His or Hoar

I record books for the blind and dyslexic about once a month. I do it because I think it is an important and necessary program, but I also greatly enjoy the icing on the cake. Which is being able to play back a recording of myself laughing. I find it hysterical to listen to myself laugh.

I often laugh during the shift because I either a) grossly mispronounce words, b) misread a word altogether, or c) catch myself slurring words together. For instance, New York. When I read the words “New York” in the middle of a sentence, it often sounds like “NYork.” Much like “Gnocchi.”

I also have a tendency to turn “his or her” into “his or hoar”…woopsie.

Recording books is always an adventure filled with Scottish, Hebrew, or Irish names…words such as “ombudsman” or “rural” (I cannot pronounce the word “rural” correctly to save my life.)….cringeworthy moments when my western NY accent comes alive…

Even with all of this craziness going on, I know that the end user will appreciate having the book to listen to. And that makes me happy.