5.1 [sic] and Abbreviations

Blueprint topics 20105 and 20107 ask what [sic] means and how it is used, and how abbreviations are used and researched. Both involve the same principle: the reader must be able to trust that what appears in the transcript is what was said.

What [sic] means

Sic is Latin for "thus" or "so." Placed after a word or phrase, it tells the reader: "This is exactly what the speaker said; the error is not the transcriber's."

Without it, a reader who sees an obvious mistake assumes the transcript is wrong, and may even ask for a correction.

The form

• Bracketed [sic] is the traditional form for marking errors in quoted material, and it is the form named in the CET blueprint.
• Parenthetical (sic) is widely used in transcripts. AAERT's own Scalini answer key uses it:

          THE COURT:  Exhibit 1 is admitted (sic).
     (Plaintiff's Exhibit 1 marked for identification.)

In that hearing, the judge said "admitted," but the exhibit was only marked for identification, not received. The (sic) shows that the transcriber heard "admitted" correctly and kept it, even though the index shows the exhibit was never received. Follow your client's style for brackets or parentheses; the meaning is identical.

Place it immediately after the word or phrase in question, inside any closing punctuation for that sentence, and do not italicize it in a transcript unless the style sheet says to.

When to use [sic]

Use it when a misstatement could look like a transcription error and the difference matters to the record:

• a wrong exhibit, count or case number: Handing you Exhibit 14 (sic), when the exhibit being discussed is clearly 41;
• a misspoken name that differs from the name in the case: Mr. Johnston (sic), for Mr. Johnson;
• a date or amount that contradicts the rest of the record;
• a wrong word in a quotation read from a document, where the document itself contains the error;
• a slip that reverses meaning, such as "admitted" where "marked" happened.

When not to use it

• Ordinary grammar in speech. Do not add (sic) after "we was," "ain't" or "irregardless." Spoken grammar is not an error the reader will blame on you, and repeated (sic) notes look like mockery.
• Accents or pronunciation. Transcribe the intended standard word; never add (sic) to comment on how someone speaks.
• Uncertain hearing. If you are not sure what was said, (sic) is wrong. Use (phonetic) for an unverified spelling or (indiscernible) for unclear audio (Chapter 12).
• Every repetition. Mark the first clearly significant instance; do not sprinkle (sic) throughout.

(sic) is the transcriber's only permitted editorial signal about a speaker's error. It never replaces the error with the correct word.

Abbreviations in transcripts

The main rule

Type what was said. If the speaker said the letters "D-U-I," type DUI. If the speaker said "driving under the influence," type the full phrase. Do not abbreviate words spoken in full; a transcript is not notes.

Abbreviations used regardless of speech

Some abbreviations are standard in writing even though the full word is spoken:

• Courtesy titles: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.; also Jr. and Sr.
• Time: a.m. and p.m.
• "Number" before a figure: Case No. 3994-10-13Cr
• Case names: v. between party names in a citation (Chapter 16)

Punctuation of abbreviations

• Initialisms and acronyms are usually written in capitals without periods: FBI, DUI, NASA, HIPAA, CEU. Check Merriam-Webster or the organization's own usage.
• Some keep periods by convention: U.S., a.m., p.m., Dr., Jr.
• Plurals take no apostrophe: three DUIs, the CEUs. Use an apostrophe only for possessives: the FBI's report.
• An abbreviation ending a sentence takes only one period: He works for Acme Holdings, Inc.

Researching an abbreviation

When a speaker uses an unfamiliar abbreviation:

1. Check the case materials: exhibits, the case information sheet, log notes.
2. Check authoritative sources: Merriam-Webster, Black's Law Dictionary, a medical dictionary, or the agency or company website that uses the term.
3. Match the owner's styling: AT&T, eBay, IRS, OSHA.
4. Use context to choose among expansions: "PT" can be physical therapy, prothrombin time or part-time.
5. Do not guess. If the letters are clear but the meaning is not, type the letters as spoken. They are the record whether or not you know what they stand for.