The Logic (and Quality) of Outsourcing

I once worked at a transcription house. No, not one of those medical transcribing places. This was one of those you hear about when you're watching TV. We transcribed TV shows and movies and things like that. Occasionally there was something non-entertainment related.

Okay, basically? Our product was the English language. We typed conversations and other audio that was spoken in English. So when the company I worked for decided to outsource... to another country... to another country where English was not exactly the number one language... to a country where American colloquialisms (slang) was/were not commonly known -- uh, because it was another country...

Here's an example of some of the work that started being produced after the outsourcing brilliancy. Red type is what the outsourced staff came up with; black type is what was actually said. (These are just partial phrases or a few words, but enough to get the idea of what this beloved country - I'm sorry - company thinks is a good idea.)

wants it = won't sit
one of them = one novel
would be depending = would opinion
her mind was good enough = her man was good enough
I just see it, of course, as a one-sided thing = I just see a voice as a one-sided thing

Now, the truth is, with the rapidity of which people under about the age of, say... 35, speak, no wonder these outsourced typists couldn't understand what was said the first time they listened to any dialogue. So I can "side" with them in that sense. Ah, "sense" being the key word - because most of the atrocious errors that were made - and allowed to be delivered to clients - just didn't make sense! The outsourcers didn't even try to make sense out of their transcribed work.

And that's the end of this story!