Mistranscriptions

Missed rant, cribbed ones?

Still busy with the Journal issue, fixing a couple hours’ worth of interview text. My transcription app doesn’t seem comfortable with the word “ambigram” and keeps trying to change it to “ambergris,” “hamper Graham” or (my favorite) “mammogram.”

Janice suggested I turn transcription bloopers like this into an essay here, which is a great idea, but I’m a little too busy to do a good job with it. So I’ll instead direct you to the work of Cassandra Willyard, who took the time to gather a fun collection of real-life examples.

Next: What can you do with a word like sailor?