How Faithful To The Text Are We?

[FractalPariah]

I was wondering, as I did my recent read of The Chivers Light, do we 100% re-record any misspoken phrases so that what is recorded perfectly matches the text? I'm not suggesting that I am about to go artistic-license rewriting entire works, more the type of slip up I'm referring to could include things like "what you are" being contracted to something not phonetically far from "what'cher" despite not being a contraction in the text. Larger examples from my reading of Chivers Light I noticed were times that instead of reading "he thought his father" I would speak "he had thought his father" I'm not sure if any of these little errors made their way into the final recording that I uploaded, I think it's likely that I didn't catch myself making such an error every time.

My question is, does this kind of error really matter? How concerned should I be about making it? Is it better to stop myself and reread the paragraph any time I make such an error?

[annise]

If you know you've made a mistake, pause or click or whatever works for you, then repeat the phrase rather than the word - it sounds better. The pause is to make cutting the error out easier.
In general PLers are asked only to draw attention to "wrong" wording if it changes the meaning.

Anne

[TriciaG]

We try to be faithful to the text, but realize that we're all human and that mistakes happen.

We don't require word-perfect reading. Most of our proof-listeners don't (and aren't required to) follow along with the text while checking, so a misspoken word here and there wouldn't get noticed.

That said, we do have a policy of reading the text as written, so we must leave in any words that used to be okay but now are offensive, and things like that. So, no intentionally modifying the text.

Contracting something like "what you are" to "whatchewer" is more about individual speaking style and regional differences than about being faithful to the text, I think. Try to speak clearly, but don't speak so clearly that you sound like a robot. It's a balancing act!

Our aim is to recreate that old-fashioned evening, sitting around the fire, taking turns reading to each other. The reading doesn't have to be perfect, but readers should intend to read the text as written. And it is definitely more pleasant to listen when it's read naturally.

[FractalPariah]

Thanks, you both have really cleared this up for me. I forgot that we have everything proof listened to anyway so that makes me less nervous about my occasional unconscious modifying of a phrase.