Proof reading: What do you do when you find a clear misprint?

graycyn · 07-17-2011, 08:16 PM

Dilemma: I've scanned, for personal use, a rare paperback (40-50 year old title) from my childhood. In the process of proofreading it and creating an epub book for my reader, I found a clear misprint.

My norm is to leave words as written by the author, including less common spellings, punctuation, all that. I change nothing.

But this is clearly a print error. There is a three sentence paragraph and the second sentence is not capitalized and is obviously incomplete.

Unfortunately, a hardcover copy, (which may or may not have the same misprint), might run $100, if found. So I'm not likely to get a chance at ever seeing what the author actually wrote.

While I'm making the epub for personal use, I may still share with my immediate family and I'd prefer no one else to have the annoying misprint encounter. So I'm thinking about completing the sentence. It would take five words to make it make sense again. And I thought I could use a linked endnote for the chapter to explain the change and also present the words "as printed".

Is this a reasonable solution or is it better to do the exact opposite, i.e. leave the misprint in place and use a note to explain what I think the missing words might have been?

Just curious how other book scanners handle things like this!

Toxaris · 07-18-2011, 06:58 AM

It happens sometimes. If I work on a translated book, I try to get my hands on the original. I had that last time, so I translated the missing sentence myself.
Currently I also have a book where a complete chapter was not translated. That is in process of being translated also.

When there is no original available and no option for me to figure out what there was orginally, I leave it in and make a note of it. If I ever find another edition in a second-hand bookshop or library I will check it out.

Jellby · 07-18-2011, 01:56 PM

I just correct it, especially if it's a book for myself. If I wanted to somehow keep track of the changes, I would either introduce an HTML comment, or use some markup with "display: none" or similar.

Just a few days ago I found a sentence that didn't make sense in an ebook I was reading. The printed book had the same sentence. I couldn't check the Swedish original, but I found an English translation which had something that did make sense. I corrected my version (it all came down to adding a "no" somewhere).

DSpider · 07-19-2011, 07:31 AM

Depends. Do you plan to use it with text-to-speech software in the future ? Even if YOU don't, maybe 10 years from now someone from your family will want to convert the e-book to an audio format and listen to it in their car, at the beach, during a flight, etc. You never know.

So it's pretty important that the words make sense. My opinion is that misspelled words should be rectified, except if it's an intentionally misspelled word by the author (ie. if it's poetry, something said by an illiterate character, small children trying to speak, etc). Heck, I've even corrected words that sounds the same but mean totally different things. Because translators sometimes make mistakes. They're human too, you know... So I simply correct those with the correct meaning, for which sometimes I don't even have to check the original, it's that obvious it was mistranslated.

My advice is to go for it. Rectify the misprint. If you really care about comparing your copy against another, you could also try the largest public library in your city. But go through their online catalogue first to see if they have it.

graycyn · 07-20-2011, 01:13 PM

I think I am going to correct the misprint and make a linked endnote of it at the end of the chapter.

I just find that misprints like this can drive one nuts while reading. I wouldn't actually expect that the author would've used much different words than I did given the context.

There are libraries that have the book in nearby states according to the WorldCat, but the drives are long enough that it would involve not only gas cost, but a hotel stay, so not really cheaper than paying for a hardcopy. I'm in the boonies.

Thanks for the advice, all! I just wondered what other folks did, and I now feel better about my solution.

07-17-2011, 08:16 PM	#1
graycyn Wizard Posts: 1,585 Karma: 11380098 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NE Oregon Device: Kobo Sage, Pocketbook Era, Kobo Forma, Kindle Oasis 2	Proof reading: What do you do when you find a clear misprint? Dilemma: I've scanned, for personal use, a rare paperback (40-50 year old title) from my childhood. In the process of proofreading it and creating an epub book for my reader, I found a clear misprint. My norm is to leave words as written by the author, including less common spellings, punctuation, all that. I change nothing. But this is clearly a print error. There is a three sentence paragraph and the second sentence is not capitalized and is obviously incomplete. Unfortunately, a hardcover copy, (which may or may not have the same misprint), might run $100, if found. So I'm not likely to get a chance at ever seeing what the author actually wrote. While I'm making the epub for personal use, I may still share with my immediate family and I'd prefer no one else to have the annoying misprint encounter. So I'm thinking about completing the sentence. It would take five words to make it make sense again. And I thought I could use a linked endnote for the chapter to explain the change and also present the words "as printed". Is this a reasonable solution or is it better to do the exact opposite, i.e. leave the misprint in place and use a note to explain what I think the missing words might have been? Just curious how other book scanners handle things like this!

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07-18-2011, 06:58 AM	#2
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	It happens sometimes. If I work on a translated book, I try to get my hands on the original. I had that last time, so I translated the missing sentence myself. Currently I also have a book where a complete chapter was not translated. That is in process of being translated also. When there is no original available and no option for me to figure out what there was orginally, I leave it in and make a note of it. If I ever find another edition in a second-hand bookshop or library I will check it out.

07-18-2011, 01:56 PM	#3
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,546 Karma: 19001583 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	I just correct it, especially if it's a book for myself. If I wanted to somehow keep track of the changes, I would either introduce an HTML comment, or use some markup with "display: none" or similar. Just a few days ago I found a sentence that didn't make sense in an ebook I was reading. The printed book had the same sentence. I couldn't check the Swedish original, but I found an English translation which had something that did make sense. I corrected my version (it all came down to adding a "no" somewhere).

07-19-2011, 07:31 AM	#4
DSpider Evangelist Posts: 450 Karma: 343115 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Romania Device: PW2 2014	Depends. Do you plan to use it with text-to-speech software in the future ? Even if YOU don't, maybe 10 years from now someone from your family will want to convert the e-book to an audio format and listen to it in their car, at the beach, during a flight, etc. You never know. So it's pretty important that the words make sense. My opinion is that misspelled words should be rectified, except if it's an intentionally misspelled word by the author (ie. if it's poetry, something said by an illiterate character, small children trying to speak, etc). Heck, I've even corrected words that sounds the same but mean totally different things. Because translators sometimes make mistakes. They're human too, you know... So I simply correct those with the correct meaning, for which sometimes I don't even have to check the original, it's that obvious it was mistranslated. My advice is to go for it. Rectify the misprint. If you really care about comparing your copy against another, you could also try the largest public library in your city. But go through their online catalogue first to see if they have it.

07-20-2011, 01:13 PM	#5
graycyn Wizard Posts: 1,585 Karma: 11380098 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NE Oregon Device: Kobo Sage, Pocketbook Era, Kobo Forma, Kindle Oasis 2	I think I am going to correct the misprint and make a linked endnote of it at the end of the chapter. I just find that misprints like this can drive one nuts while reading. I wouldn't actually expect that the author would've used much different words than I did given the context. There are libraries that have the book in nearby states according to the WorldCat, but the drives are long enough that it would involve not only gas cost, but a hotel stay, so not really cheaper than paying for a hardcopy. I'm in the boonies. Thanks for the advice, all! I just wondered what other folks did, and I now feel better about my solution.

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