Skavio Transcribe: How to review unfamiliar names in a meeting recording
Skavio Transcribe creates a written draft from a recording. When a meeting includes unfamiliar people, companies or project names, review those names before sharing the transcript. The goal is not to make every name look complete: it is to leave each important name either verified or visibly unresolved. Use the recording to check what was said and reliable written references to check the spelling.
1. Create the draft—and a separate name reference
Create a transcript draft with Skavio Transcribe and keep the original recording available for comparison. Treat the result as material to review, not confirmation that unfamiliar names have been recognized correctly. Separately, collect candidate spellings from an authorized attendee list, agenda or relevant project document. The National Park Service recommends proper-noun reference lists and spelling checks in its transcription guidance. For this workflow, the list is a manual reviewer aid—not a vocabulary-upload feature claimed for Skavio.
- Include people, organizations, products and internal project names likely to appear.
- Record where each candidate spelling came from.
- Treat a matching name as a possibility until the surrounding discussion supports the match.
2. Replay the passage, not just the doubtful word
Read the draft while listening to the original recording in a suitable player. When a name looks doubtful, replay the complete sentence and some preceding speech. An introduction, company reference or earlier mention may provide context that an isolated sound does not. Smithsonian transcription guidance recommends listening to complete segments and preceding material for context. Note the playback position manually so another reviewer can return to the same passage. Keep that position tied to the original recording, especially if you also work with shortened audio copies.
3. Verify spelling without inventing identity
Separate three questions: what sounds were spoken, how the name is written, and which person or organization the speaker meant. A clear pronunciation may still leave the spelling uncertain. An exact spelling in an attendee list may still refer to the wrong person. Compare candidates with authorized written records. If the match remains ambiguous, ask the participant or meeting organizer for clarification rather than selecting the most plausible public search result. Do not put confidential meeting details into public searches. Keep a mentioned name separate from speaker identity, too. Hearing someone say a person's name does not establish that the named person was speaking. A spelling correction must not silently become a speaker-attribution decision.
4. Record corrections—and leave uncertainty visible
Make reviewed changes in a separate working document and keep a simple correction log. These are manual review practices, not claims about a built-in Skavio editor or correction-history feature. For each significant change, record the original playback position, draft wording, confirmed spelling, supporting reference and reviewer. If confirmation is unavailable, use a clearly explained notation instead of filling the gap. Smithsonian guidance similarly marks unintelligible speech explicitly. The examples below are suggested editorial conventions, not Skavio-generated labels or universal standards.
- Use “[name unclear, 00:12:34]” when the spoken name cannot be understood.
- Use “[name spelling unconfirmed, 00:12:34]” when the pronunciation is audible but the written form remains unresolved.
- Keep tentative candidates in the review log rather than presenting them as confirmed names in the transcript.
5. Check every occurrence before sharing
Once a spelling is confirmed, search the working transcript for other occurrences and likely variants. Review each match in context rather than applying an unchecked global replacement: similar sounds may refer to different people or organizations. Finish with a listen-and-read pass through passages where names affect responsibilities, quotations or business decisions. Check that spelling corrections have not added an unstated title, role or speaker identity. If an unresolved name could change who is expected to act, hold that assignment for clarification rather than distributing it as settled.
- Preserve the original draft alongside the reviewed version.
- Keep the correction log and source references available to authorized reviewers.
- Label unresolved names clearly, including in any notes derived from the transcript.