Proofing for Accuracy vs. Performance: Why Proofing Still Needs Human Ears

In audiobook production, the term proofing is often used as a catch-all. Something gets proofed, issues get fixed, and the audiobook moves forward.

But in reality, proofing serves two different purposes, and understanding the difference between them is helpful to producing great audiobooks.

In general, there are two types of proofing:

• Proofing for accuracy
• Proofing for performance

They work together, but they are not the same thing. They rely on different skills, answer different questions, and require different kinds of judgment. Importantly, even with powerful tools like Pozotron, both still require human input.

Proofing for Accuracy: Honoring the Text

Accuracy proofing is the most literal form of proofing. It focuses on whether the recorded audio matches the manuscript as written. This type of proofing exists to protect the integrity of the manuscript and ensure the audiobook faithfully represents the author’s words.

Accuracy proofing looks for things like:

• Missed, added, or substituted words
• Pronunciation issues or misreads
• Skipped lines or repeated phrases
• Unintentional long pauses or unwanted noises

These are objective issues. Either the word is there, or it isn’t. There’s no interpretation required to find these discrepancies.

However, finding them consistently over long recordings can be difficult. Listening to hours of audio while following along with a manuscript is mentally demanding, and fatigue is real. Even experienced proofers can miss small substitutions or repeated words after extended listening sessions.

This is where tools like Pozotron are extremely helpful. Pozotron compares audio and text methodically and without fatigue, flagging discrepancies so they don’t slip through unnoticed. It doesn’t assume meaning. It doesn’t “fill in” what it expects to hear. It simply highlights where the audio and text differ.

That reliability makes accuracy proofing faster, more consistent, and far less taxing for human listeners.

Proofing for Performance: Honoring the Story

Performance proofing lives in a completely different space. It’s not about whether the words match the page; it’s about whether the story lands the way it should.

Performance proofing listens for things that can’t be measured by text comparison:

• Character and/or accent consistency across chapters and sessions
• Emotional intention and subtext
• Pacing that supports the text

Performance proofing is about storytelling, not transcription. And this is where human ears are irreplaceable.

No tool can understand why a pause feels meaningful in one scene and distracting in another. No software can judge whether a character’s voice shifted in a way that breaks immersion.

Performance proofing requires context, experience, and an understanding of narrative flow. It’s about intention, not just execution.

Where Pozotron Fits

Pozotron is designed to do one thing exceptionally well: identify differences between audio and text. It does not evaluate acting choices, emotional delivery, or character intention, and it shouldn’t.

By handling the mechanical side of comparison, Pozotron allows human proofers to spend less time hunting for errors and more time actually listening. Instead of using all their energy to catch missed or repeated words, proofers can simply listen, focusing on performance and consistency. When a pickup is found, they can add it to Pozotron so it appears alongside the ones Pozotron found for easy recording.

In other words, Pozotron doesn’t reduce human involvement; it improves its quality.

Why Human Proofers Still Decide What Gets Fixed

One of the most valuable contributions a human proofer makes is discretion. Humans don’t just identify issues; they evaluate impact.

In practice, accuracy and performance proofing often happen together. A single flagged moment can sit at the intersection of both.

For example, a narrator might swap a small word that is technically incorrect, but the meaning remains unchanged. Pozotron will flag it, because that’s its job. But a human proofer might decide that fixing it would interrupt an emotional beat or draw attention to an otherwise seamless moment.

This is one of the most important things to understand about proofing tools:

A flag is not a mandate. It’s a point for review.

Not everything flagged needs to be fixed. The role of a human is to decide what serves the story best.

Human proofers listen for:

• Whether a discrepancy changes meaning
• Whether fixing it would disrupt the flow
• Whether a pickup would be audible or distracting
• Whether the performance choice was intentional

Sometimes that means allowing a technically incorrect word to stand because the recorded performance is stronger. Other times, it means flagging an issue that isn’t strictly a text error, but breaks character consistency.

Accuracy supports performance, but it should never flatten it.

Indie Authors and Performance Boundaries

This distinction in proofing is especially important when working with indie authors. In most indie audiobook workflows, performance decisions are addressed early, often through a 15-minute checkpoint or sample.

That checkpoint is where authors approve:

• Character voices
• Tone and pacing
• Accent choices
• Overall performance direction

Once that approval is given and the audiobook is recorded, the scope changes. Reviewing becomes about accuracy, not creative direction. After professional proofing, authors may flag missed mistakes, but they do not redirect performance choices.

This boundary protects the narrator’s artistic work and the production timeline. Clearly communicating this up front will manage everyone’s expectations.

Proofing is Part of the Process

Audiobook proofing isn’t a single task with a single goal. It’s a layered process that protects both the words and the story. Tools like Pozotron make accuracy proofing increasingly reliable and efficient, while human ears ensure performance remains authentic, intentional, and engaging.

One flags.

One decides.

Together, they create better audiobooks.

Want to see how our Proofing Tool can help in your audiobook workflow? Book a demo with us.