MET workshops
Editing non-native English, part 2: learning from doing
Whereas theory relating to editing and non-native English features strongly in the introductory workshop on editing given last spring in Barcelona and repeated at METM12 (part 1), in this follow-up workshop the emphasis shifts to more complex practice. We will spend more time actually editing and, guided by the facilitator, will learn from the group’s collective experience.
Purpose: To give language professionals an opportunity to practise their editing skills on non-native texts on non-specialist topics, which have been written in various non-native Englishes. To learn from how such texts have been edited by others. To analyse editorial approaches and reflect on their appropriateness. To brainstorm about textual problems and exchange collegial insights. To enjoy editing together.
Facilitator: Joy Burrough-Boenisch
Description/Structure: There will be a brief presentation to recap on the editing continuum and language editing, but most of the workshop will be hands-on, with participants working individually or in groups. Though intended to be done on-screen, the assignments will also be available on paper. They include texts whose authors speak a language we (probably) don’t, because editing such texts will reveal some common sticking points and some good approaches and solutions. The assignments have been chosen to stimulate analysis and discussion about the aims of the editing, what can be expected from the editor and the leeway for improving the text. The facilitator will guide the analysis and discussion, linking it wherever possible to theory, with the aim of generating conclusions we can incorporate into our editorial approach.
Who should attend?: Language professionals, scientists and academics who regularly edit non-native English.
Outcomes: Awareness of similarities and differences between your editing and the editing of colleagues, which will enable you to critically appraise your own work and situate it within the editing continuum. Deeper insight into the scope and desirability of editorial interventions in non-native texts and into the challenge of editing authored texts.
Pre-workshop information: Participation in the workshop “An introduction to editing non-native English, for application to different types of text” is advantageous, but not essential. If possible, attendees should bring a laptop to the workshop.
About the facilitator:
Netherlands-based Joy Burrough-Boenisch is a freelance editor and translator for scientists and academics, a teacher of academic English and trainer of language professionals. She is a founder and honorary member of SENSE (Society of English-Native-Speaking Editors in the Netherlands). Her PhD thesis is on Dutch scientific English. Her many publications on editing non-native English include chapters in the EASE Science Editors’ Handbook and in Supporting Research Writing: Roles and challenges in multilingual setting (ed. Valerie Matarese). She has given workshops for language professionals in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Italy, and for the European Commission.
