Autrans
Use Case

Documentary Narration Script & Transcript Tool

Transcribe documentary narration, interviews, and voiceover into text for scripts, subtitles, and archival records.

Documentary work means juggling narration tracks, interview footage, and field audio, often recorded across different sessions and locations, sometimes with a narrator in a studio and subjects speaking Yoruba or Hausa in the field. Getting all of that into a single readable script, with interview subjects clearly separated from narration, is normally hours of manual logging. Upload each audio or video file to Autrans and get a transcript with speaker labels distinguishing narrator from interview subjects, word-level timestamps for cutting to the exact line in the edit, and one-tap translation when a subject spoke in a language your editor or funder doesn't read. It's built for the actual workflow of documentary post-production: matching spoken word to timecode, not just getting a rough gist of a conversation.

Benefits

  • Speaker labels separate narrator voiceover from interview subjects in the same file
  • Word-level timestamps make it easy to cut the edit to an exact line of dialogue
  • One-tap translation for interview subjects who spoke Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo, or Arabic
  • Supports SRT/VTT export for subtitling the final cut in English or another language
  • Custom vocabulary for place names, subject names, and project-specific terms
  • Keeps a searchable text archive of hours of field and studio recordings

How it works

  1. 1Upload narration tracks, interview footage, and field audio as separate files
  2. 2Add subject names and place names as custom vocabulary for accurate spelling
  3. 3Autrans transcribes each file with speaker labels and word-level timestamps
  4. 4Use one-tap translation for any interview conducted in a language your team doesn't read
  5. 5Export SRT/VTT for subtitles, or DOCX for a written script to guide the edit

Frequently asked questions

Can it transcribe an interview subject speaking Yoruba or Hausa and translate it?

Yes, Autrans transcribes in the original language spoken and offers one-tap translation, useful when an editor or funder needs to read a field interview in another supported language.

Does it separate the narrator's voiceover from interview subjects?

Yes, speaker labels distinguish different speakers in the file, so narration and interview audio in the same recording aren't run together as one block of text.

Can I use the transcript to build subtitles for the final documentary?

Yes, export as SRT or VTT with timing aligned to the audio, ready to bring into your editing software as a subtitle track.

Will unusual place names or subject names be spelled correctly?

Add them as custom vocabulary before transcribing so Autrans recognizes and spells them the way you need, rather than guessing at a phonetically similar word.

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