To transcribe means to write down or type out spoken words, often converting them from one form to another. When a court reporter transcribes a trial, she listens carefully to everything said in the courtroom and types it word-for-word, creating a written record called a transcript. When you transcribe your grandmother's oral stories about her childhood, you're preserving them by writing them down exactly as she tells them.

Scientists transcribe interviews with research subjects. Musicians transcribe songs by listening carefully and writing down every note. Podcasters transcribe their episodes so people can read what was said instead of just listening. Before audio recording existed, scribes would transcribe speeches as political leaders delivered them, racing to capture every word.

Transcribing requires concentration and accuracy because you're responsible for capturing someone's exact words without changing their meaning. Today, computers can transcribe automatically using speech recognition software, though humans still do it when precision really matters. A transcription is the written result of transcribing.