Can Edit If You FOLLOW THE RULES

[AsylumSeeker]

Yes, I edit, but I edit according to American writing. So you brits, nothing personal, but "thru" will be "through","colours: will be "colors" et al.

I don't mean to be a horse's ass, but I edit how I edit. And with it being free and all, a part of my limited life, this is my choice.

This being said I might be able to take on a few stories. I prefer 10k or less words, but more might be okay if we consult.

Grab a ticket if you want to be considered. The way you grab a ticket is to respond to this thread with an interest. If you're too friggin stupid to figure this out then give up writing!

I have some time available, but for those who FOLLOW THE FUCKING RULES!!!!

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

... but "thru" will be "through" ...

Well I learn something new (almost) every day. I have always thought that "thru" was an American variant of "Through", but on checking with the OED I discover that it is Old English in origin.

 

[Firebrain]

"Thru" is only text speak in English.

A good editor will not consider that colour/color is a mistake, to be fair. They would only be changed according to market (if that) -- not any particular rule.

So...this is racism?

 

[AsylumSeeker]

"Thru" is only text speak in English.

A good editor will not consider that colour/color is a mistake, to be fair. They would only be changed according to market (if that) -- not any particular rule.

So...this is racism?

I edit how I edit, and if a Brit asks me to edit then I will do so in American English.

 

[Firebrain]

I edit how I edit, and if a Brit asks me to edit then I will do so in American English.

But why? What's the point? Both words are right. Why can't you recognise that? It's no extra effort.

 

[phillyinjun]

But why? What's the point? Both words are right. Why can't you recognise that? It's no extra effort.

I agree wholeheartedly. Of course, if the author is not consistent within the story, that is a whole other matter.

 

[sr71plt]

I agree wholeheartedly. Of course, if the author is not consistent within the story, that is a whole other matter.

Agree. There's no reason why British-style stories shouldn't be left in British style. I'd suggest that British authors just look for British editors.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Agree. There's no reason why British-style stories shouldn't be left in British style. I'd suggest that British authors just look for British editors.

I'll have to agree. Thru and tho drive me crazy, changed to through and though. Hey, ask me to edit and I will, American style.

If not, go elsewhere.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Well I learn something new (almost) every day. I have always thought that "thru" was an American variant of "Through", but on checking with the OED I discover that it is Old English in origin.

But Snooper, the Chicago Manual of Style dictates writing style and ettiquette. Get on board!

I almost submitted this, laughing.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

"Thru" is only text speak in English.

A good editor will not consider that colour/color is a mistake, to be fair. They would only be changed according to market (if that) -- not any particular rule.

So...this is racism?

Then apparently I'm not a "good" editor. Thanks, nice to know. I'll steer requests "your" way. Gee, you must be a "great" editor.

Thanks much for enlightening me.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

But Snooper, the Chicago Manual of Style dictates writing style and ettiquette. Get on board! ...

But not the spelling of "etiquette" <wink>?

"Thru" is only text speak in English.

False. "Thru" and "thro" are just very old fashioned; "tho" likewise, as a substitute for "though", but until the 16th century it had other meanings.

A good editor will not consider that colour/color is a mistake, to be fair. They would only be changed according to market (if that) -- not any particular rule. ...

I would change color/colour (etc) according to the author's choice of language. In most word processors you have spelling and grammar checks which are language dependent, and most of those can distinguish US English from real English (usually labelled UK). MSWord has a total of 18 variations on English, from Australian to Zimbabwean.

 

[Martinstrat]

I'm from the United States, and I grew up reading a lot of British literature; authors such as Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and James Herriot. Consequently, I love all of those British spellings, and mourn the fact that we have lost so many of them in American English. I understand that all living languages change and evolve; I just wish, in some cases, they didn't.

Did I just manage to use two semicolons in a three sentence paragraph?

 

[sr71plt]

Did I just manage to use two semicolons in a three sentence paragraph?

Not correctly the first time.

Unless you got those books from a British source, chances were very good that what you read were American English "translations" of those books. Different editions are often produced for the different markets.

 

[CharleyH]

Yes, I edit, but I edit according to American writing. So you brits, nothing personal, but "thru" will be "through","colours: will be "colors" et al.

I don't mean to be a horse's ass, but I edit how I edit. And with it being free and all, a part of my limited life, this is my choice.

This being said I might be able to take on a few stories. I prefer 10k or less words, but more might be okay if we consult.

Grab a ticket if you want to be considered. The way you grab a ticket is to respond to this thread with an interest. If you're too friggin stupid to figure this out then give up writing!

I have some time available, but for those who FOLLOW THE FUCKING RULES!!!!

Wow, you inspire me to want to pay hundreds of dollars for any editor who can do Canadian.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

Wow, you inspire me to want to pay hundreds of dollars for any editor who can do Canadian.

Canadian is a real problem, because there is no real consistency from left to right across a map of Canada (even ignoring Quebec). A lot of Canadians use mostly UK English spellings, but some use mostly US, and yet others use some of each.

I have talked about this with a Canadian writer (Macro7 for those who remember him; he's moved on to writing paperback novels now) but I have yet to find a teacher of small children (five to ten year olds) who can tell me what they are taught.

 

[Martinstrat]

Not correctly the first time.

Unless you got those books from a British source, chances were very good that what you read were American English "translations" of those books. Different editions are often produced for the different markets.

Shoot! (snaps fingers) I thought there was something fishy about one of those semicolons. Will you tell me what I did wrong?

American English "translations?" Now, that just makes me feel jilted. I don't understand why, though. As I said, the spellings were definitely different from American English. If "they" left different spellings, then what was changed? Can you cite any specific examples from Herriot, Tolkien, or Lewis?

In the case of James Herriot, he so often wrote in dialect, and all that was left in the books I read. I have read many different printings of his books across 25 or so years, and they all seemed to be consistent with each other, which is to say they definitely didn't sound American.

 

[sr71plt]

Shoot! (snaps fingers) I thought there was something fishy about one of those semicolons. Will you tell me what I did wrong?

American English "translations?" Now, that just makes me feel jilted. I don't understand why, though. As I said, the spellings were definitely different from American English. If "they" left different spellings, then what was changed? Can you cite any specific examples from Herriot, Tolkien, or Lewis?

In the case of James Herriot, he so often wrote in dialect, and all that was left in the books I read. I have read many different printings of his books across 25 or so years, and they all seemed to be consistent with each other, which is to say they definitely didn't sound American.

The semicolon simply isn't used that way (to announce a modifying list). A colon (although that's going out of style) or an em dash is the proper punctuation here.

I can't name Americanized editions of those authors, no. But until recent years, it was standard fare to redo British style for best sellers for the American mass market (and vice versa). Americans can be very insular and think their style is the only correct one, so books in alternative styles can upset them. I've done "translations" of some for American publishers. Often the titles also changed. I went mad trying to collect and read everything Graham Greene wrote, for instance, because I was living in Europe and trying to assemble him in both the UK and U.S. markets.

One of my first jobs in a major news agency was to translate BBC (print) English into American English for an American audience.

I remember "translating" his The Ministry of Fear for a Penguin edition once. It isn't really the spellings that prompt "translation"--it's mainly the different style of dialogue quotes. An American can be sent off the rails by British styles of quote punctuation. (Note the periodic thread that runs here of American readers complaining to British writers about their "misspellings" and "bad punctuation.")

I noticed that the U.S.-bought P.D. James book I'm now reading was left in British spelling and word usage style, but the quote style was Americanized. Since I'm used to both styles, I read right through it until a reached a word that means something entirely different in British style than it means in U.S. style (and which I recently went over with a British author writing for the U.S. market): "jumper." It's equivalent to an American pullover sweatshirt (or sweater), but "jumper" in the American context brings up a type of dress worn by school girls--so it can be quite disconcerting to an American reader to be reading along and encountering a male hunk taking off his jumper.

 

[Firebrain]

What about if I'm a Latvian pole dancer? Can you edit me then?

 

[CharleyH]

Canadian is a real problem, because there is no real consistency from left to right across a map of Canada (even ignoring Quebec). A lot of Canadians use mostly UK English spellings, but some use mostly US, and yet others use some of each.

I have talked about this with a Canadian writer (Macro7 for those who remember him; he's moved on to writing paperback novels now) but I have yet to find a teacher of small children (five to ten year olds) who can tell me what they are taught.

I am sarcastic and was joking, just so you know.

 

[lloyd_5]

sr, I agree that 'jumper' has totally different meanings in US and UK english, but the UK meaning never equates to 'sweatshirt'. The Brits often speak of a jumper as a 'woolly pully', a knitted woollen sweater - totally different from a sleeveless pinafore dress. Pully is an abbreviation for pullover.

Two nations divided by a single language, as Winston Churchill once said.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

Canadian is a real problem, because there is no real consistency from left to right across a map of Canada (even ignoring Quebec). A lot of Canadians use mostly UK English spellings, but some use mostly US, and yet others use some of each.

I have talked about this with a Canadian writer (Macro7 for those who remember him; he's moved on to writing paperback novels now) but I have yet to find a teacher of small children (five to ten year olds) who can tell me what they are taught.

I ... was joking, just so you know.

I wasn't. Editing Canadian English is very difficult, for the reasons given.

 

[colddiesel]

Yes, I edit, but I edit according to American writing. So you brits, nothing personal, but "thru" will be "through","colours: will be "colors" et al.

I don't mean to be a horse's ass, but I edit how I edit. And with it being free and all, a part of my limited life, this is my choice.

This being said I might be able to take on a few stories. I prefer 10k or less words, but more might be okay if we consult.

Grab a ticket if you want to be considered. The way you grab a ticket is to respond to this thread with an interest. If you're too friggin stupid to figure this out then give up writing!

I have some time available, but for those who FOLLOW THE FUCKING RULES!!!!

Thought I would help you by editing your post so the British could appreciate it. Try saying this:-

"I'm a thick skulled boor who is only capable of editing for my own parochial audience."

That should suffice.

 

[Firebrain]

B

False. "Thru" and "thro" are just very old fashioned; "tho" likewise, as a substitute for "though", but until the 16th century it had other meanings.

Sorry, I was too busy snarking to notice this. Merci.

Asylum, if you post something rude and patronising, why are you surprised when you get the same response? Yes, there are differences between British and American English -- but if anything, a language specialist (which is what an editor is) should be interested in what these are.

 

[Jake Marlow]

Most of the Uk stuff I've read recently, notably Ian Rankin's books, are untranslated for the US audience.

Something I am curious about, how do they decide to let an author use alternative forms of punctuation? For example, Charlie Huston does not use quotes for diallog. He just uses a long dash at the start of the paragraph, like:

--Joe says hi.

I enjoy his writing, generally, but that really annoys me.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

... Something I am curious about, how do they decide to let an author use alternative forms of punctuation? ...

Each publishing house has its own standard, which any new writer submitting a manuscript had better follow. Well established authors have more power, and I imagine J.K.Rowling could submit and be printed in any format she chooses.

... For example, Charlie Huston does not use quotes for diallog. He just uses a long dash at the start of the paragraph, like:

--Joe says hi.

I enjoy his writing, generally, but that really annoys me.

This is widely used in Scandinavian languages.

The French use chevrons, «like this» or a single hyphen -like this.

The Germans use up and down quote marks, ,,like this“ or sometimes chevrons in the reverse manner of the French »like this.«