Editing Sample

Editing sample from an audio transcript

Simply having an audio version of an interview can leave a person with questions; the audio version itself might be confusing to the ear because the words weren't rehearsed or practiced ahead of time.

Skilled editing brings out the best from an interview. I strive to preserve the essence of a person's voice, yet bring clarity and organization to the final product.

Transcribed text from an audio tape:
The house had the kitchen extended out from the house on the back so that you left the dining room and you entered the kitchen but it did not run the complete width of the house. There was a window which faced north there. The kitchen was north of the dining room. What my father did was add a room in this area that was outside the house at that point. He took a window and converted to the door and that was the access to this room. This was built for me to move into. I was thrilled by that. It was really nice for a boy. It had windows on the west side which were most of the wall. On the north side there was a window up high to admit light but it was up high and you couldn’t look out of it. I had a single bed in there, a closet and under the clothes hanging area there were drawers for toys that I could put in. It was a very nice bedroom. With those big windows I could come look out and see the neighbors tree which nearly filled the viewing area out those windows. As a boy I would often go and see scary movies, either with my parents or in the kiddies’ matinees. Consequently, at night I often woke up and especially with the wind blowing the tree, I would imagine all kinds of scary things, shapes from the trees, especially gorillas because gorillas were popular in the movies at that time. I guess I enjoyed being scared a little bit that way and having these dreams of the shapes the trees took until going to sleep from it. I appreciated very much my father building this room for me. He built it all by himself by hand. I watched as he built it was amazed he could do such a thing.

Edited version:
My father was quite handy. He not only made tools, he added a room to our home just for me when I was perhaps three or four years old.

He converted a window into a doorway that opened into my new bedroom, built alongside the kitchen wall on the north side of the house. I appreciated very much my father building this room, by hand, all by himself. I watched as he built it, and was amazed he could do such a thing.

I felt thrilled with the room—it was very enjoyable, being specifically designed for a little boy. I had a single bed, and drawers for my toys were built under the clothes-hanging area of the closet. On the north side he placed a window up high to admit light, but you couldn’t look out of it. On the west side, windows occupied most of the wall. The neighbor’s tree nearly filled my view out those windows.

As a boy, I would often go and see scary movies, either with my parents or in the kiddies’ matinees. Then at night, when I woke up, especially when the wind was blowing through the tree, I would imagine all kinds of scary things in the shapes created by the leaves and branches. I especially imagined gorillas, because gorillas were popular in the movies at that time. I guess I enjoyed being scared a little bit that way.

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