THE EDITORS' WEEKLY

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Katharine O'Moore-Klopf

How to Become a Medical Editor

May 3, 2016 by Katharine O'Moore-Klopf | 17 Comments on How to Become a Medical Editor

As a medical editor, I think I have the best job in the world. While I’m getting paid to edit medical manuscripts, I get to keep up with the latest research findings and treatment practices. There is a lot of this kind of work if you know where to look. Although there is no single […]

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Dominique Fortier

Adresser

April 26, 2016 by Dominique Fortier | Leave a Comment

Le verbe adresser, en français, signifie « envoyer » (on adresse une lettre à quelqu’un) ou « émettre des paroles » (on adresse des critiques, des compliments, la parole à quelqu’un). Adresser signifie aussi « diriger quelqu’un vers la personne qui convient » (on adresse un malade à un spécialiste). L’expression pronominale s’adresser à quelqu’un signifie, pour sa part, « parler à […]

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Paul Cipywnyk

Basic Tools for Productive Editing

April 19, 2016 by Paul Cipywnyk | 1 Comment on Basic Tools for Productive Editing

Your computer set-up can determine whether you have a smooth editing experience or suffer headache after IT-related headache, so let’s look at some of the tools that help editors succeed. Hardware Buy a computer with lots of memory (RAM), a minimum of 8 GB and preferably 16 GB. Having lots of memory enables you to keep many […]

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Wilf Popoff

Wasted Words: Quarrelling With Pronouns

April 12, 2016 by Wilf Popoff | 8 Comments on Wasted Words: Quarrelling With Pronouns

Around the time the Great Flood started to recede I was taught to write, “Everyone must remove his shoes.” Funny how boys aren’t bothered by such preferential usage of male gender pronouns. Back then feminism was a feature of the French Revolution and the current usage of politically correct had yet to surface. Mostly the […]

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Greg Ioannou

Crowdfunding for Writers and Editors

April 5, 2016 by Greg Ioannou | 6 Comments on Crowdfunding for Writers and Editors

In 2011, I switched Iguana Books from a quasi-traditional publishing model to a hybrid model: the author (or someone who wasn’t me) paid the costs of publication, and we put out professional-quality books that were distributed worldwide as e-books and print-on-demand paperbacks. It sort of worked, but there were problems: lots of people couldn’t afford […]

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Christian Bergeron

Quand les noms perdent leur latin

March 29, 2016 by Christian Bergeron | Leave a Comment

Stégosaure, tricératops et vélociraptor : ces noms vous disent sûrement quelque chose. Si vous êtes moindrement curieux ou si, comme moi, vous avez des enfants qui ont grandi à l’époque de la fièvre du Parc jurassique, je suis sûr que vous avez des images de dinosaures dans la tête. Mais si je vous dis Brachychampsa, que […]

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Dwain Richardson

English Editing in Quebec: Avoiding Wordiness

March 22, 2016 by Dwain Richardson | 2 Comments on English Editing in Quebec: Avoiding Wordiness

Plain language communicates written messages clearly and concisely. This is true whether you’re editing stand-alone English copy or translating from other languages. In my experience as an editor and translator, I have had to work with a number of stiff and wordy texts. I usually start by asking, “What needs to be improved?” Should I focus on […]

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Rosemary Shipton

How to Become an Editor

March 15, 2016 by Rosemary Shipton | 11 Comments on How to Become an Editor

Years ago, we all became editors through a kind of apprentice system. Once you had the ticket — a university degree — you were hired by a publisher or a communications department. There, a senior person on staff whipped you into shape as you did your work, followed a manual and absorbed the atmosphere. No […]

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Sue Archer

Should You Only “Edit What You Know”?

March 8, 2016 by Sue Archer | 3 Comments on Should You Only “Edit What You Know”?

Writers are often told to “write what they know.” But what about editors? Should we only take on projects that are squarely in our comfort zones? When I asked this question online, I found that many of my editing colleagues endorse the idea of editing in new areas. It’s a fantastic way to develop your […]

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James Harbeck

More Honoured in the Breach or the Observance?

March 1, 2016 by James Harbeck | Leave a Comment

It is tempting to say that getting classical quotations right is more honoured in the breach than the observance. But if we did, we’d be guilty too. In the original, Hamlet is telling Horatio about the tradition of drinking sprees in the Danish court; he says it makes Danes look bad to other nations. So […]

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