quoting bad speakers

[jakewriter82]

So I just met the new softball coach here in town...and she's a nice woman. She's easy to talk to and answered all my questions I had for her.
She does however, have no sense of grammar. I have her on tape and if I quoted her exactly how she spoke to me she'd sound like a total idiot.

She did give me a few quotes that were grammatically correct, but most of what she said was not.
Her meaning was clear in her quotes, it was just how she said it that was ugly.

How do you go about quoting people who can't speak well without making them sound like fools?
Should I just paraphrase a lot? When is it OK to change a quote that has poor grammar?

 

[villageidiot]

If she's a high school softball coach, and she's teaching high school students, quote her exactly to show how our tax dollars are spent to "educate" America's youth.

 

[Bullwinkle]

If she's a high school softball coach, and she's teaching high school students, quote her exactly to show how our tax dollars are spent to "educate" America's youth.

And when it turns out she teaches algebra ...

 

[villageidiot]

Then she graduated from college and should by now know how to sting together a sentence.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Then she graduated from college and should by now know how to sting together a sentence.

Even if she was a student-athlete at Auburn?

 

[Mighty_Wingman]

Zing!

 

[STLIrish]

Some people are just lousy quotes, which is too bad because they often have interesting things to say. But most stories use too many quotes anyway.
So just paraphrase your little heart out, when you need a direct quote clean up the minor stuff -- the ums, ers and likes, no need to embarrass her -- and elipse and elide as necessary, and remember this little maxim of an old editor of mine: "I only quote someone when they can say it better than I can say it for them, which isn't often."

 

[Taylee]

I correct grammar in quotes (and copy) all the time. Very few people speak in a way fit for print. I see no harm, especially in a one-on-one interview.
You're not changing context.

 

[Riddick]

very well said Taylee. Plus, you might also score some points with the coach for cleaning it up. A lot of times people realize how badly they screwed up in an interview.

 

[Taylee]

very well said Taylee. Plus, you might also score some points with the coach for cleaning it up. A lot of times people realize how badly they screwed up in an interview.

Thanks.
I've had more than one coach ask, "Can you clean this up so I don't sound like an idiot."
I'm sure most other writers have heard a similar plea.

 

[alleyallen]

very well said Taylee. Plus, you might also score some points with the coach for cleaning it up. A lot of times people realize how badly they screwed up in an interview.

Thanks.
I've had more than one coach ask, "Can you clean this up so I don't sound like an idiot."
I'm sure most other writers have heard a similar plea.

Which is also a sign that you're developing a good working relationship with the coach. I always smiled when told that because it meant my job was a LOT easier.

 

[jakewriter82]

If she's a high school softball coach, and she's teaching high school students, quote her exactly to show how our tax dollars are spent to "educate" America's youth.

Well sorry to burst your bubble, but she's not a teacher....:-( although I've talked to some dip**** teachers here, too.
It's interesting in that the assistants, at least at the first practice, were running the practice more than her. She was just sortof "there."
She's the head coach, though, so I'm going to quote her, although one of the assistants is a quote machine so I'll probably talk to him, too.

 

[Big Buckin' agate_monkey]

very well said Taylee. Plus, you might also score some points with the coach for cleaning it up. A lot of times people realize how badly they screwed up in an interview.

Thanks.
I've had more than one coach ask, "Can you clean this up so I don't sound like an idiot."
I'm sure most other writers have heard a similar plea.

Which is also a sign that you're developing a good working relationship with the coach. I always smiled when told that because it meant my job was a LOT easier.

I've had coaches say after a quote, "Say that however you want to without making me sound like an idiot." ... I usually tell them they did fine.

 

[SF_Express]

You know, we've had this discussion a few times here, and most of us clean up quotes except when doing local "color."

Interestingly, though, the AP is very explicit about this: No cleaning up quotes, ever: "If a statement is enclosed in quotation marks, it must be exactly what the speaker said. ... Grammatical and other errors are the speaker's problem, not yours."

Right. Like AP never cleans up a quote from an athlete.

 

[cranberry]

You know, we've had this discussion a few times here, and most of us clean up quotes except when doing local "color."

Interestingly, though, the AP is very explicit about this: No cleaning up quotes, ever: "If a statement is enclosed in quotation marks, it must be exactly what the speaker said. ... Grammatical and other errors are the speaker's problem, not yours."

Right. Like AP never cleans up a quote from an athlete.

I think there are cases when quotes should be cleaned up. The example that comes to mind would be athletes whose first language isn't English but who nonetheless try to accomodate reporters in English. My rule of thumb is that you shouldn't make someone look dumb in their second or third language.

 

[buckweaver]

You know, we've had this discussion a few times here, and most of us clean up quotes except when doing local "color."

Interestingly, though, the AP is very explicit about this: No cleaning up quotes, ever.

I find, too, that most of us clean up quotes a little.

AP reporters are usually working with higher-priority sources who have a better understanding of (and often a more adversarial relationship with) the media, whereas the rest of us have to foster working relationships with regular citizens in our communities. It's just good business to understand your audience, and I think adhering to a strict "quote people how they speak" policy is not good business, in some cases.

Then again, it's a case of "know the rules so you know when to break the rules" on our part. There's a line here, and you've got to know when it's appropriate to cross it and when it's not.

 

[Gold]

I would say clean up the quotes, because when people talk they might just say things to get to the point quickly. If it was the superintendent of schools, that might be another matter.

 

[Bullwinkle]

"I thought we, you know, came out with a lot of, well, you know, intensity tonight ... you know, it would have been easy for us to, you know, just let them keep dominating us like they were. But I just felt that, you know, we responded rather, you know ... nicely."

 

[SF_Express]

"I thought we, you know, came out with a lot of, well, you know, intensity tonight ... you know, it would have been easy for us to, you know, just let them keep dominating us like they were. But I just felt that, you know, we responded rather, you know ... nicely."

Exactly...we all clean 'em up, and if you don't change meaning or intent or whatever, I've never been too concerned about it.

I always hear the Larry Bird example. If he had been quoted like he really talked, you'd never get through a quote.

 

[imjustagirl2]

Have fun, Minnesota men's basketball writers!