A speaker begins an answer, stops, and starts differently. Removing the first attempt can make the sentence smoother, but sometimes the change of direction is part of what the speaker is communicating.
Listen to the surrounding exchange before deciding. A repeated first syllable may be a simple production distraction. A shift from “we decided” to “I decided” can alter responsibility. Treating both as interchangeable cleanup risks changing the answer.
Compare two short versions
On a working copy, make one version retaining the restart and another with the proposed edit. Listen from the question through the end of the answer, not just across the cut. Ask whether either version changes certainty, emphasis or ownership of the statement.
Keep an edit note when the decision affects meaning. “Retained self-correction because the speaker changes who made the decision” is more informative than “sounds natural”.
If the intended meaning remains uncertain and the production allows clarification, ask the speaker. Do not construct a more confident answer from fragments simply because it makes a cleaner story.
The goal is not to preserve every hesitation or remove all of them. It is to make an intelligible piece that remains faithful to the exchange. A small verbal stumble may be disposable; a visible change of thought may be the most important moment in the answer.