I’m all for Armies of Davids and Davidettes raising their voices in protest but – regardless of the actual issue – I’ve always found it unsavory to hold rallies outside a court of law.  Once an issue has made it to court shouldn’t it be heard in an unbiased manner?  And what do the protesters hope to accomplish anyway?  Isn’t their presence there an indication that they think that there is at least a chance that they can influence justice with their numbers and voices?  I’d love to hear the InstaPundit’s take on this!

(and that’s why we prefer well-trained and professional human beings for our transcription work!)

From a recent transcript produced in Vermont comes one of our all-time favorite exchanges:

Q.  And would it be fair to say that on the 21st day of April, being three weeks or two weeks after this happened, your mind was clearer with the details than it is today?

A.  Due to — I smoke so much pot I can’t remember anything.

Q.  Okay.

A.  All right?  So — so I told — I told you this on the phone.  My — my statements aren’t going to be credible.  You know what I’m saying?  They’re not.

Q.  So let me ask you this question, then, Mr. X .

A.  My memory is junk.  I don’t remember anything about that night except what I just told you.

Well, at least he’s honest!

This is as good an opportunity as any to advocate for high standards in the industry.  We are very proud of the AAERT certification and what it means for our certified transcribers.  Perhaps it’s time to develop certification for others involved in producing the official record, as well, up to and including firm owners.  If not actual certification, then Continuing Education requirements centered on Professionalism, as is the standard in other industries, would be a welcome addition.

We hope and pray that the recordings will be found and, where necessary, accurate transcripts produced, so that justice can be carried out for all.

Today’s news reports brings a somewhat different issue worth considering: What is considered an accurate rendering of the spoken word?  We have in the past been asked by court official to transcribe y’all as y’all when pronounced as such.  At the same time, the introduction of dialects and mis-pronunciations (intentional or otherwise) is a tricky issue for transcribers.  In this case it led to the AP being charged with racism:

On MSNBC, the African-American author Karen Hunter complained the news service transcribed Obama’s speech without cleaning it up as other outlets did–specifically including the “dropped g’s.”

My suggestion: when in doubt, check with the client.  Always better to get their preference on the matter so that at the end of the day they get what they want.  I guess that when the speaker is the President of the United States and the “client” is the entire media-reading population of the United States, that may not be so easy.

So – what do you say here?  complainin’ or complaining?

The whole thing is worth reading, but here’s the money quote:

The researchers estimated that nearly 25 percent of the reports in the study contained a major error that could have affected understanding of the report or altered patient care.

[emphasis added]

25 percent?!  Yikes!

http://www.omnivoracious.com/2011/04/penguin-typewriters-are-here-to-remind-you-about-the-classics.html

The question asked by the interviewer of the claimant who is sitting before him:

Q.   Are you able to comb or brush your hair, sir?

And the incredible answer:

A.   I don’t have any hair.

Thanks to Dena for passing this one along – what a great invention this would be