Transcription is something that many genealogists tend to procrastinate about. This could very well be due to the fact that transcribing records is tedious, dull, and time consuming. You may view the act of transcribing records as task a that gets in the way of your ability to continue your genealogy research. Even so, it is very important that you transcribe the genealogy related documents that you have collected.
When it comes to genealogy, the word “transcription” means the act of copying a record exactly as the original actually appears. This is a skill that isn’t practiced as often as it used to be, in part because there plenty of easier ways to make an exact copy of a document or record. Copy machines are everywhere, and very inexpensive to use. Does your printer have the ability to function like a copy machine? If so, you might be able to instantly transcribe your document, and place it directly onto your computer.
Since those methods of transcription are so much more convenient than doing it by hand, why should genealogists bother making copies any other way? There are plenty of good reasons to take the time, and practice the fine art of transcribing genealogy documents.
Older records might be extremely fragile. Putting them through a copy machine could cause them to be damaged. These fragile pieces of paper are also not going to be strong enough for you to physically handle very often. Transcribing these documents gives you a copy on fresh, new, much stronger paper, that you can refer to without fear of having it fall apart in your hands.
Transcribing a document forces you to take a close look at the information that is on it. This is a great way to understand more about exactly what that document actually says. Perhaps you missed something the first time you read over this document? Transcribing it gives you a chance to learn more from resources that you already have. This is especially useful when you are transcribing a document that was written out by hand, in script that is difficult to read, (such as a letter or personal journal).
It is always good to have a second copy of the records and documents that you have collected as a part of your genealogy research. If there is a fire in your home, it is entirely possible that these precious documents will be damaged beyond use. If you have transcribed them, you can put the originals into a safe deposit box, where no harm can come to them. You will still have the transcribed copy to work with at home. It is wise to make a digital copy of your genealogy research, and the documents, records, and photos that you found. However, hard drives can crash, and wipe out all of that data. Written transcriptions cannot be lost due to a computer virus, or malfunctioning hardware.
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