In the context of cataloging art, the process of recording a term or text word for word, letter for letter, accurately copying capitalization, punctuation, spacing, line breaks, illegible passages, and all other possible aspects of the original (for example, to accurately express the nuances of an artist’s signature or an ancient architectural inscription). Transcriptions in this context are typically semi-diplomatic or semi-normalized transcriptions, meaning both substantive and accidental features of the original are retained, but abbreviations are spelled out using brackets of other punctuation to distinguish the original from the editorial content