(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

For a while now, I've noticed more trouble identifying speakers in audio files when they're female. Could unconscious sexism hinder my attention to vocal subtleties, even when I want to tell the difference? Is the problem typical for men? Do women typically have the opposite problem?

I might be completely off. Many of the audioconferences whose transcripts I edit involve more women than men, thus allowing more room for confusion. And for the one I'm hearing today, I'm having at least as much trouble with the male voices.

And on the subject of transcripts... how does anyone, human or machine, turn a casual "you know" into "you negotiation"?

Comments

It's a man, baby!

[akktri.livejournal.com]

It's not your fault, or any unconscious bias. I've worked at call centers for awhile, so I know that it's not normally hard to figure out who is a man and who is a woman. The problem arises from men with girly voices and women with horomone problems. On one account information file, someone typed a note saying OUR CUSTOMER IS A MAN.

Re: It's a man, baby!

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

You're talking about a different problem. I can usually identify the speaker's gender right away. It's telling one woman from another that gets tricky.

Identity crisis

[akktri.livejournal.com]

In that case, I know exactly what you feel. One time I put a guy on hold, went to the supervisor for help, came back, and started giving some stranger the information I was supposed to give the guy that hung up. They sounded exactly the same!