Verbit, a leading transcription platform, has taken on the challenge of preserving history by transcribing old recordings. Their technology can remove background noise from decades-old recordings, making them more accessible and renewing historical testimonies. The goal is to transcribe approximately 8 million minutes of testimonies in multiple languages, including those related to the Holocaust, to preserve this crucial part of history for future generations.
Verbit’s CEO, Yair Amsterdam, explains that transcribing these testimonies is essential for enhancing the quality of the content and ensuring accuracy and completeness. The testimonies collected from various archives in Israel and Yale University cover a range of experiences, including that of Gita Sikowitz, who survived the Holocaust as a young girl. Her testimony describes the hardships she endured, including surviving selections in Auschwitz and labor camps.
Greg Schneider, Senior Vice President of the Claims Conference emphasizes the sensitivity and importance of these testimonies, especially as survivors of the Holocaust are dwindling. Preserving these stories through transcription ensures that they are accurately documented for posterity. Transcribing and translating these accounts is a vital tool for preserving history and ensuring that important testimonies are accessible and understood by future generations. By honoring the voices of survivors through transcription, we can ensure that the lessons of history are not forgotten.