Handwriting and Text Recognition with Transkribus

Transkribus is an AI-powered platform for the automated recognition and transcription of handwritten and historical documents. It is widely used in the humanities and archival sciences to digitize and make accessible historical texts. The University of Bern supports researchers by subsidizing the use of the tool and providing training and workshops.

What is Transkribus?

Transkribus enables users to:

• Automatically transcribe handwritten documents using pre-trained AI models or custom-trained models tailored to specific handwriting styles.
• Manually transcribe and correct texts within its user-friendly interface.
• Train custom AI models to recognize specific handwriting, which is particularly useful for unique or challenging scripts.
• Search and annotate documents, facilitating detailed analysis and research.
• Publish collections online through Transkribus Sites, making them accessible to a broader audience.

Use Cases

Transkribus is suitable for:

• Historical research: Transcribing manuscripts, letters, and diaries to facilitate analysis.
• Genealogical studies: Deciphering family records and historical documents.
• Academic projects: Assisting in the creation of digital editions and scholarly publications.
• Cultural heritage preservation: Digitizing and preserving archival materials for future generations.

Services

• Introduction to the use of Transkribus
• Support with text recognition for historical documents
• Organization of workshops on advanced features (e.g., PyLaia training)

Getting Started

To begin using Transkribus:

1. Visit the Transkribus website and create an account.
2. Download the Transkribus Expert Client or use the web-based Transkribus Lite for manual transcription.
3. Explore available public AI models or consider training a custom model for your specific needs.

Contact

For support and further information, please contact us at digitalhumanities@unibe.ch.