Thread:The S/@comment-995426-20181022204539

My recent finger injuries have made it clear that I can't always be around to type up comics transcripts for Turtlepedia. I already anticipated the possibility that other editors can be trained in the task (perhaps in a much more limited fashion), which led me to write Template:qline/Usage. But perhaps it's about time a manual of style for transcripts be laid out, at least as a draft. I know that it would effectively be describing the common structure of the transcript pages that already exist, but I also figure that it could help in gathering suggestions and reaching consensus on how the style can be improved upon. It isn't exclusively my project after all&mdash;it's for the betterment of Turtlepedia.

Compared to qline's usage page, I think the manual of style for transcript pages should be relatively straightforward. Transcript templates at top (which already embed their own categories), and a directive, and individual sections for each page or two-page spread. (This describes comics, but conceivably the concept can be broadened for television and film transcripts as well if that ever becomes a thing.) Each section has a Template:quotes bubble filled with one or more Template:qline. In terms of what to transcribe, I (mostly) try to limit the transcript to text that appears, rather than also describing every last character action. I go from page to page, transcribing title text, dialogue text, narration text, sound effect text, background scenery text, everything that can be read, including foreign text if it can be adequately electronically duplicated. I've found myself usually only describing scene actions in text-free montages (like in Bebop & Rocksteady Hit the Road #2 and the Donatello macro-series issue), and even then I try to keep the descriptions concise to clarify which scene is being shown and in what order.

And the purpose of transcripts might need to be understood and reinforced. They are not a replacement for comics or TV episodes, but are text references, most useful to people who have already read/seen the material. For the curious, they can also be fodder for recreational spoiler reading. And if transcripts become useful (as many already have) in helping editors improve articles in lieu of having all their comic books close at hand, then they will have more than served their purpose and enhanced the wiki.

But all these are just my thoughts on the matter. I don't believe there is any particular urgency at this time to set up such a manual of style. It just doesn't hurt to consider for future wiki planning. 