From Digitization and Images to Text and Content: Transkribus as a Case Study

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis poster explores the potential of using technological tools, specifically the Transkribus platform, for the transcription of Hebrew manuscripts. The digitization of historical resources has made them accessible, but the textual content of the scanned images remains inaccessible. Transkribus, an AI‐powered platform, offers tools for text recognition, transcription, and search of historical documents. The poster discusses the process of automatic text recognition (ATR) and the challenges it faces, particularly in handling handwritten texts and Hebrew letters. It provides an overview of the Transkribus platform, its functionalities, and the training process for creating transcription models. The author presents a case study of transcribing a 15th‐century Sephardic semi‐cursive Hebrew manuscript using the Transkribus platform and evaluates the performance of different models. The poster concludes by discussing the implications and possibilities of using Transkribus for automatic transcription of historical Hebrew manuscripts. While the results show promising improvements in accuracy, further challenges and solutions are also discussed. Overall, Transkribus offers significant potential for the study and transcription of Hebrew manuscripts, revolutionizing the field of Jewish studies and historical research.