The Role of Audio Transcription in Singapore Disputes: Defamation

Words are powerful. Use them well, and they serve to create beautiful imagery and relationships; misuse them, and they slice and destroy.

When spoken words cross the line into defamation territory, leading to damaged reputations that result in loss of job, loss of a means to livelihood, and even family breakdown, proving what was said—and in what context—becomes paramount. This is where audio recordings, meticulously transcribed, can play a critical role in making sure that your case is strong when you bring it to the court.

As the third article in our series on audio transcription in Singapore disputes, we delve into how these vital pieces of evidence participate in defamation cases.

Defamation Lingo – Libel vs Slander

Defamation laws in Singapore protect individuals and entities from false statements that harm one’s reputation.

Within the defamation construct, the written and/or published form is known as libel, and the spoken form, slander.

The former can be found in emails, blogs, printed and online media platforms, while the latter are spoken words that could be made in the public spaces like professional events, on television, or in smaller groups like among colleagues, student communities. However, with an ever-evolving online and social landscape, these boundaries are constantly being redefined.

Defamation Cases in Singapore

Singapore has seen numerous high-profile defamation lawsuits, often involving political figures and public discourse over the years, cases like Ridout Road defamation case between son of Singapore’s founding prime minister, Lee Hsien Yang, and Cabinet ministers, K. Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan.

Defamation conflicts can also happen between family members, members in an organisation, and to influencers, spurned wooers, unhappy customers and more.   

These cases underscore the significant impact of spoken words and the stringent legal recourse available.

The Indispensable Role of Professional Transcription and Translation

For audio recordings to serve their purpose in court, they must be accurately transcribed. A professional translation agency like Wei.Trans.Create understands the unique demands of legal documentation in Singapore. With years of experience in legal translation and transcription for the Singapore courts, Wei.Trans.Create ensures that every word, repetition and nuance is precisely captured, preserving the integrity of the evidence. This meticulous attention to detail is crucial for lawyers, judges and all parties involved to understand the full context of the spoken word, enabling them to make informed decisions.

Audio recordings in defamation cases might include any recorded public or private conversations that provide evidence to support the case for or against defamation. They may also include discussions to address the dispute.

Reputational damage is hurtful and tempers may fly at these discussions. People might shout or talk over one another. Sometimes, people are seated at different distances from the recording device; or some of them might simply have a habit of speaking softly. These situations present challenges during transcription and translation, as words are not articulated clearly enough to be transcribed without a doubt as to their meaning. A role of a professional transcriber-translator includes patient re-listening of audio files with the aim of identifying and separating the different voices of the parties captured in the recordings.

Changes in Channels of Communication

Recent years have seen an increase in the use of text messaging and voice notes as the predominant mode of communication between people, slowly overtaking email, the poster child of the previous decades. This means that we also see a rise in the demand for the transcription and translation of WhatsApp or WeChat voice messages as evidence in legal proceedings. Instead of lengthier audio recording, we are now transcribing a large number of audio clips of varying duration, sometimes, as short as a one second clip with a reply that says “Okay”.  

The Rojak in Singapore’s Audio Transcription Projects

In Singapore's multilingual and multicultural environment, conversations at home, in offices, and in various other settings rarely occur in purely monolingual forms. The common languages translated and transcribed in Singapore include English, Singlish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, Hokkien, Malay, and Indonesian. Furthermore, when individuals are highly emotional, their speech can become incoherent and messy. The role of a transcriber-translator is to act as a neutral party, accurately converting what was said from an audio format onto paper.

Understanding the Legality and Illegality of Recordings

A common question regarding such recordings is whether they are illegal in Singapore and their admissibility in the Singapore courts.

To understand when and under what circumstance your audio recording can be admissible in the Singapore courts, you will need to consult with an experienced lawyer on this.

Multi-Pronged Approach to Managing Public Relations Crisis Caused by Defamation

Besides seeking recourse through the legal route, have you heard of ORM – Online Reputation Management?

It is a strategy that involves monitoring and influencing your or your company’s news online in a legal and ethical manner so that the negative news doesn’t spiral out of control in the web-sphere.

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We hope that you have enjoyed reading about the role of audio transcription and translation in defamation cases in Singapore. Learning how to protect our own reputation is highly important in the increasingly complex digital world that we live in today.

Stay tuned for our next article, where we will explore the role of audio transcription in cases involving inheritance.

And if you have any questions or audio recordings that require transcription and/or translation, contact us here for a quote. Your files will be treated with confidentiality.