Does it irk you when witnesses misspeak/mispronounce things?

[Kyung]

Just like when you see grammar mistakes on billboards, does it send a shudder down your spine when a witness misspeaks?

Does it bother you when they say the word just incorrectly enough that you know what they're trying to say but they've butchered the word? So then you have to spend the next couple of days debating shall I fix it or should I leave it as is?

Does it drive you insane when people use the wrong word? Do you immediately think that they're going to think the reporter got it wrong, instead of thinking, oh, the witness misspoke and the reporter wrote exactly what the witness said.

If you think these things, you are not alone.

[Cathryn Bauer]

No. Sometimes the pronunciation differences are completely legitimate, possibly due to regional differences or -- brace yourself -- I could be wrong!

I use [sic] sparingly, but it is helpful for those moments when I could be perceived as wrong but know I wasn't.

[Dana Serrano]

Well, if they misspoke you can always put (sic) in the transcript. Try professors who like to make up words. They do it all the time.

[Dana Serrano]

I think everyone is speaking faster and faster. I had a professor last semester, (I'm a CART provider) who spoke so fast his mouth was going before his brain could think. I would have paragraphs of false starts... and we're talking 6 words into a sentence and then change his mind and then 5, 6, or 7 more words and change his mind again and so on... I would have paragraphs of him doing that. My thought too was... SLOW down and think about what you want to say instead of just blabbering on. Oh, and the "you know," "like," "understand what I'm saying," "All right," and "Okay" with every sentence is horrendous. These are supposed to be professional, EDUCATED people teaching our younger generation. Amazing.

[Vesna Walter]

Drives me nuts!!