[DTB-Talk] Bard censoring certain material?

[Hyde, David W. (ESC)]

I would suggest you contact Judy Dixon at NLS. As a co-chair of the NFB Library Services Committee, I would be interested in the response you get. Editing books has not been a past practice of NLS. 

-----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 1:26 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
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-----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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