LingTools logo[ LingTools @ UO | LVC Lab @ UO | Linguistics @ UO ]

Convert from Transcriber Transcript (.trs) to Praat TextGrid

Convert a Transcriber .trs file:

SLAAP transcripts are based on Praat TextGrids as those provide excellent temporal accuracy for linking representations of speech with the audio recording of the speech itself. Since Transcriber is a popular and useful transcription tool, I have developed the perl script used here to automatically convert from the XML-based standard Transcriber format (.trs) to a Praat TextGrid format. Once converted, Transcriber generated transcripts can be better temporally aligned to the audio using Praat (e.g., allowing for accurate representation of utterance overlap).

This web-based tool is driven by a perl script loosely based on a script written by Nils Jahn (cf. http://www.spectrum.uni-bielefeld.de/LangDoc/EGA/Tools/). That script doesn't convert speaker information and only allows for two tiered (i.e. two speaker) transcripts. The script here keeps speaker information with its respective tier and allows for any number of speakers (though I haven't tested beyond the single digits).

Download the perl script: trs_to_tg.pl.

You are welcome to download the perl script itself. The script (and web tool) should be considered "in beta". Bug fix on 8/11/06 - if you downloaded the script previous to that date, I recommend you download this fixed version. I apologize if this doesn't work for your .trs file, but note that this script comes with no warranty, etcet. However, please let me know if you encounter problems or have suggestions for improvement.


   © Tyler Kendall
last mod: 11/19/2015