I did not enjoy the assignment at first because I was constantly frustrated when transcribing the document, a memoir of Harriett Lees and his family in 1842. I was unable to fully read the text due to the unfamiliar language and the cursive. But, as I continued to transcribe, I had a change of heart. I gained a better sense of the assignment and started to enjoy it. My transcription skills progressed immensely as I continued transcribing the document. When I came across a difficult word or phrase, I would first try to decipher the letters and then the context of the sentence. If it was still a puzzle, I would ask my partner on her opinion. Most of the time we were able to decode the word or phrase. If we were still stuck, then I would write a question mark next to it and continue on with the sentence until a professor came over and helped. Another technique I learned when I was stuck was to look at other words that had the same letter to see if they matched. These ways were very helpful and I wish I had discovered them in the beginning to avoid the frustration I encountered. One last way my partner and I used to gain a better understanding when translating the biblical texts was to look up what the author was referring to in the actual bible.
I really enjoy transcribing and found the process extremely rewarding, especially when I transcribed an entire sentence or paragraph without any assistance. The most satisfying step of the assignment was reading the final product. It was interesting because throughout transcribing I would pick up bits and pieces of the story. I felt connected to the emotional personal events and stories that were being written about. Although the main challenge I faced was to understand the different type of language that was spoken in 1842, I adapted soon found it very fascinating to see how times and language have transformed through centuries. I am very grateful to be a part of such a unique experience and project.
Paige Whitney is a sophomore at Bucknell University. She is from Darien, CT. She is undeclared, but has interests in psychology, management, and economics.
