Laughter and Audio Breaks
How to mark laughter, applause, and other audio events for clarity and professionalism.
Laughter and Audio Breaks
Laughter should be marked in all transcripts, but only when it is relevant to the meaning or context.
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Formatting Requirements
- Mark relevant laughter as (Laughter)
- No punctuation is needed, but if laughter occurs at the end of a sentence, punctuate before the laughter
- Always use a capital 'L', even mid-sentence
- Assign laughter to the correct speaker if possible
- Only transcribe laughter that adds meaning or context
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Other Audio Events
- Mark applause as (Applause) (do not use "Clapping" or other terms)
- Avoid marking laughter or reactions that interrupt the flow unnecessarily
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Examples
"That was the funniest thing I'd ever seen (Laughter). But seriously, we need to..."
"I can't believe that happened." (Laughter)
This approach keeps transcripts professional and focused on meaningful content for clients.