February 10, 2004

Transcripts

Posted by Kieran

Eugene Volokh notices an error in a transcript. My friend Bethany had a bunch of interviews transcribed professionally for her dissertation and now offers Transcription Bloopers: 29 Reasons Not to Waste Your Money. Choice examples include:

As SpokenAs Transcribed
20th centuryPlanting some tree
Class oppressionFast depression
Enrich each otherRate each other
Serbian oral epicServient oral ethic

Errors of this sort in transcripts are at the intersection of Mondegreens and the strange phenomenon of the media always happening to desperately misreport stories you know something about personally.

Posted on February 10, 2004 08:32 AM UTC
Comments

There’s a transcription error in the first line of the “Mondegreen” link :-

“They hae slain the Earl o’ Murray ” I imagine should be “Moray” as in eel and river..

Posted by dave heasman · February 10, 2004 09:05 AM

My father once dictated a memo, “… we should consider some new displays in the reception area…”

This was duly typed up, “… we should consider some nudist plays…”

Posted by chris · February 10, 2004 09:53 AM

My personal favorite: I dictated “…enrollment will be significant.” It was transcribed “…in Rome it will be significant.”

Posted by Daniel Ray · February 10, 2004 10:26 AM

Without in any way wishing to denigrate the noble tradition of Serbian oral epic, I must say that I find ‘servient oral ethic’ a culpa very felix indeed.

I mean, for the sound of it. Now the sense has kicked in, and it brings with it an unwelcome but unavoidable thought of Ms Lewinsky’s philosophy for getting on at the White House.

Posted by Mrs Tilton · February 10, 2004 01:44 PM

Possibly not funny, but I was once involved in a couple of years of litigation over whether the judge had REALLY instructed the jury (as the transcript indicated)to find the defendant guilty if they had a reasonable doubt.

Posted by rea · February 10, 2004 03:56 PM

Amanda Green, did you say?

Posted by nnyhav · February 10, 2004 04:12 PM

I remembered this occurring in real life, but here is a link too:

GNC

One day in 1976, president Jimmy Carter met with reporters to discuss the affairs of the nation. The official transcript of the meeting, which distinctly referred to “a GNC,” had everyone baffled, racing around trying to figure out what this new agency was for. Twenty-four hours later the White House Press Office issued a correction. “A GNC,” it explained, should in fact read “Aegean Sea.”

http://www.anecdotage.com/index.php?aid=13291

Posted by Munch · February 10, 2004 11:41 PM
Followups

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.