Re: A: Yes. Re: Are editors still needed today?

Subject: Re: A: Yes. Re: Are editors still needed today?
From: Edwin Skau <eddy -dot- skau -at- gmail -dot- com>
To: "B.J. Smith" <bjsmith -at- ucar -dot- edu>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2012 10:06:31 +0530

An Editor doesn't just correct language. An editor enforces corporate
style.

If a writer needs an editor to correct language issues, then that writer
better be damned good at her domain or risk being considered a waste of
money.

On the other hand, there is more than one way to same something correctly.
But if you want to prevent the narrative in your document from looking like
The Village People, you need an editor to enforce consistent style.

That a company must addres a global audience is a lame excuse to publish
less than premium content. Always expect your audience to rise to your
level and look up to your quality rather than lowering yourself to their
perceived standards. Non-native speakers who may not write as well, can
still appreciate well-written text.

Edwin


On Wed, Jun 6, 2012 at 7:46 PM, B.J. Smith <bjsmith -at- ucar -dot- edu> wrote:

> Your friend may be right in the final sentence - you can get away with
> poor editing only for so long.
>
> I recently came across another take on the importance of writing and
> editing. Yes, it is ancient by some standards (1990), but I found it
> thought-provoking and valuable.
>
> One key sentence: Improving the quality of writing actually improves the
> quality of thought.
>
> I believe that is still true.
>
> Here's a link: http://www.americanscientist.**
> org/issues/pub/the-science-of-**scientific-writing<http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/the-science-of-scientific-writing>
>
> B.J.
>
> My opinions do not represent those of my employer or anyone else for that
> matter.
>
> On 6/6/2012 7:41 AM, yehoshua paul wrote:
>
>> This article was written by a friend of mine who works in marketing. As
>> sad
>> as this is, I tend to agree. When companies end up targeting global
>> audiences the level of English is not that critical. I know that the only
>> person who will notice if I miss a period, or forget to capitalize a word
>> is me. Professional pride, and the need to keep my writing skills prevents
>> me from doing so, but does my target audience really care? I don't think
>> so.
>>
>> http://rebeccarachmany.com/**2012/06/8-excellent-reasons-**
>> you-dont-need-an-editor/<http://rebeccarachmany.com/2012/06/8-excellent-reasons-you-dont-need-an-editor/>
>>
>> Have a great day,
>> Yehoshua Paul
>> Community contributor and documentation expert
>> http://technicalwriting.com/
>>
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^**^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with
>> Doc-To-Help. Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need.
>>
>> Try Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
>>
>> http://bit.ly/doc-to-help
>>
>> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^**^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>>
>> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as bjsmith -at- ucar -dot- edu -dot-
>>
>> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
>> techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- **com <techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>>
>>
>> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
>> http://www.techwhirl.com/**email-discussion-groups/<http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/>for more resources and info.
>>
>> Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our
>> online magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>>
>> Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public
>> email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
>>
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^**^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with
> Doc-To-Help. Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need.
>
> Try Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.
>
> http://bit.ly/doc-to-help
>
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^**^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as eddy -dot- skau -at- gmail -dot- com -dot-
>
> To unsubscribe send a blank email to
> techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- **com <techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
>
>
> Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
> http://www.techwhirl.com/**email-discussion-groups/<http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/>for more resources and info.
>
> Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online
> magazine at http://techwhirl.com
>
> Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public
> email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives
>

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Create and publish documentation through multiple channels with Doc-To-Help. Choose your authoring formats and get any output you may need.

Try Doc-To-Help, now with MS SharePoint integration, free for 30-days.

http://bit.ly/doc-to-help

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
techwr-l-leave -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com


Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.techwhirl.com/email-discussion-groups/ for more resources and info.

Looking for articles on Technical Communications? Head over to our online magazine at http://techwhirl.com

Looking for the archived Techwr-l email discussions? Search our public email archives @ http://techwr-l.com/archives


References:
Are editors still needed today?: From: yehoshua paul
A: Yes. Re: Are editors still needed today?: From: B.J. Smith

Previous by Author: Re: resumes
Next by Author: Re: Designing online help - book suggestions?
Previous by Thread: Re: A: Yes. Re: Are editors still needed today?
Next by Thread: Re: A: Yes. Re: Are editors still needed today?


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads