THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

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James Harbeck

Do you want to use a Germanic feature, or do you prefer using a Celtic one?

April 10, 2018 by James Harbeck | 1 Comment on Do you want to use a Germanic feature, or do you prefer using a Celtic one?

Learning other languages is fun. And to learn another language is to learn more about your own language — especially when it takes on the aspect of learning more about your family tree. You’ve probably had the experience of meeting new relatives or learning about ancestors and thinking, “Oh, that explains something.” Well, consider this: […]

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Brendan O’Brien

The Perils of Blabbing

April 3, 2018 by Brendan O'Brien | 6 Comments on The Perils of Blabbing

As a freelance editor, I’m lucky to work on some interesting books and journal material as well as dull and tedious stuff. I sometimes come across something that I would like to share, but resist the temptation, as publishers and authors naturally don’t like the contents of books, etc. to be disclosed before publication. I […]

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Anna Williams

Quick Topics: Books, Books, Books

March 27, 2018 by Anna Williams | 29 Comments on Quick Topics: Books, Books, Books

I love books. I love to read them, collect them, look at them, hold them, line them up on my shelves. In the old stories, mansions had conservatories, libraries and billiard rooms; I don’t need a mansion, but I do need a library. With a grand piano in the corner. It should also have a […]

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: Salvaging a Thesis

March 20, 2018 by Wilf Popoff | 18 Comments on Wasted Words: Salvaging a Thesis

In the past I refused students seeking a thesis editor — mainly for ethical reasons. The preamble to the Editors Canada “Guidelines for Ethical Editing of Theses / Dissertations” states: “In part, academia uses theses as a way of testing the ability of students, especially graduate students, to use written words for communicating ideas and […]

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Tracey Anderson

Why Do So Many Teachers Become Editors?

March 13, 2018 by Tracey Anderson | 2 Comments on Why Do So Many Teachers Become Editors?

Someone recently asked me that question at a networking event. As an editor who came to this profession via a teaching career, I’d pondered this before, and wondered if and how my experience as a teacher shapes my approach as an editor. The Connection My teaching approach centred around two key beliefs, which I still […]

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Marianne Grier

Learning Baby Talk

March 6, 2018 by Marianne Grier | Leave a Comment

As editors, we rely more than most on our communication skills. Whether we’re conversing with clients, sharing knowledge within the editing community or sculpting a client’s words to help them shine their brightest, our communication skills impact the success of our work and relationships. Nearly all the time, we use these skills in tandem with […]

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Standards Communication Task Force

PES in the Field: Raising (the Topic of) Our Standards

February 27, 2018 by Standards Communication Task Force | 3 Comments on PES in the Field: Raising (the Topic of) Our Standards

“I’m talking about making something less boring.” This was feedback from an Editors Canada member on a draft of the latest update to Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards (PES). The 2016 update was a year-long process that incorporated feedback and comments from many members. When a draft of the new text was circulated for final […]

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James Harbeck

Does Verbing Impact the Language?

February 20, 2018 by James Harbeck | 7 Comments on Does Verbing Impact the Language?

A favourite crank for language cranks to crank is the demon of verbing. It wrecks our language, they protest! They target such usages as impacted and referenced in business-speak and medalled in broadcasting. While liberal-minded linguists may see these words as just more of the odd flowers that bloom in the spring (and spring up […]

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Shalini Khan

“Broken” English

February 13, 2018 by Shalini Khan | 4 Comments on “Broken” English

Have you seen this meme? There is no such thing as American English. There is English and there are mistakes. First appearing on Twitter in June 2014, the original tweet was tongue-in-cheek, in keeping with the account’s satirical leaning. The words have since taken on a life of their own, and the resulting memes are shared […]

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Virginia Durksen

The Inner Editor: Please Allow Me To … Interrupt You

February 6, 2018 by Virginia Durksen | 12 Comments on The Inner Editor: Please Allow Me To … Interrupt You

On Facebook recently, a colleague reported being the victim of a phone hijacking. You might recognize the feeling. A potential client calls to ask about editing services and then spends the better part of an hour telling her story with barely a breath between sentences, leaving you with no room to speak. There it is. […]

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