NSDA Rules to choose scripts

Unified Manual > Interpretation (DI, HI, DUO) > 3. Material > Standards 

Any source material is permitted as long as it meets the standards outlined below: 

A. Original source material must not be written by the competitor who is performing it. 

B. Original source material must be publicly accessible throughout the duration of the tournament. Digital printed publications such as web pages and PDFs retrieved or purchased from web pages are permitted as long as the web page is publicly accessible throughout the duration of the tournament. Digital unprinted publications such as videos, audio files, and films are permitted as long as the original source is publicly accessible throughout the duration of the tournament and the competitor can obtain an official transcript of the original source. 

1. For print publications such as novels, short stories, plays, or poetry, the original source is the physical book or e-book. Photocopies of original literature are not acceptable. Presenting the physical book or e-book is sufficient to prove that a printed publication is publicly accessible. 

2. For digital printed publications such as web pages, original source material is no longer required to come from online publishing sources listed on the NSDA Approved Websites List. The original source must be publicly accessible for viewing or purchase by a simple internet search or by a URL not requiring passwords or access codes. Competitors must also present a printed manuscript to be used in the case of a protest, but presenting a printed copy of a website is not alone sufficient to prove that a digital printed publication is publicly accessible. 

3. PDFs are permitted as long as the website from which the PDF is retrieved or purchased is publicly accessible for viewing or purchase by a simple internet search or by a URL not requiring passwords or access codes. Competitors must also present a printed copy of the PDF to be used in the case of a protest, but presenting a printed copy of the PDF is not alone sufficient to prove that a PDF is publicly accessible. 

4. For non-English print material that a competitor will perform in English, the original source material in its original language must be publicly accessible. Competitors must present an official English translation to be used in the case of a protest. An official translation must be obtained in one of two ways:

a. An official translation is obtained through the original source’s producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.

b. Or, an official translation is obtained through a translation service which uses non-automated, manual translation. Then, the competitor receives approval to perform the translation by the original source’s producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.

5. For digital unprinted publications such as videos, audio files, and films, the original source must be publicly accessible for viewing or purchase by a simple internet search or by a URL not requiring passwords or access codes. Competitors must also present a printed official transcript of the original source to be used in the case of a protest, but presenting an official transcript is not alone sufficient to prove that the original source is publicly accessible. An official transcript must be obtained in one of two ways: 

a. An official transcript is obtained through the original source's producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.

b. Or, an official transcript is obtained through an official transcription service such as TranscribeMe, Scribie, or iScribed, which use non-automated, manual transcription. Then, the competitor receives approval to perform the transcription by the original source's producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.

If the digital unprinted source is not in English and the competitor wishes to perform it in English, an official transcription and an official translation of the transcription (see #4 above) are required.