History Main / OverlyLiteralTranscription

[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bojack_horseman_4.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:Mister Peanutbutter hires a very LiteralMinded sign maker [[SelfDemonstratingArticle and put the image and caption on the right.]]]]
%% Image source: https://whatculture.com/tv/12-small-details-you-only-notice-rewatching-bojack-horseman?page=9

* In ''Literature/AuntieMame'', Mama hires Agnes to transcribe her thoughts for her book. Agnes does it so well she even transcribes people asking Agnes why she's writing so fast.

* ''Series/AlasSmithAndJones'' had a sketch were a criminal is cautioned that "anything he may say will be taken down and may be used in a court of law". the criminal then starts saying (deadpan) "What are you doing, officer? Please stop hitting me. Ow. Ow" as the police officer dutifully writes it all down, looking increasingly worried as the monologue goes on.

-->'''Soos:''' I've got a story. It's called, "Soos's Really Great Pinball Story!" *beat* Is that a good title? Do they have to be, like, puns or whatever?\\

** Blog ''Cake Wrecks'' showcases examples where this joke [[TruthInTelevision isn't so far from the truth]], including one that says "Congrats Susan Under Neat That We Will Miss You." Yes, they not only included the "underneath that" instruction in the actual cake, but ''misspelled it''. Others are writing words like "In Blue" or "With Sprinkles" instead of just following the instruction.
** Similar problems were encountered when European nations first started to import porcelain from China (before they could create it themselves). The Chinese workmen, unable to read English, would reproduce the designs they were given complete with any explanatory notes such as "This part in red".

* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': In "Biggles Dictates a Letter," Biggles tries to get his secretary to not take his dictation when he is wearing a pair of antlers, but as onem ight expect, things quickly spiral out of control.

* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'': In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdCQwigh6H8 "Biggles Dictates a Letter"]] Biggles tries to get his secretary to not take his dictation when he is wearing a pair of antlers, but she ends up taking or not the dictation in the opposite direction.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bojack_horseman_4.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Mister Peanutbutter hires a very LiteralMinded sign maker [[SelfDemonstratingArticle and put the image and caption on the right.]]]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': A RunningGag throughout the series, whenever someone wants to get something printed, [[AcquiredErrorAtThePrinter their instructions will inevitably get printed along with it]]. A small sample:

[[caption-width-right:350:Mister Peanutbutter meets a very LiteralMinded sign maker [[SelfDemonstratingArticle and put the image and caption on the right.]]]]

Compare RepeatAfterMe, LiteralMinded, RealisticDictionIsUnrealistic.

* ''WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman'': This seems to happen to Mr. Peanutbutter all the time; whenever he and Diane try to get a sign printed, [[AcquiredErrorAtThePrinter they print both what they want the sign to say and their instructions]], resulting in signs like "'''Happy Birthday Diane and Use a Pretty Font'''"

* ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'': Every child is named by the Chief Elder in a ceremony, which is transcribed by a bureaucrat who just blithely writes it down. This is why Baby Sinclair's name is briefly [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6LC0ZB4ja4 "Aaugh Aaugh I'm Dying You Idiot."]] Fran mentions that she had a cousin named "Achoo" and a classmate named "Burp Excuse Me Siegelman".

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

-->'''Taggart:''' (''dictating'') Send a wire to the main office and tell them I said... (''Bart hits him over the head'') Ow! (''Falls unconscious'').
-->'''Lyle:''' Send wire, main office, tell them I said, "Ow". Gotcha.

-->'''Brother Maynard:''' Well, that's what it says.
-->'''King Arthur:''' Look, if he was dying, he wouldn't have bothered to carve 'Aaaauuuggghhhh'. He'd just say it.
-->'''Sir Galahad:''' Maybe he was dictating it.
-->'''King Arthur:''' Oh, shut up!

-->'''Jamison:''' Now, uh... you said a lot of things here that I didn't think were important, so I just omitted them.
-->'''Capt. Spaulding:''' So, you just omitted them, eh? You just omitted the body of the letter, that's all. You've just left out the body of the letter, that's all. Yours is not to reason why, Jamison. You've left out the body of the letter.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]

* ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'': Every child is named by the Chief Elder in a ceremony, which is transcribed by a bureaucrat who just blithely writes it down. This is why Baby Sinclair's name is briefly [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6LC0ZB4ja4 "Aaugh Aaugh I'm Dying You Idiot."]] Fran mentions that she had a cousin named "Achoo" and a classmate named "Burp Excuse Me Siegelman".

-->'''Icing:''' ''"Congratulations." Got that? No, not "Congratulations. Got that?" Just "Congratulations." No, I don't want you to write "Congratulations. Got that? [[OverlyLongGag "No, not 'Congratulations. Got that?' Just 'Congratulations.]]" What do I do here? He doesn't know English. He's just transcribing phonetically. Well, what language does he speak? You hired him. That's why, if it was up to me, I'd fire half the staff. No, don't put that on the cake."''


[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

-->'''Soos''': I've got a story. It's called, "Soos's Really Great Pinball Story!" *beat* Is that a good title? Do they have to be, like, puns or whatever?
-->''[Cut to title card reading: "SOOS' REALLY GREAT PINBALL STORY! Is That A Good Title? Do They Have To Be, Like, Puns Or Whatever?"]''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "Lisa's Sax", as Homer dictates a dedication for Lisa's saxophone, he tells the clerk to write "To Lisa, never forget your Daddy loves-", when he drops the sax on his feet and says "D'oh!", which is transcribed as "To Lisa, never forget your Daddy loves D'OH!" In the end of the episode, Lisa gets a new sax with the dedication "To Lisa, may your new saxophone bring you years of D'OH!"

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': In "Bottomless Pit!" has the characters taking turns telling stories, with appropriate title cards popping up when the characters announce the title for their mini story. When it's Soos' turn, the unnamed narrator does this.

* ''Series/{{Dinosaurs}}'': Every child is named by the Chief Elder in a ceremony, which is transcribed by a bureaucrat who just blithely writes it down. This is why Baby's name is briefly [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6LC0ZB4ja4 "Aaugh Aaugh I'm Dying You Idiot."]] Fran mentions that she had a cousin named "Achoo" and a classmate named "Burp excuse me."

In fiction, one character will dictate something to be written to another. However, something silly might happen, making the first say something not meant to written, which the second will obliviously write.

* ''Series/AlasSmithAndJones'' had a sketch were a criminal is cautioned that "anything he may say will be taken down and may be used in a court of law". the criminal then starts saying (deadpan) "What are you going, officer? Please stop hitting me. Ow. Ow" as the police officer dutifully writes it all down, looking increasingly worried as the monologue goes on.