<p>In the digital age, the role of transcription in the editorial process is undergoing profound change. Thanks to AI and Automated Text Recognition (ATR), the transcription step has been drastically accelerated, multiplying the amount of text accessible to medievalists, reshaping our relationship to sources, and opening new possibilities for textual availability and analysis. Because transcriptions are decisive and often determine the entire digital pipeline of text acquisition and enrichment, they can no longer be regarded as a merely preliminary, mechanical step preceding the ”real” work of editing. Instead, transcription emerges as a locus of interpretation, where machine output, scholarly modeling, and editorial judgment converge. This article argues for a concept of stratified editing, in which successive layers—raw ATR output, corrected transcriptions, normalized forms, and enriched annotations—coexist and retain distinct epistemic value. Rather than being effaced beneath the final edition, each layer becomes reusable, supporting diverse research goals from computational analysis to philological study. Such stratification requires solid modeling of transcription at the intersection of scientific objectives, pragmatic practices, and technical constraints. Ultimately, transcription should be recognized as a scholarly object in its own right, at the heart of a new editorial ecology that reshapes how we edit, interpret, and engage with medieval texts.</p>