Transcription Guidelines

Transcription Guidelines (Summary)

When transcribing, there are no rules that apply in all cases. Depending on the purpose of the transcription or edition, different aspects are emphasized or omitted. These rules or guidelines are clearly documented and communicated in good editions (see, for example, the SSRQ guidelines). The Ad fontes transcription rules are designed to enable the quick and easy creation of a working transcription.

The text should be follow as closely as possible, so that the source-layer of the text is recognizable. The transcription should reproduce the linguistic (including orthographic) content of the original, rather than just historical-factual content.

The basic rules are:

• Spelling: Reproduce spellings from the source.
• Cases: In general, use lower case. Use capital letters for the beginning of sentences and proper nouns.
• Abbreviations: Spell out abreviations that are not ambiguous.
• Coin Types and Measures: Simplify the denominations of coins and units of measures according to standard abbreviations.
• Hyphenation, Compound Words, Punctuation: Follow modern rules.
• Uncertain Readings: If you are uncertain that you have read the source correctly, mark it in the critical notes.
• Gaps: Note when gaps and lacunae appear in the text.
• Text Layout: The reproduced text should indicate the line breaks and foliation numbers from the manuscripts.
• Different Scribal Hands: Note when there are different scribal hands, and label emmendations and additions in the same and different hands in the text.
• Text Formatting: The critical apparatus appears below the main text. Provide a line count, as well.

Transcription rules (detailed)

The aim of our Ad fontes transcription rules is to produce a good working transcription as quickly and easily as possible. In addition to reproducing the factual historical content, the transcription should reflect the linguistic (including orthographic) form of the original as accurately as possible. However, we simplify some special characters and, due to the Swiss keyboard, we replace ß with ss. Due to the often inconsistent use of upper and lower case letters and orthography in pre-modern texts, we write everything in lower case except for proper names and the beginning of sentences, and we use modern punctuation rules for better text comprehension.

The more detailed transcription rules:

• The source text should be reproduced to the letter, with the following exceptions:
  

  u/v/w	In both Latin and German texts, u is rendered only as a vowel, v and w only as consonants (e.g., in the original ‘vnd’ -> ‘und’). vv is replaced by w.
  ∫/∫∫s/ß	The long ∫ is rendered as s, ∫∫s as ss. We render ß as ss because of the Swiss keyboard layout.
  cz/tz	Where it is not possible to distinguish clearly, tz is written.
  J/j	(at the beginning and end of words) is always written as i, as it is read as a special letter and is usually not clearly recognizable as j.

• As a general rule, lower case letters are used. Capital letters are used at the beginning of sentences and for proper nouns (names of places, fields, bodies of water, and people).
  
  
• The diacritical marks (letters with diacritical marks and phonetic symbols) provide information about the sound pattern: 
  
  
  • Characters above vowels with a clearly recognizable letter form (a, e, i, o, u) are inserted after the vowel in the word (example: aͤ -> ae; Baͤr -> Baer).
    
    
  • Characters above vowels that cannot be clearly identified as letters:
    • Two-part characters ( ̈/:) are rendered with  ̈ when they represent an umlaut (ä, ö, ü).
    • Single characters that are clearly recognizable as accent aigu (é), grave (è), or circonflexe (ê) are reproduced as such.
    • All other characters are reproduced with an accent grave.
       
  • Pure distinguishing marks (e.g., ú and ÿ to distinguish n and j) are omitted.
    
    
  • Special and important writing characteristics and the chosen reproduction are mentioned in the notes, decorative elements, and embellishments (initials) in the introduction.

Further rules 

• Unlike many editing guidelines, clear abbreviations are resolved without comment. Abbreviations at the end of words and lines are supplemented according to modern grammatical criteria. 
  
  
• Coin units are represented by the abbreviations lb, ß, d (pound, schilling, pfennig). Units of measurement are simplified to a uniform abbreviation (e.g., mt for Mütt, ml or mlt for Malter, kn for Kernen) or dissolved.
  
  
• Roman numerals are represented by Arabic numerals, and a note is included in the introduction.
  
  
• Words are written separately or together according to current usage. Word separation at the end of a line is retained according to the writer's preference.
  
  
• Punctuation is adapted to modern rules. It should serve to improve comprehension of the text and is therefore used sparingly. If several equivalent variants are possible, resulting in different interpretations, this should be noted in the text annotation. Punctuation-like characters in the original that are decisive for the original text structure should be noted in the introduction.

Annotation apparatus

• Uncertain readings are noted in the text annotations. Uncertain words and parts of words are indicated in the text with round brackets or indicated by three dots in round brackets. Possible reading variants are indicated in the annotations.
  
  
• Omissions and blank spaces are indicated by three dots without brackets and explained in the text notes. Gaps caused by use (holes, ink stains) or physical processing (binding) are filled in with square brackets if they can be filled in (words, parts of words) or indicated by three dots in square brackets. A note is included in the text annotations.
  
  
• Obvious errors or typos such as misspelled letters, double syllables, and words are corrected without comment. All other errors not corrected by the writer are reproduced in the text in their original form. If it aids comprehension of the text, missing words are inserted into the text in square brackets without comment. The text annotations comment on errors that indicate the use of a template and those that are relevant to the understanding of the content. If there is a risk of misunderstanding (printing error), an exclamation mark in parentheses may be inserted into the text. 
  
  
• The various writers' hands are designated (distinguished between original entries and additions) and identified where possible. Any change in the handwriting in the original text or in the ink used is noted in the text annotations (References: SH = same hand, DH = different hand; identifiable hands = Hand A, Hand B; SI = same ink, DI = different ink)
  
  
• Marginal notes, additions, changes, deletions, and marginalia (indicators) are included in the text and mentioned in the text annotations; where applicable, the writer's hand is identified. The classification in the text is based on content criteria (and only secondarily on formal criteria). Addenda or notes in modern handwriting (18th-20th century) should be listed in the text annotations.
  
  
• The text arrangement of the transcription should reflect the structure of the original text. Line breaks are retained and, in exceptional cases, indicated with a slash (/). Notes on deviations from the original text structure are provided in the introduction.
  
  
• The number of pages or page count of the template is inserted in square brackets at the beginning of the line.
  
  
• The original headings and numbering are retained.
  
  
• Blank pages and missing pages are mentioned in the notes.
  
  
• The annotations to the text are marked with a letter index. The scope of the text to which an annotation refers must be clearly evident: use exponents (^a^Text^a^). Standard formulas and designations should always be used (deleted, added, corrected, uncertain, illegible, damaged, erased, marginal note, gap, addendum, etc.).
  
  
• Subject notes are assigned a numerical index. Subject notes include additions such as dates and places, as well as remarks and comments relating to content.
  
  
• The following applies to text layout: Notes should be placed at the bottom of the text page. Line counting should be provided. A maximum of two font sizes should be used. Emphasis should be indicated in italics or, if necessary, in bold. These should be used sparingly, for example for headings.

• The introduction should include a description of the manuscript, as well as:
  
  
  • Notes on text layout
    
    
  • Description of the original text structure (e.g., custodes) and pagination or foliation
    
    
  • Adjustments or changes to transcription rules
    
    
  • Comments on the identification of the scribes' hands
    
    
  • Information on typeface, writing style, and scribal characteristics
    
    
  • Context of origin, history of transmission, and use
    
    
  • Chronological, geographical, and factual classification and contextualization
    
    
  • Biographical information on the scribe, author, and client
    
    
  • Comments and remarks on content
    
    
    
• The appendix should contain a list of abbreviations, as well as special characters and their reproduction.