Question An Editor's Job

Discussion in 'Translator's Corner' started by Ha-Ha, May 14, 2021.

?

Which one are you ?

  1. Editor

    43.8%
  2. Translator

    37.5%
  3. Proofreader

    25.0%
  4. Neither of the above, I'm just a passerby on NUF.

    31.3%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. Ha-Ha

    Ha-Ha A chance to love you, protect you, Shen Anxin.

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    What exactly does an editor do ?

    Translators
    What do you expect from your editors ?

    Editors

    I know they've got to be proficient in grammar, punctuation and syntax. Do they do just that, check grammar, punctuation and syntax or do they do something more too ? What level of proficiency in the language is generally expected for you to qualify as a decent Editor ?

    What are some general tips or tricks known to editors ? How to keep improving in your job other than literally gaining experience from working on more projects ? Some points to keep in mind while editing translations ?

    I'm completely clueless about this stuff, so please don't be stingy with your explanation :blobmelt:

    PS. DM me here on NU if you don't mind teaching me some stuff about editing.
     
  2. Shin Ah

    Shin Ah Dope'n

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    From what i've experienced, translators push out as much content as they can, as fast as they can.
    So it will have errors and it usually always needs improvement in sentence structure for example.

    You will probably get rights for the Google Docs and suggest changes. If you are a native english speaker i don't think you need many tips
     
  3. Ha-Ha

    Ha-Ha A chance to love you, protect you, Shen Anxin.

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    I see. I get the gist of it. I'm not a native English speaker, so tips are still welcome.
     
  4. Shin Ah

    Shin Ah Dope'n

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    Just pick a novel you like, PM the TL, he will see if you have the skills, and then you get chapters faster and you help out.
    For language skills, i dont think that there are tips, there are online courses for that.
     
  5. Ha-Ha

    Ha-Ha A chance to love you, protect you, Shen Anxin.

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    Ok then. Will try that. :sushi_thankyou:
     
  6. GuldTasken

    GuldTasken Well-Known Member

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    To be native English tends to be a pre-requisite... But I've met people from England and especially Unites States of America that are Horrible in their English because they just don't care.

    So I think an Editor's main duty is to correct spelling mistakes, sort out basic sentence structure and not much more. To re-write the sentences and such? I do not think an Editor should waste that time unless they are utterly enjoying it and deal with it as a hobby or get a reward for it. Because that can be very time consuming. re-write one sentence might require one to re-write the whole paragraph to make the reading flow good.
     
  7. Ha-Ha

    Ha-Ha A chance to love you, protect you, Shen Anxin.

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    That doesn't sound that bad.
     
  8. Xian Piete

    Xian Piete Author of many mediocre stories

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    Hey there, a writer here. An editor should be looking for obvious mistakes yes, but should also be helping with interpretation. The translation is easy, even a machine can do that. The editor needs to be able to look at that translation and see if the author's intended concept is being relayed.

    Example: Translation says, "I, your father, wants to kick your children!"

    You as an editor having read the rest of the paragraph realize that what the author meant was, "Your father will kick you in the balls!" There are a lot of ways to convey that and have the story make sense, but an editor should make sure that it is consistent throughout the story.
     
  9. Galooza

    Galooza The One True Walapalooza

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    There's a lot more to editing than is often known or done. I have a whole guide on it in my signature.
     
  10. Ha-Ha

    Ha-Ha A chance to love you, protect you, Shen Anxin.

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    TYSM !

    Whoa! good example. Nice.
     
  11. AdCaelum

    AdCaelum Well-Known Member

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    As a translator, I think in both languages while I work, so a lot of times, my unedited work is rough and sounds awkward. As such, I require my editor to focus on transforming the script into something that sounds natural in English. As such, I'm fine with the editor moving sentences and adjusting paragraphs. They need to be able to do more than what I could get from MS Word's Spelling and Grammar check.

    As an editor, you should feel comfortable to question parts and offer your own suggestions for how things should sound and be structured. Have back-and-forth conversations and rewrites. Translators aren't omniscient. If they insist something that sounds wrong in English, put your foot down and convinced them otherwise.
    For resources, English grammar books are available online.
     
  12. Ha-Ha

    Ha-Ha A chance to love you, protect you, Shen Anxin.

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    That's helpful. Thx for telling.