe interviews?

Yes, interview transcription permission is necessary, though the legal requirements vary by jurisdiction:

• In one-party consent jurisdictions/countries (e.g., some US states), only one party involved in the conversation (you) needs to consent to a recording.
• In jurisdictions requiring two-party or all-party consent, all the participants must consent before recording begins.
• In workplace settings, the best practice is to ask interviewees to sign a consent form with details on how you’ll use the recording and transcription. This protects both parties and ensures transparency.
• Consent conditions fulfill legal requirements, protect participant rights, and maintain ethical standards in research and workplace settings. 
• US federal law requires one-party consent under FCC rules, but state laws can be stricter and require the consent of all parties. In these situations, the stricter requirements always apply. 

Can AI accurately identify speakers?

AI speaker identification technology has greatly improved, but it’s still not perfect:

• State-of-the-art AI transcription technology can deliver up to 99% accuracy from high-quality audio. Proprietary speech recognition models focus on word accuracy over speaker identification. So, transcripts are highly accurate, but there may be some errors regarding who said what, especially if a lot of people are talking at once.   
• Speaker identification is challenging for AI. The technology can reliably track who says what, but it is not yet perfect and occasionally misidentifies speakers, especially in complex audio situations.   
• Conversation intelligence systems now use more sophisticated speaker identification capabilities that work across different accents and audio conditions. Manual verification is still recommended for high-risk use cases. 
• In 2026, researchers can expect more sophisticated tools with greater accuracy and speed, but speaker identification will remain a challenge.

What's the best format for storing transcripts?

The optimal format for storing interview transcripts depends on your needs:

• PDF is considered more user-friendly than audio or video files for long-term storage and sharing. It offers a balance between accessibility and preservation of formatting.   
• For formatting consistency, experts recommend choosing a standard font and size (such as Arial or Times New Roman, 12pt). Use 1.5 or double line spacing for better readability.   
• Clearly identify speakers (usually "I:" for interviewer, "R:" for respondent, or the speakers’ real names) and include a header with date, time, and participant information.     
• Use consistent formatting for all of your transcripts, such as speaker tags, time stamps, and headers. Stick with your preferred transcription method once you’ve established clear standards.     
• Pay attention to non-verbal cues that are relevant to the research context. Your AI voice recorder won’t pick these up, so you’ll need to write notes during the oral interview and add them to the transcript yourself later.  

Upgrade Your Interview Transcription Today 

Modern transcription tools have completely transformed interview transcription. What used to take hours of typing can now be accomplished in minutes with the help of AI audio to text converter tools like Plaud. These tools are highly precise and save valuable time. They can identify different speakers in multiple languages, transcribe entire interviews in minutes, and provide instant summaries of your conversations.