Prior to 2019, StoryCorps only provided transcripts for interviews that were edited for broadcast or by special request. Then, StoryCorps' Digital team began periodically adding machine-generated transcripts in batches to the online archive to improve accessibility. However, in 2023, due to significant quality concerns, StoryCorps decided to hide transcripts from public view and started exploring new processing options to improve reliability and maintain archival taxonomies.
Currently, StoryCorps is in the process of implementing a new process for Speech-to-Text and Natural Language API to generate machine transcripts for all interviews in the Online Archive. However, transcripts are not yet available for self-directed interviews, such as those recorded with the StoryCorps App or StoryCorps Connect.
In the future, the transcription process will be fully automated, with interviews being automatically transcribed shortly after they complete syncing with the Online Archive. Once automatic transcription is in place, the transcript should be available within a few hours of the interview becoming playable. It's important to note that the transcripts provided on archive.storycorps.org are machine-generated and may contain inaccuracies, misspellings, or omissions, and should not be considered a completely accurate expression of the recorded audio content.
At present, StoryCorps can only offer transcripts for English-language interviews. However, there are plans to transcribe non-English interviews in the near future. If your interview is in a language other than English and you need a transcript, please click here to contact StoryCorps Public Support and submit a request.