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Editors and proofreaders: What’s in *your* diplomatic bag?

1/2/2019

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​Are you a natural diplomat? Or do you struggle to respond with sensitivity and tact, especially in stressful situations? And what does all this have to do with editing and proofreading?
 
Diplomacy is never far from the headlines, whether it’s the Brexit negotiations, ceasefires in long-running armed conflicts, or international agreements on emissions targets. Even if negotiations don’t take place in the public eye, we know they’re happening and we can see the results (or lack thereof).
 
Although such situations might seem rather remote from our daily lives, I think we probably all use more diplomacy on a day-to-day basis than we imagine. This was brought home to me recently by an incident involving a friend of mine (a fellow editor, although the situation wasn’t related to editing). This friend had managed to resolve a long-standing and seemingly intractable family problem by speaking separately, and with very well-chosen words, to each of the parties involved. The situation was quickly sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction. No one lost face, no one felt aggrieved, and no one was seen as ‘the bad guy’. I was seriously impressed with the way my friend had engineered this solution. It was pure genius!
 
Now, I wouldn’t call myself a natural diplomat. Yorkshire folk have a reputation for plain speaking and bluntness, and that’s often not conducive to approaching situations in a calm, measured way. Add to that my tendency to try to make a joke out of everything and it’s safe to say that I’m not going to be leading international peace talks any time soon.
 
But in the world of editing and proofreading – particularly the freelance variety – there are plenty of scenarios in which a pinch of diplomacy can go a long way.
Client relations
Dealing with clients (and, indeed, potential clients) can be a minefield. From discussing the scope of the work to the thorny issue of the fee, there’s ample room to lose your cool, and possibly lose out on the work. If discussions are straightforward, there may be little need for diplomacy. But when there are points of disagreement – which often, it seems, relate to time and money – you need to strike a balance between sticking to your guns at all costs and keeping relations cordial. It’s not easy!

The manuscript
There’s also diplomacy in the act of editing. Whether to intervene or leave the text as it stands can be a major dilemma. How will your amendments be received by the client? Is it worth correcting every single style point or debatable grammar infringement if it’s going to cause problems further down the line? Will the client take offence at your ‘meddling’? Will that mean they’re less likely to accept your corrections when it comes to more serious errors? Is there a chance that your decision will result in a cost to them (financial, reputational or otherwise)? It’s clear that the actual decision about whether or not to make a change can sometimes require a good deal of careful thought and sensitivity.

Author queries
And then there are the comments you leave for the author. Perhaps you simply can’t understand what the author is trying to say. Perhaps you can understand it clearly, but think it needs to be queried. How do you convey these thoughts in a short comment, without causing upset? Making things less personal can certainly help (‘Will the reader understand this?’ rather than ‘Your argument is complete nonsense’), but it’s still a difficult area.

Production chain
If your work is part of a process involving several different stages handled by a number of different people, a diplomatic approach is essential. If there’s an element of negotiation involved – on fees, timescales or scope of work, for example – it’s a question of striking that balance between standing your ground and trying to be flexible and helpful. And if problems arise with someone else in the chain, you might need to let others know about it. Here again, a professional approach works best, even if you’re feeling upset, frustrated or angry. After all, your reputation is also at stake.

Colleagues
Here I’m thinking of other editors and proofreaders you interact with, either face to face or in online groups or forums. Such interactions can be a great source of inspiration, information and support, and in some cases, the basis for friendships. But sometimes even professional discussions can cause ruffled feathers. How do you react when a colleague asks a very basic question instead of consulting a standard reference book? What if someone makes a statement that you know to be inaccurate? If you feel you need to react at all, it can be difficult to find just the right tone. Once again, it’s about balance: getting your point across without turning it into a personal attack.

Family and friends
​Ironically, sometimes taking a diplomatic approach is most difficult when you’re dealing with the people closest to you. For many, freelancing means balancing work and home life, often with the support of others. How do you establish the boundaries between work and family? Do you find yourself negotiating for the time and space you need? How do you respond to assumptions that ‘working from home’ means ‘available for childminding, going out for lunch, taking in postal deliveries, having long chats on the phone…’? (Yes, freelancers often do those things – it’s the assumption that we’re always available that’s the issue.) And then there’s the friend or relative who’s written a book and wants you to proofread it ‘as a favour’. How do you respond to such situations without upsetting your nearest and dearest? 
​Being a freelance editorial professional involves much more than the mechanics of editing and proofreading. As well as all the requirements of running a business – marketing, keeping on top of the accounts, planning and advertising, to name but a few – it involves building relationships. That’s where diplomacy comes in. It’s a question of taking a position, thinking about how rigidly you need to stick to it, considering the ramifications, and communicating effectively with others without causing offence or undermining your own position. Here are some common-sense tips.
1. Have some idea what you’re aiming for
Think about your ultimate objective. That might be a particular fee or timescale, or even a specific goal for the text you’re editing.
 
2. Consider the other person’s position
What effect will your stance – and the way you communicate it – have on them? What’s their agenda?
 
3. Is it worth ‘making a point’ – to an author, a colleague or a client?
In other words, is the issue so vital that you’d risk upsetting those involved? If you think it is, what’s the best way to present your viewpoint while minimising the damage?
 
4. Think before you speak or write
Take a moment to consider the content and tone of your message. Count to 10 (at least)!
Admittedly, these tips are unlikely to secure you a place at an international negotiation table, but you might find them useful in running your editorial business. And although diplomacy – like good editing – often goes unnoticed, your clients, colleagues and family members are still likely to appreciate it, and they’ll certainly notice if it’s absent!
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Six Clients in Search of an Editor

14/2/2017

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“So, do you just read novels all day?”
I’m sure that’s a question many editors and proofreaders have been asked. Here, I describe some of the clients I’ve worked for over the years – including how I found them, or how they found me – to illustrate the variety of individuals, companies and other organisations who need editors and proofreaders. And because I work on non-fiction, academic and commercial material, there’s not a novel in sight.
 
The Publisher
Source of work: Speculative enquiries (letters and phone calls); Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) directory
Publishers are probably the first clients that spring to mind when people think about editing and proofreading. And yes, in the early years of my career, all my clients were publishers. For one of them I worked on non-fiction books for the general reader, on topics including real ale, astrology, horse-race betting, wedding planning and feng shui. Another early publishing client introduced me to on-screen work (in the mid-1990s). These were very different experiences, but equally valuable.
 
The EU Agency
Source of work: SfEP directory
Since 2003 I’ve worked for a small company on an editing contract with the European Training Foundation in Turin, Italy. It involves editing reports about vocational education and training – and related topics such as migration and the labour market – in EU partner countries. I love this work, although I’m slightly concerned about how it will be affected by Brexit…
 
The Individual Author
Source of work: Journal publisher’s website; SfEP directory; Colleague referrals
Many of my individual clients are academics, most of whom do not have English as a first language. I help them to improve the language and formatting of their papers before submission to an academic journal. I’ve built up strong long-term relationships with a number of individual clients – both academics and general non-fiction authors – on several different continents.
 
The Marketing Company
Source of work: Local networking; SfEP directory; Colleague referrals
These are often small firms who don’t have the in-house expertise required to edit or proofread their own or their clients’ material, or even to write such material in the first place. I’ve worked on web and brochure copy, as well as straplines and other brand-related text. The jobs can range from just a few words to pages and pages of copy, on pretty much any topic under the sun.
 
The School
Source of work: SfEP directory
It’s important that student reports are well written and free from errors. Throughout the school year, I work on batches of reports for all the year groups at one particular school. I share this task with another proofreader, and wrote about this regular work in a previous blog post. Tight (and immovable) deadlines are the norm, but we both really enjoy working for this client.
 
The Commercial Client
Source of work: SfEP directory; Colleague referrals
From greetings cards and novelty game instructions to product packaging of various types, this category encompasses a whole range of different material. In many cases there is only a small amount of text, but accuracy is of the utmost importance. The jobs I’ve done for these clients have mostly been small, one-off pieces of work, including some for high-street names.
 
I suspect that many of us who have been editing and proofreading for a number of years (or even decades!) will have worked for a range of different clients. Of course, the list above is not exhaustive, but I hope it offers an insight into the range of clients who need the services of editors and proofreaders.
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An English editor abroad

25/10/2016

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​When I began working as a freelance proofreader 20 years ago, I had no thoughts of expanding my horizons beyond the UK. My first client was based many miles away in the south of England, so I became used to working remotely. Hard-copy proofs arrived and were returned by post, discussions took place over the phone, and payment was made by cheque. But the idea that my work might have an international dimension probably didn’t occur to me, especially in the early days, before most people had internet access.
 
With the arrival of the internet, email made it possible to send and receive documents very quickly between countries. Editors and proofreaders were able to offer their services to clients in far-flung locations, and it was much easier for those clients to find an editorial professional using search engines and online directories. It seemed as though the world had opened up.
 
Fast forward to the present. I edit journal articles for academics all over the world: my main academic client holds professorships on two different continents. I edit reports written in English for an EU agency based in Italy, via a company based in Spain. And I regularly work for clients in the Far East, the Middle East, Australasia, and all over Europe. (I also do still work for UK clients!)
 
As well as having clients from across the globe, I’m now in touch – through social media – with editorial colleagues based in many different countries. I’ve found this to be an enriching experience, and one that has enhanced my perspective and given me a real insight into what’s happening in other countries, editorially speaking.
 
I recently expanded my horizons even further: I attended my first overseas editing conference, the annual meeting of the Mediterranean Editors and Translators in Tarragona, Spain. I met editors and translators of different nationalities who are based in countries around Europe – and further afield.
 
It was a reminder that editing, proofreading and other English language services are in demand across the globe. Long may that continue.

UPDATE: I attended another Mediterranean Editors and Translators conference in September 2019, and wrote a blog post about the event.
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