News

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) have been extremely rapid, and this has become especially evident in 2023. In this blog post, we address the the matter of text-to-speech. Think deepfakes (in this case generated audio) and spoofing (here, identity crime using voices) – but also there are more innocuous uses for the generation of speech, […]

This post is a small, informal follow-up experiment to my previous blog post in August, where I examined the ability of the Whisper automatic speech recognition system (ASR) to transcribe neologisms and colloquial language. The results of the previous experiments demonstrated this artificial intelligence system was rather ineffective in transcribing neologisms and colloquial language. In particular, […]

The Research Hub for Language in Forensic Evidence (School of Languages and Linguistics, University of Melbourne) has just advertised two five-year Level B research-only positions. Please find information about the Research Fellow in Forensic Linguistics positions at the link below. The application deadline is Fri 1 December, 2023. https://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/en/job/914515/research-fellow-in-forensic-linguistics-multiple-opportunities Read on for some background about […]

Eades, D., Fraser, H., & Heydon, G. (2023). Forensic Linguistics in Australia: Origins, progress and prospects. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. McMahon, M., & Fraser, H. (2023). Transcription of indistinct forensic audio: Time for reform. Law Institute of Victoria Journal, (August), 20–23. Fraser, H. (2023). Applied phonetics and phonology. In L. Wei, Z. Hua, & J. […]

Helen Fraser recently made an appearance on the Because Language podcast, along with co-authors Diana Eades and Georgina Heydon, to discuss their new publication in the Cambridge Elements in Forensic Linguistics series. You can listen to the forensic linguistics episode of Because Language here (section starts at 1.05). This is the blurb about what to […]

About the author – Will Somers I am a third year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in linguistics and criminology at the University of Melbourne. I have a particular interest in transcription and the potential for artificial intelligence models to be used to advance the efficiency and accuracy of the transcription process. Introduction With the […]

It is not too late to put in an expression of interest for a funded PhD opportunity in The Research Hub for Language in Forensic Evidence, starting in February 2024. This opportunity is for a topic related to forensic transcription. The first stage of the process is this expression of interest, and shortlisted applicants will […]

The IAFPA conference in Zurich has just finished – and what a great experience it was. Despite the 35-degree heat, participants minds were fully alert, and the program was packed with excellent presentations from established and emerging scholars, including an unprecedented degree of student participation. As usual, the Hub’s colleagues at University of Zurich’s Centre […]

Earlier this year, Australian linguistics professor, Helen Fraser, received a phone call asking whether she could recommend a lipreader to transcribe CCTV footage for use as evidence in the court of law. Fraser told the caller she was unable to do so, but found it an interesting question, so later asked me to investigate  the […]

Helen Fraser delivered a webinar to the International Speech Communication Association’s Special Interest Group on Security and Privacy in Speech Communication on 12 June. We had a very engaged and responsive audience, some of whom will be taking the issues forward via ongoing discussion – let us know if you would like to be involved. […]

A new title in Cambridge Elements in Forensic Linguistics is available for free download till 7 June 2023, namely Forensic Linguistics in Australia: Origins, Progress and Prospects by Diana Eades, Helen Fraser and Georgina Heydon. Here is the book announcement circulated by the authors: Cambridge Elements is a newish monograph series publishing concise, original, succinct, authoritative, peer-reviewed, scholarly work […]

Another paper has recently been added to the Frontiers research topic Capturing Talk: The Institutional Practices Surrounding the Transcription of Spoken Language. This paper, called Transcribing and translating forensic speech evidence containing foreign languages—An Australian perspective, is by a colleague of the Hub, RMIT senior lecturer in translating and interpreting Dr. Miranda Lai. It contributes […]

(Last week the Hub gave a presentation at Monash University. Thanks to Prof Kate Burridge, Dr Howie Manns and their colleagues in Monash Linguistics for a wonderful welcome and a delicious lunch. Here are videos of the sections by Debbie Loakes and Lauren Harrington (who has been visiting the Hub from the University of York – now heading […]

The Hub is happy to be presenting in the famous and fun Linguistics in the Pub series at the famous and fun Naughton’s Hotel on Tuesday 28 March 6-8pm. Why not come along and enjoy a drink and some interesting discussion with us? Misunderstanding mishearing: Why linguistic science is needed to cure serious injustice in our […]

On Friday March 24th, Hub visitor Lauren Harrington will talk about Transcription of indistinct audio: are phoneticians at an advantage?  This will be an in-person event at The University of Melbourne (Babel Building, rm 407) at, 3.15pm. There will also be an online option (just get in touch with Hub members for the link). Abstract: […]