• Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    I love the concept of voicemail transcription.

    Turning a voicemail into the text message it should have been in the first place.

  • I once had a fax machine dial the wrong number and leave those modem sounds as a message, that was then attempted to be transcribed. I spent like 10 minutes trying to figure out the text it sent before I listened to the message and started laughing my ass off.

    • watson387@sopuli.xyzOP
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      4 hours ago

      I remember the days of fax machines and dialup internet. I think there’s still a fax machine at work, though I don’t think it gets used very often.

  • WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
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    1 day ago

    My favorite incidents of bungled auto transcription:

    First, on a a voicemail, the caller said, “this is _____ over at Rice’s pharmacy.” The transcription read, “this is _____, overt racist pharmacy.”

    I mean, I suppose if the pharmacy is racist, at least they’re overt about it so people can avoid the place.

    Second, I have some lecture videos on YouTube, and in one course we used a text by Hibbeler. A few times in the video I will say something like, “this is problem so an so from the Hibbeler text.” The captions have me referring to “the Hitler text.”

    Apparently I was referencing Mein Kampf while teaching undergraduate mechanics, for some reason.

    • WuceBrillis@lemm.ee
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      1 day ago

      In Danish a tank is called Kampvogn (literally Fight Wagon) so i was trying to do a “Repairing Mein Kampvogn” joke but then i end up with a joke in 3 languages.

      • WoodScientist@sh.itjust.works
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        1 day ago

        I think “fight wagon” is probably a better descriptor than simply “tank.”

        Although, it’s funny in a way. At least in American English, we don’t really use the word “wagon” much anymore. And when we do, we’re usually referring to something like this:

        So the idea of one of those bristling with guns is quite humorous.

    • vibraniumdroid@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      Apparently I was referencing Mein Kampf while teaching undergraduate mechanics

      Well that’s certainly a sentence I never expected to hear