By Martel Electronics · November 10, 2026 · Manual transcription and review

An automatically generated transcript can provide a starting draft, but it still needs review against the recording. Martel Video Transcriber supports that manual checking stage: play the video, control it with a pedal or shortcuts, edit your document, and insert timestamps. Martel does not generate the AI transcript itself.

Keep the original draft separate from the reviewed version when your workflow requires a record of changes. A clean-looking page is not evidence that its words, speaker labels, or timing are correct.

Confirm that the draft matches the file

Check the source filename and version before editing. A draft generated from a shortened audio export may not align with the full video. Added introductions, removed silences, and combined clips can all affect elapsed references.

Open the transcript in the word processor you intend to use. Test a short passage with Martel before beginning the full review, including a timestamp insertion or Copy Timestamp and paste if that is your chosen workflow.

Review meaning-sensitive details first

Pay close attention to names, numbers, dates, negatives, and specialized terms. A transcription error can produce a fluent sentence with a different meaning. Compare those items with the source and the project's authorized reference material rather than correcting them solely from context.

Keep uncertainty visible when the recording is unclear. Do not replace a doubtful word with a confident guess simply because the draft offers a plausible suggestion.

Check speaker changes separately

Automatic speaker labels can be useful starting points, but verify them. Similar voices, interruptions, and off-camera speakers may create mistakes. The person currently shown in the video is not always the voice being heard.

Use consistent labels throughout the document and review exchanges around a change in participants. Mark overlapping or unclear speech according to the project's convention instead of forcing it into a tidy sequence.

Use short playback loops for correction

Play a manageable section, pause, correct it, and rewind enough to verify the transition into the next section. A pedal keeps your hands near the document. Set the rewind amount and playback speed so repeated review is comfortable without losing context.

Return difficult wording to normal speed for a final check. Slowing a passage can help listening, but it can also change your impression of rhythm, pauses, and emphasis.

Recheck timestamps rather than inheriting them blindly

Existing AI timestamps may follow a different source file or timing convention. Sample several points against the loaded video. Replace or clarify markers that do not help a reviewer find the intended passage.

Martel's inserted values follow actual media position. Automatic paragraph or interval markers are navigation aids, not automatic word alignment. For a precise quotation or event, seek to the intended moment and insert a deliberate reference.

Finish with a normal-speed read-through

Read the corrected document while listening to a longer passage. Check omitted phrases, duplicated words, speaker labels, and unresolved notes. Verify the beginning and end as well as difficult middle sections.

Save the reviewed document in the required format and retain its source identifier. If the draft came from an outside service, handle that service and the source material according to the project's own requirements. Martel's manual review workflow does not change those obligations or certify the final transcript automatically.