[DTB-Talk] Bard censoring certain material?

[Greg Kearney]

We covered all this last week. It turned out to be a commercial audiobook from a religious publisher. That publisher removed a particular word from their recording in keeping with their editorial practices. The NLS then got their recording from that publisher. This was not a case of the NLS censoring books as was originally suggested. 

Greg 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Aug 1, 2019, at 7:50 PM, danjhicks--- via DTB-Talk <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I have never seen a censored book from NLS.  Chris, can you give us examples
> of titles or book numbers?
> 
> Dan Hicks
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DTB-Talk <dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Andrews, David B
> (DEED) via DTB-Talk
> Sent: Friday, July 26, 2019 2:26 PM
> To: Discussion of Digital Talking Books <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Andrews, David B (DEED) <david.b.andrews at state.mn.us>
> Subject: Re: [DTB-Talk] Bard censoring certain material?
> 
> You should take this up with NLS, I don't think anyone here is going to
> know. 
> 
> In the past they did not sensor books.
> 
> Dave
> 
> 
> 
> David Andrews | Chief Technology Officer Minnesota Department of Employment
> and Economic Development State Services for the Blind
> 2200 University Ave West, Suite 240, St. Paul MN 55114
> Direct: 651-539-2294
> Web | Twitter | Facebook
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: DTB-Talk [mailto:dtb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Christopher
> Gilland via DTB-Talk
> Sent: Friday, July 26, 2019 1:06 PM
> To: dtb-talk at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Christopher Gilland <clgilland07 at gmail.com>
> Subject: [DTB-Talk] Bard sensoring certain material?
> 
> OK, I just made a discovery today which does not at all make me the
> slightest bit happy.
> 
> I'm not one for swearing, however, neither am I one for sensorship.
> 
> I was listening to a book which I'd downloaded from Bard, come to think of
> it, this was the 2nd title I've noticed this. I'm only quoting here from a
> book, so please do not ban me for a simple quotation, and not that of my own
> remark, but one line in the book said, "by the look on her face, you would
> have thought she didn't give a shit." What you actually heard however in the
> downloaded Bard recording was, she didn't give a... bee'eep. The only way I
> know they said the word s h i t is because it's a commurcial audio book,
> and, it just so happens that I downloaded the original mainstream recording
> from Audible, as I was very curious if they actually bleeped the word in the
> mainstream recording. 
> I've found most audio books Bard or not, if there is a swear word,
> regardless cultural beliefs etc, the narrator *has* to say it. If you're a
> pro narrator, from what I understand, you have to put emotions and things
> like that aside in order for the recording to past quality control
> screening. Anyway, on the actual Audible version, same narrator, same
> recording, etc, it was not bleeped out. I could make out the word clear as
> night and day.
> 
> This led me to check the other book to see if the book did the same thing. I
> downloaded the Bard book again to my shelf, went to the chapter in question,
> and listened through Bard. The line was, and no, even quoting, I'm not gonna
> repeat this word as it's way more offensive to many than the sh word, but
> basically, the line was, it was f**king crazy.
> 
> The narrator on the Bard version said, effing crazy. When I listened to the
> version on Audible, and even checked the actual print text through a scanned
> copy on Bookshare, the actual F word was there. Again, I ab, suh, lootly! do
> not condone that type language, however, that said, come on! It's a book for
> Pete sake!
> 
> Why're Bard narrators all of a sudden unlike before being coached evidently
> to not just read what is on the page? Both these books were fairly newer
> titles. Bard didn't seem to used to do this.
> 
> What changed?
> 
> Chris.
> 
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