Transcribing an Accent Faithfully
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Rendering a subject's speech into text raises a genuine question of respect: transcribing an accent phonetically can preserve authenticity, but it can also, handled carelessly, read as mockery or condescension rather than faithful representation of how someone actually speaks. That balance between authenticity and dignity deserves real thought before a single word reaches the page.
The safer general practice is to transcribe words using standard spelling while preserving genuine word choice, rhythm, and grammar exactly as spoken, rather than attempting to render pronunciation itself on the page, which rarely reads as respectfully as intended. Grammar and genuine word choice carry the subject's voice far more reliably than an attempted phonetic spelling ever could.
Where pronunciation genuinely matters to the material, audio remains the more honest medium than an attempted phonetic transcription. Text can capture what was said far more reliably than it can capture precisely how it sounded. That honesty about the medium's limits protects both the subject and the eventual reader from a false impression.