Learn with Me! Editing Workshop in Sacramento

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School is back in session here in California — are you ready to learn something new this fall? Join me September 22, 2018 in Sacramento for a 3-hour editing workshop, hosted by the Northern California Translators Association.

We will cover every stage of the revision process, from broad-stroke decision-making to the finer points of proofreading. You’ll walk away with customizable tools for managing your professional projects and a list of further resources. No matter how long you’ve been translating or editing, I guarantee you will learn something new!

You must register in advance for this class. Details are available here.

I’m looking forward to bringing this popular workshop to my hometown area — see you soon!

Revision Refresh Workshop – Last Chance to Register

There are just a few spots left in my editing workshop at ATA58. If you have never had formal training in copyediting or proofreading, consider signing up now for the 3-hour session on October 25th. 

You’ll get hands-on training for every stage of revision and walk away with several customized tools for your language pair(s) and subject matter specialties. We’ll discuss how to manage individual projects, long-term client styles, and team translations. There is a pre-workshop assignment you can do now, or turn it in after the live class for personalized feedback.

In this tech-focused world, quality revision makes your work stand above the machine output. Click here to register for AST-14 today: http://www.atanet.org/conf/2017/astday/ 

Proofreaders’ marks

Thanks to everyone who participated in today’s webinar with the ATA! It was fun leading you through the creation of a proofreading system. I’ll be following up on some questions that came up afterwards over the next few days.

One participant asked, “Where can we download or get the proofreaders’ marks?” That’s an easy one, so here you go:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/mw/table/proofrea.htm

And a similar version from the Chicago Manual of Style:

Happy translating (and proofreading)!
Carolyn

Make proofreading less painful—literally

On the heels of my recent presentation at ATA55, I want to share some of my favorite tips for proofreading. I’ve already discussed the technical side of things here and here. Today, let’s get physical!

Your body is an important tool for translation work. Sitting at a desk for long hours can be incredibly demanding of your muscles, joints, and skeleton. Taking a few minutes to learn about how to care for yourself while doing the work you love can help you keep doing it longer. Here are a few ideas:

• Warm up your eyes before getting started. With your eyes closed, look up-down-left-right, and all around in both directions. Open your eyes and look at something far away. Repeat during breaks from your work every so often to protect your eyesight and avoid headaches.
• Seriously, look away. Far, far away. The wall in front of my desk it totally blank on purpose. I also have a window to look out of. Use your long-distance vision to let the short-distance vision rest every so often.
• Work with print materials on an inclined surface. This helps you maintain good seated posture and avoid contorting your neck in funny ways.
• Practice good posture! Shoulders back and low, feet on the floor, pelvis tucked in a neutral position. If you need to work on this, try these yoga videos.
• Use technology to your advantage: dictation and/or CAT tools for drafting, text-to-speech during some kinds of editing. Make templates for heavily formatted documents you get often (birth certificates, marriage licenses, academic records…). Your wrists and fingers will thank you.

What do you do to avoid the aches and pains of translation? Share your ideas in the comments!

 

Good tips for a great editing process

A solid review process means the difference between an adequate translation and something your clients can get excited about. When I first started this blog (almost a full year ago!), I proposed that copyediting is a critical skill for every translator to hone. I stand by that statement still.

That said, there are other critical steps that come before and after the copyediting stage. I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel, so I’ve pulled together some articles from around the web that can help you understand and implement the various steps of reviewing your writing. Veteran translators can still benefit from scanning these pieces—a little refresher never hurts, right?

• John McIntyre’s hierarchy of editing values

• Rachel McRoberts on the difference between editing and proofreading

• Wendy Griswold’s guidelines on editing a translation (from the March 2012 ATA Chronicle)

• Corinne McKay on how to be a better proofreader

• Kari Koonin’s tips on avoiding translation blindness

What are your go-to resources when you want to freshen up your editor eyes? What’s your top tip for reviewing your work?