Use of ****

If you absolutely cannot understand a word after rewinding a couple of times and/or it is not possible to determine a phonetic spelling, please use four asterisks ****, with a space before and after, as needed.  This should be the absolute last resort when trying to determine a spelling.  If you encounter many words in a job that are impossible for you to decipher, check for audio problems, or request permission to reject the job.  

Always consider the context of the surrounding words to try to determine what is being said.  This includes words that are mostly cut off by the audio.  Do not substitute nonsensical or made-up words.  If it doesn’t make sense, it’s probably not what the client said, and you would be better off using ****.

**** should not be used to denote a missing word if you cannot hear any of the word at all.  If there is nothing spoken, nothing should be typed.  If you cannot understand several words in a row, just use one set of ****.  Do not type a set of asterisks for each word in the phrase.

The **** option should be used very sparingly. Do not use **** in place of difficult names, unless it is completely obscured.  Names should always be spelled phonetically, to the best of your ability, so that the client has something to work with.  Don't forget to always check the client's word list, the job instructions, and the custom file name to see if spellings are provided there. 

Typists will be rated for their use of **** if it is used excessively for words that can clearly be heard after one or two tries.  They will also be rated for using more than one set of **** for consecutive words.  Finally, typists will be rated for using **** instead of spelling a proper name phonetically. 

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