Writing Prompts – Page 433

What You’ll Learn in Proofreading Class

Mark Twain, a former typesetter turned journalist, once quipped, “In the first place, God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made proofreaders.”

That quote is often recounted on the first day of a proofreading class. It demonstrates an important lesson: great authors need a proofreader, even if they don’t always appreciate the profession.

A proofreading course from a reliable provider will teach you to confidently tackle the manuscripts of any future Mark Twains. A thorough course will help you develop many new techniques and refine the language skills you already had.

Many people think proofreading is all about finding typos and spelling mistakes, but there is, in fact, much more involved.

What to expect from proofreading class

The first lesson in a proofreading class usually covers what proofreading is and isn’t.

The aim of proofreading is to ensure that you do not submit articles filled with spelling errors and bad grammar. Ideally, an editor will have already worked on the text to make sure the message is clear.

Many people confuse editing and proofreading, but the basic difference is that editing concentrates on the content, making sure the discussion or story is logical and coherent. Proofreading focuses on eliminating errors without changing the content.

Proofreading is usually the final stage in any publication process, so proofreaders have the responsibility to be consistently accurate.

Perfection takes more than practice

Imagine you have to work on a 60,000-word manuscript. That’s about the length of a short novel. How can you possibly make sure that every word is spelled correctly and occurs in exactly the right place within its sentence?

In a proofreading class, you will learn techniques for ensuring accuracy. One useful method for new proofreaders, especially for finding omitted and repeated words, is to read the text out loud. (Don’t worry, you won’t be asked to do this with a whole novel when you’re starting out.) The idea is to get you to slow down and look at each individual word.

Usually, when we read, our eyes skim over the text, picking up patterns of words. As long as the first and last letters of the word are in the right place and the word looks about the right length, we will be able to recognize it.

You can esaliy undresatnd tihs setnecne, for emxalpe.

After some practice, you will train your eyes and brain to carefully examine the letters of each word without reading aloud. You’ll get steadily quicker, too.

Combining speed with accuracy

While proofreaders have to consider every word carefully, they have to work efficiently, too. For that reason, you will learn some useful shortcuts in a proofreading class.

For example, you will learn to look out for many commonly confused words. There are the obvious homophones (words that sound the same but are spelled differently), such as “their,” “there,” and “they’re.” But there are also many less noticeable bad grammar examples that even a spell-checker won’t pick up:

“principle” instead of “principal” (and vice versa)
“affect” instead of “effect”
“accept” instead of “except”
“complement” instead of “compliment”

The same, only different

Just to make it even more confusing, a proofreading class will also teach you that even some correctly spelled words will be wrong in some circumstances. Take “color” and “colour,” for example. Some publishers will only accept the American English spelling (“color”), while others insist on British English (“colour”).

As a proofreader, you will have to adapt to each publisher’s preferences. Fortunately, most major publishers, including universities, provide an overview of their particular demands in a style guide. Other publishers follow established style guides, such as the Chicago Manual of Style.

In a proofreading class, you will learn about the different spelling rules of the many varieties of English and get a crash course in the most common style guides. Be sure to sign up for an accredited training course with a good reputation.

The Benefits of Taking an Editing Class

If you’re getting tired of your daily routine job, it may be time to switch things up, and if you have a penchant for grammar, language, and organization, you might consider taking an editing class. Not convinced that editing is the best step for you? Read on to discover the many types of editing you can do and the benefits of this flexible job.

Editing class flexibility

If you think it’s time for you to stop working around someone else’s schedule, an editing class online could suit your needs perfectly. With an online course, you can work according to your own schedule and at your own pace. If you want to get the course completed as quickly as possible, you can. If you need to go a little slower, you can do that as well. Better still, you can access the course from any computer at any time, so you aren’t tied down to your home desktop.

Flexible opportunities

Flexibility doesn’t end when your editing class does. Once you have the skills and training to become an editor, you have a wide range of career opportunities. In fact, you have the same choices you would have as a writer. For every writing style and genre, there needs to be an editor. Like a writer, you can pick the style and genre you would like to work with.

Editors also have considerable mobility. Any city that has writers needs editors. Depending on the company you’re working for, you may also have the option to telecommute. This means you don’t need to live in the same city in which the company is located. Instead, you can complete all of your duties online.

Another option is deciding between freelance editing and working in-house. Most times, this will determine if you can telecommute. Freelancing is a great way to become your own boss and choose your own hours, clients, and markets. However, it is less stable than a job in-house. When taking your editing class, you’ll find out about the different pros and cons of both to help you make the best decision for your lifestyle.

Independence

If you choose editing as a career, you will gain a high level of independence. This means not only choosing your own office (even if that means a coffee shop) but also making decisions in the editing process. While this responsibility can be intimidating for some, others will find it thrilling and exciting after working under direction from a boss.

Become part of the creative process

As an editor, you get to become part of the process of creating culture and artistic production. Every written form contributes to the richness of culture, and when you edit, you ensure that these contributions appear in their finest form.

If you already have a passion for editing, you’ll understand the thought that goes into ensuring each sentence is in its most well-crafted state.

Low up-front costs

Taking an editing class isn’t costly and will certainly generate larger returns in the long run. Most online editing classes don’t require the purchase of extra workbooks. It’s an affordable way to begin making money doing what you love to do.

A few things to remember

Despite the flexibility and independence, you’ll still be working on a deadline. Editors need to be able to handle the pressures of dealing with tight deadlines and working through corrections with writers. Make sure you can work with people regardless of pressure. A good editing class will ensure you have all the tools you need to get the job done efficiently and well.

Ready to begin your new career with an editing class? Don’t wait; sign up today.

Don’t Laugh at Me: 5 Ways to Help Out International Students

Starting university or college is a huge learning curve for everyone. Some students are adjusting to living the post-secondary lifestyle while commuting to school and living at home with their parents; some are just getting settled into their new dorm rooms; and some have traveled great distances to attend school. Everyone is just a little bit unsure about how to manage the year ahead. But, regardless of the kinds of adjustments you find yourself making as you begin your post-secondary journey, you need to remember that others are experiencing new things as well. For instance, international students who have just left their home countries to study abroad might have even bigger adjustments to make than you do. If everyone tries to help each other out, things will go much more smoothly for the whole group. So what can you do to help the international students you meet during your studies?

Tip #1: Offer Assistance

To some international students, even the simplest activities can seem overwhelming. Not knowing or understanding social and cultural norms—or even conventions that might seem incredibly natural to others, like meeting with a professor during office hours or hanging out in the student lounge—can be overwhelming and even embarrassing. Depending on their proficiency in English and their exposure to North American culture, international students might avoid many activities that would ultimately prove helpful or enjoyable to them simply because they’re anxious about participating in these activities.

As a person who is familiar with your own country’s cultural norms, you can be a great help to international students in these types of situations. All it takes is a friendly inquiry to see if there is anything you can do to help a foreign classmate who is struggling. If you can clearly see that someone is having a hard time, offer to help. Be a real Canadian about it: be nice. Remember that a small and simple act of courtesy on your part might make a huge difference to someone else.

Tip #2: Be Patient

If you are having a conversation with an international student whose first language isn’t English, you might have to speak a bit more slowly than you’re used to. You both might have a hard time understanding each other’s accents, and it might take the person you’re speaking to some extra time to plan sentences before saying them.

The fact that language barriers can be frustrating is no excuse for avoiding them. This goes for international and native students alike. International students should make a point of talking to native speakers to improve their speaking and listening skills, and native speakers should engage in these conversations just as they would with any other conversation. You should also keep in mind that people who are learning a second language often have better listening than speaking skills. This means that, while international students might need a moment to organize their response to your question, they very likely did understand the question. Being patient and making friends with international students is well worth it, as you’ll likely learn as much from them as they will from you.

Tip #3: Be Willing to Learn

Depending on where you come from and what experiences you’ve had, your time at university might be your first real exposure to different cultures, and that in itself can be intimidating. Remember that university is not the time to stick to your comfort zone—you’re there to learn, after all! Becoming friends with international students means that you get to teach each other about your respective cultures. Even if you haven’t traveled to another country to study, you can still learn about and appreciate them. Be open to learning about your new friends’ families, religious beliefs, favorite foods, and languages. They get to learn about your life; you get to learn about their lives. This will help you appreciate each other on both a personal and cultural level. Of course, this will work out only if you’re willing not just to teach others about your own culture but to learn about theirs in return.

Tip #4: Be Inclusive

Making friends during university can be a bit of a process. When you start school, you’ll likely find yourself hanging out with large groups of people. This will be especially true if you are living in a dorm. Over time, that group will probably either dissolve or break into smaller subgroups. This is completely normal, as it takes some time for everyone to figure out whom they get along with best and whom they would like to be friends with.

Unfortunately, international students are sometimes left out of these large groups, and as such, they never get to establish themselves within the smaller subgroups. The solution here is simple: be sure to invite the international students from your residence to take part in the large group’s activities. Invite them to parties, outings, or even just casual hangouts that don’t really require invitations. Though not all students will accept your offers, they most certainly can’t accept them if they’re never extended. Make it a point to make international students feel welcome, as many of them will likely feel isolated from you and from other students if you don’t.

Tip #5: Don’t Laugh—Literally

Just like everyone else, international students are bound to make mistakes from time to time. They might do something that is socially unusual; they might use an English phrase incorrectly. Perhaps they might do or say something else that seems funny. No matter how funny these mistakes might seem to you, remember that they can be terribly embarrassing for the people making them. Instead of laughing at international students for the mistakes they make, then, try to help them avoid making the same mistakes in the future. If you end up being friends with an international student for a long time, you might be able to bring up this mistake at a point when the other person will also find it funny. Until such a time arrives, be nice—don’t laugh!

Conclusion

Helping international students feel welcome is really quite simple: be nice, and treat others the way you would want to be treated. There’s no reason for our differences to divide us; indeed, if we want them to, they can work to bring us together.