If anyone can help/or I could help

[Fede]

I am currently working to gain an officially-recognised accreditation in copyediting and proof-reading.
If anybody has any (non-urgent, non-vital) written work they would like proof-read (to give me practice, and to save you the trouble!) please consider sending it my way.
I have signed the Official Secrets Act, and am bound by client confidentiality clauses, therefore such work will not be used as any course-work reports.
There is (as if it needs saying!) no charge.

Thank you.

[Ben]

Hi Fede
Unfortunately, I can't help you! However, I wish you all the very best with attaining your accreditation!
Metta

Ben

[Cittasanto]

Hi Fede,

I don't think it is too bad but my grammar is not what it could be, it is in UK English if that makes a difference.

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=9&start=20

it is the last post in the thread, if you would prefer a non PDF Version send me a PM.

If you want I do have a blog with many mistakes I'm sure and varying sizes of posts which you could use, I save them all for revision so could send you them as well, (sure that would be a challenge for the most experienced though

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Fede,

You could proof read Buddhism For The Modern Skeptic if you like!

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1118

Metta,
Retro.

[Fede]

What I will have to do is copy/paste as a word.doc as for obvious reasons the text as it is will not permit access for editing.

I have actually spotted an 'error'...

If you don't mind/aren't offended, I'll go for it!!



Fede

[retrofuturist]

Sounds like a plan.



Metta,
Retro.

[forestmat]

Hi Fede,

I have recently finished writing my first book...

If you don't have anything else to do, I would be happy for you to proof it for me.

It's going to be about 170 pages (approx 47,000 words) in MS Word 2003.

The book is mainly devoted to my re-encountering Buddhism in this life and chronicles my journeys throughout

South and South-East Asia over a period of about 15 years, with specific chapters devoted to India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Laos, Thailand and Indonesia.

Maybe such a task is too big for you to take on, I don't know.

Naturally I would be happy to give you a glowing credit in the book upon publication.

Let me know if you are interested...

Metta

forestmat

[Fede]

forestmat - you betcha sweet bippy!
I will take whatever work I can, and would be happy to assist.

I'm going to make something I informed another poster of, public. it was via PM, but it's not sensitive....

What I do, is merely add the correction in red, in brackets afterwards.
Going through the document and agreeing to the changes will be your next job.
The reason for this is to not give you a completely- or partially-altered document without your prior approval or viewing.
It's very important to give you the opportunity to 'vet' the document before final changes are made. There may be a phraselogy, for example, that I feel is questionable, but that you would prefer to leave unaltered.
As it's your document, it's only right that you get to have the last word!
Once you're happy with the altertions I have highlighted, send it back, and I will implement them. Anything you don't want changed, simply remove the suggested alteration.

It's important everyone understands that this is procedure.

Also, if I see anything questionable (such as "it took 7 years for this translation to be completed") I may put a question mark, if only to ensure you have your research correct. You might have meant to put 17 years, or 6 or 8... I'm not questioning your knowledge, I'm detailing a point which might need verifying. It may well be correct. In all likelihood, knowing you guys, it almost certainly is. But 'almost' is not good enough for the proof-reader!! This also lets you know I'm on the ball with regard to possibly mistaken information.
I will not be verifying the accuracy of the highlighted point myself. That's not part of my job. My job is merely to provide corrections, alterations and amendments to text.

All work transmittable requiring proof-reading should be sent to the following e-mail address.

federica57@live.co.uk
Retro, I will proceed with "Buddhism for the Modern Skeptic" as I said I would.
By the way... is it 'skeptic', or 'sceptic'....?

In other words, are we adhering to US English or UK English?
seriously, it should be clarified.

Thank you all for your gracious generosity and kind support. It is much appreciated.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Fede,

Retro, I will proceed with "Buddhism for the Modern Skeptic" as I said I would.
By the way... is it 'skeptic', or 'sceptic'....?

In other words, are we adhering to US English or UK English?
seriously, it should be clarified.

Good question, and I certainly understand the differences between US/UK English.

To be honest, the way I decided which to go with was to chuck each into Google and see which one came up with the most entries. Generally speaking though I prefer UK English and make sure my son knows that the letter 'z' is pronounced 'zed' and not 'zee'.

Metta,
Retro.

[Fede]

So you're saying UK.....Yes?

[Ben]

Hi Fede

n Australia, we use real English, not American pidgin!
Kind regards

Ben

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Fede,

So you're saying UK.....Yes?

Yes, except for sceptic... it starts looking like septic after a while.

Metta,
Retro.

[zavk]

Hi Fede

n Australia, we use real English, not American pidgin!
Kind regards

Ben

Crikey! Ben is right.

Aussie English is pretty fair dinkum.

[Fede]

I can't get over terms like "avvo" for afternoon.....

Retro, I'll happily keep the term 'skeptic' all the way through.

[Ben]

Hi Fede

n Australia, we use real English, not American pidgin!
Kind regards

Ben

Crikey! Ben is right.

Aussie English is pretty fair dinkum.

Bloody hell!
My efforts to stir the possum have gone unnoticed by our american friends!
I'm getting out of here before they wake up and take the clippers to my vowels.
Ben

[Fede]

(. . .) I certainly understand the differences between US/UK English.

To be honest, the way I decided which to go with was to chuck each into Google and see which one came up with the most entries. Generally speaking though I prefer UK English and make sure my son knows that the letter 'z' is pronounced 'zed' and not 'zee'.

Metta,
Retro.

The above is a good example of what is known as "House Style".

When I first receive a document or manuscript "officially" as it were, the person or company sending it to me would supply a cover letter highlighting several factors:
*The font and size used throughout;
*Whether the document is ranged Left or Justified;
*Whether it is single- or double-spaced;
*Any other pertinent information (such as the example of "skeptic" given above).

If I have any questions relating to the above, I will clarify with all concerned. I would never take the initiative or proceed without clearance.
So if I do ask something, and it seems like a dumb or obvious question, it's because I really cannot afford to take anything for granted, or as a 'given'.....

Thanks everyone!!

[appicchato]

n Australia, we use real English, not American pidgin!

Oh pleeease...don't get me started...flavour?...centre?...sheesh...

What I do, is merely add the correction in red, in brackets afterwards.
Going through the document and agreeing to the changes will be your next job.
The reason for this is to not give you a completely- or partially-altered document without your prior approval or viewing.
It's very important to give you the opportunity to 'vet' the document before final changes are made. There may be a phraselogy, for example, that I feel is questionable, but that you would prefer to leave unaltered.
As it's your document, it's only right that you get to have the last word!
Once you're happy with the altertions I have highlighted, send it back, and I will implement them. Anything you don't want changed, simply remove the suggested alteration.

Being in Asia, I've found myself doing a lot of this (proofing), and similar to the above, I highlight the questionable part, or parts, in one color, followed by (what I consider to be) the correct in another color...and if I don't understand, another color...as stated, the choice to amend, or not, is with the author...regarding font, spacing, and the like, I spruce it up to what I think best and, again, leave the option of amending to the author...a rewarding, and gratifying proposition, I must say...

[retrofuturist]

Greetings bhante, Fede,

I actually do a similar thing... part of my job is reading and reviewing Business Cases before they get submitted to senior management for approval (or otherwise). I do so wearing a few different "hats", making sure they've filled in all the necessary section, that they're not said anything which is going to make senior management scratch their heads, but also the basics of spelling and punctuation. I find it pretty satisfying too, even though other people don't envy me doing it!

Metta,
Retro.

[Ben]

At one point in my life, I ended up in the closest thing that I have come to as pergatory. I wrote abstracts for a living for about nine months. It wasn't so much the writing part that was unpleasant, but the working conditions and the trolls that we had as managers. Our training lasted all of fifteen minutes on the first night so that we could read the house style guide. After that, we were told that if we put a comma between a subject and a verb we would be sacked on the spot. We were paid ridiculously low piece rates. I got out just after Sept 11 and about six months after my youngest son was born. The five days on, two days off night shift and the insipid nastiness of the place was doing in my mental and physical health and I came to the conclusion that my family and I were better off if I were out of that environment. Some positives that I got out of the roll from hell was confidence in my own ability to write and an appreciation for 'plain English'.
Since then, like Retro, I've either been involved in roles where I have either done a lot of writing or have been in work or social situations where I have proof read for others.
Fede, my advice is to be consistent. Style issues will crop up throughout the document so don't worry if you don't get it all sorted in the first discussion. Also, and this may sound sacriligious, make a friend of MS Word spell-check and grammar-check. Just make sure you have the corresponding English variant selected to the document/audience. When I used to write abstracts, I would write them in Word, run the spell an grammar-checks and cut and paste the corrected abstract into the database application we were using. It won't get every mistake but it will eliminate a lot of time and give you pause for thought on expression.
All the best!

Ben

[Fede]

This is wonderful. Thank you all for your insight!

I get what you mean, Retro, about people not envying... The reverse side of that, if you like, is the hesitation or embarrassment one has about correcting a friend's work...it's difficult to do that without suspecting the person (being corrected) thinks they're being patronised.... so I simply have to put that to one side and merely correct away.
Ben, thank you for the advice....
I have actually procured a copy of an excellent book published for proof-readers and copyeditors. (Nobody knows why in the profession, the first term is hyphenated, but the second term isn't, and is written as one word!) It not only gives correct spelling to awkward words, but whether certain terms should be italicised, accented or carry capital letters in some instances but not others (such as 'government, and Government....). It's an excellent book.
I very much appreciate the support from everyone, and Retro, am starting on your document, today.