Does anyone know why the record of the call...

[LAS14]

... used such complicated methods (computer voice recognition, transcribers and regional expert) instead of a recording? How common is this throughout government? Does anyone know?

tia
las

[MineralMan]

1. Probably because it had multiple languages on it.

Ukrainian is related to Russian, but has many differences. Further, translation of voice communications can be difficult and often requires more than one person to handle. An accurate transcription often involves discussions between two speakers of the language to determine the words actually used.

Computer voice recognition can help, but only partially. Odds are that there was an actual recording, which was what the people preparing the transcript or summary were using.

In addition, there were translators translating both English and Ukrainian to convey what was being said in real time for the principals on the call. It all makes for a very difficult recording to break down.

How do I know this? I was a trained Russian linguist in the USAF. Coming up with accurate transcriptions and translations from voice communications is always a difficult thing. More than that, I can't discuss.

[PJMcK]

2. You're always fascinating, MineralMan (n/t)

[MineralMan]

3. Not really. I've done a lot of different things during my life, though.

I'm not happy doing the same thing for long periods of time, so I have tended to make significant changes in how I earn a living every 8-12 years. The only common denominator is that I have been a freelance writer since 1974. But, I've also done many other things as side hustles.

My time in the USAF was very interesting. I enlisted because I had dropped out of college as one of those life changes, and found myself high on the draft list, so I arranged with a USAF recruiter to enlist immediately if I got a draft notice. That happened. During Basic Training, I found myself, one day, taking a language aptitude test. Oddly enough, it was a test that I had studied in a course on testing in the Psychology Department at my college. It was an interesting test, because it involved a made-up language to see how quickly those tested could learn a basic vocabulary and grammar.

So, since I had studied that test before, I did rather well on it that day, and found myself shipped off to a total immersion Russian language school at Syracuse University, in a class made up of other college dropouts and general misfits. I did very well in that 9-month course, and soon after it, found myself at a tiny USAF base on the Black Sea in Turkey, doing things I can't talk about. There, I developed some unusual skills and abilities, which resulted me finishing my enlistment by working in the NSA, which I also can't talk about.

After the USAF, I moved on to other things, returned to college, and ended up being a moderately successful freelance writer. A few years ago, one of my contracts was writing the content for a large website for an international translation company. What I had learned so many years ago came back into play. It's an odd, odd world, which makes for many interesting experiences if you're not locked into anything in particular.

[uponit7771]

6. +1

[PJMcK]

9. Well, I stand by my previous post

Just guessing from what I think I know about you, were you stationed in Turkey in the early 1960s? That must have been a very interesting posting, especially at that time. Personally, I love Turkish food and the people and country are wonderful... except for Erdogan and his thugs. One of my longest friendships is with a woman from Turkey and she is heartbroken by the direction her country has taken, as am I with the U.S.

Like you, I've found life to have lots of funny recurring themes and my work has bounced me around the entertainment industry, mostly through music. Connections from years ago can pop out of seemingly nowhere and provide new opportunities. If I do any one thing for too long, it gets very dull and repetitive. Generally, I'm pretty well focused but maybe I have something like long-term ADHD!

I came of age during the late 1960s and early '70s and by the time I reached maturity, the draft and registration were over. In spite of the Cold War, those years were relatively "peaceful" and it never occurred to me to serve in the military or the government. In retrospect, perhaps I missed something important.

Maybe our country, should we have a recovery after Trump and his Republicans, could consider some type of national service such as that in Israel and some other countries. Simply, I often feel that too many Americans really don't have a vested interest in our country and some sort of required contribution of time and talent could instill that true kind of nationalism that we seem to be in short supply of.

Anyway, your posts are always intelligent and worth the time to read and digest. Thanks.

[LAS14]

4. Thanks much!! nt

[StarfishSaver]

5. Wow. What haven't you done?

You should change your handle to "Renaissance Man."

[MineralMan]

7. I haven't done a lot of things I wished I could have done.

Life's too short, it seems. I'm still writing, though. As long as my brain and my fingers work, I can do that. But, I'm no longer looking for new things to do. I get enough variety, really, by writing entire business websites for companies that do a wide variety of things. When I'm not doing that, I'm posting on a wide range of discussion forums, with DU being one of my favorites.

If I had another lifetime to fill, I'd probably go to medical school, one of the things I thought about doing but didn't do. Who knows where that would lead? But, I don't, so, it is what it is.

[Garrett78]

8. That's the way it's been done ever since the Nixon tapes.

3 people transcribe, they compare notes to come up with a consensus transcript, and there's also voice recognition software used.

We saw a partial memo. We haven't seen the transcript, but it exists...or at least it did at one point. Who knows how much those criminals have destroyed.