News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
1. GIVING BACK: Thank you for supporting Editors Canada awards this #GivingTuesday
2. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: Kristine Buchholtz
3. GET INVOLVED: Join the translation team or the conference team
4. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Thank you!
5. EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: Update on the draft values statement
6. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
7. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
8. MEMBER SERVICES: Resources for in-house editors and more
9. ONLINE SAFETY: Recognizing scammers and bad clients
10. SHOP EDITORS CANADA: 2018–19 wall calendar nearly sold out
11. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
12. CH-CH-CHANGES: The national office is moving
13. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. GIVING BACK: Thank you for supporting Editors Canada awards this #GivingTuesday
On Tuesday, November 27, 2018, Editors Canada partnered with GivingTuesday for the first time. On this global day of giving back we invited you to help us raise funds for our national awards.
Our sincerest thanks to everyone who answered and shared our call for support! Because of you, we raised $1,820 during our first GivingTuesday campaign. We received donations from our twigs and one Canadian university, but the majority of the donations came from individuals giving as little as $5 or $10.
Editors Canada is a federally incorporated not-for-profit organization that promotes excellence in editing and provides resources for editors at every stage of their careers. Your support during our GivingTuesday campaign will help us to keep our awards running so we can continue to raise the profile of the editing profession, shine a light on excellence in editing and support the future generation of editors.
Did you miss our GivingTuesday campaign? We are happy to accept donations throughout the year. No donation is too small. Give whatever fits your budget. Every gift helps, and we are grateful for donations in any amount.
Visit the Editors Canada website to donate now.
2. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: Kristine Buchholtz
Kristine Buchholtz, our volunteer of the month for December, joined Editors Canada in 2013. She is a member of the Editors Edmonton twig, which she helped start after the Prairie Provinces branch officially ceased operation in 2016.
Since 2015, Kristine has served on the certification steering committee, where she was heavily involved with developing the new Test Preparation Guides for copy editing and structural editing. Kristine also enjoyed helping to organize the Eight-Step Editing workshop (taught by Elizabeth d’Anjou) in Edmonton in 2016. She says all her volunteer experiences with Editors Canada have been memorable and worthwhile for improving her own editing skills and knowledge, but also because of the people she has worked with. “Let’s face it: finding a group where people like to talk about grammar is pretty darned special.”
Kristine has always loved writing and grammar, and her love for editing grew from these interests. After doing some editing on a volunteer basis for several years, her husband suggested that she “should try to make some money at it.” Following this advice, she looked into what was involved in starting a freelance editing career and learned about the Editors Canada professional certification exams, which she decided to write. Preparing for exams proved to be invaluable to her enhancing her editing skills. After writing the copy editing exam in 2013, she said to her study partner, “Even if I fail this exam, it was so worthwhile to have attempted it because I learned so much as I studied.” Kristine passed the copy editing exam that year. She also went on to pass the other three exams in the program, earning the full Certified Professional Editor (CPE) credential in 2015.
Kristine is now a freelance editor who edits a range of materials, which ties in nicely with her passion for learning new things.
The volunteer of the month highlights the dedicated people who keep Editors Canada going. Volunteers are the backbone of the association. We are grateful for the many members and affiliates who answer the call when help is needed.
3. GET INVOLVED: Join the translation team or the conference team
Are you a French-to-English or English-to-French translator? Would you like to provide an important service for your fellow members? We have an excellent opportunity to hone your skills and network with fellow members from coast to coast.
Editors Canada wants to create a team of translators and comparative editors who are willing to volunteer their services to committees and the national executive council. Interested members can send an email to Nancy Foran, translation team coordinator.
The Halifax 2019 conference team is also looking to add one or two social media coordinators. If you would like to help out with this fun job, please contact Patricia MacDonald.
4. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Thank you!
As we come to the end of another year of Editors Canada certification exams, the certification steering committee thanks all the volunteers—test setters and shepherds, external reviewers and proofreaders, pilot testers, invigilators, markers and the marking analyst—who make it possible to offer the exams each year, as well as all the volunteers who set the Professional Editorial Standards evaluated in the certification program.
Since the program’s inception, Editors Canada has awarded 272 certifications to 123 editors, 33 of whom have earned the full Certified Professional Editor (CPE) credential. We wish the best of luck to this year’s candidates working toward joining the growing roster of certified editors.
Be prepared
Looking ahead to the next round of certification exams? Why not get a head start and pick up one of the Certification Test Preparation Guides? (Or buy one for an editor friend! #holidaygiftideas) There’s a guide for each exam, reflecting the Professional Editorial Standards tested. The guides include practice tests and answer keys, so you can check your work, and make for an invaluable resource to help you prepare.
5. EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION: Update on the draft values statement
Dear members,
Thanks to those who have given feedback on the Statement of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, which will be proposed for a ratification vote at the annual general meeting (AGM) this June. The revised statement follows, with revisions in italics.
We’ve had some great conversations, and there is still time to send your thoughts to equity@editors.ca before the official motion for the AGM is drafted. One of the things members have discussed is a potential equity task force, should this statement be adopted by members, which would identify and address related projects to support equity measures in Editors Canada. If you’re thinking about an aspect of the organization that can be improved or amended along these lines, please feel free to drop a line.
Fazeela Jiwa
[Draft] Statement of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
In our organization, Editors Canada affirms the value of 1) diversity (increasing the presence of people of diverse identities, like those related to gender or race), 2) inclusion (creating an environment where all those with diverse identities are welcomed and valued), and 3) equity (recognizing that identity-based advantages and barriers exist in our industry, as well as in society, and working to correct and address this imbalance).
Because part of the job of an editor is to see bias and root it out, we strive to acknowledge, welcome, and respect the differences of our members along spectrums of ethnicities, genders, sexualities, abilities, languages, religious/faith backgrounds and communities, ages, socioeconomic status, and levels of professional experience. We understand that each person’s identity is composed of multiple, intersecting factors that contribute to their experiences as an editor.
6. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
Are you looking for training opportunities online? Check out our 2019 webinar season.
Don’t forget: Editors Canada members and student affiliates save 30% on the registration fee. Also, branches and twigs get a portion of the profit from webinars for each participant who lives in their area.
Upcoming webinars
- January 11: Notions de base en révision linguistique en français with Sandra Gravel
- January 16: Sentences with Style with Frances Peck
- January 21: Freelance Finances with Elisabeth Schieck
- January 28–31: Gutenberg: The New WordPress Content Editor A to Z with Bud Kraus
Catch up on demand: Webinar recordings are available
Did you miss an Editors Canada webinar? Many of our webinars have been recorded and are now available for purchase (and some are even free). When you buy a webinar recording, you’ll receive a video file to watch at your leisure on your computer or mobile device. The file is yours to keep, so you can watch it again and again.
Visit our webinar recordings page to see what’s available now. We’re adding new recordings regularly so be sure to check often.
7. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
There are countless examples of successful people who have been mentored by a trusted counsellor or guide. Indeed, mentorship can offer lasting life- and career- changing benefits to both mentors and mentees.
The mentorship program offered by Editors’ Canada, which started in the spring of 2017, now boasts an impressive list of some 25 mentors across Canada.
Basically the program works like this. Once the mentee makes an application, a committee matches them with a mentor. When they’re matched, the mentor and mentee meet informally for a free two-hour cafe session, sort of like a first date, to determine if they’re compatible. If so, they proceed to work together by phone, email or Skype over a period of two months, or longer if they wish.
To apply to be a mentor or a mentee, visit the John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program page.
8. MEMBER SERVICES: Resources for in-house editors and more
Join the conversation on the Editors Canada in-house editors Facebook group! Follow weekly updates and engage in discussions about issues we encounter in our daily practice.
Videos
Our popular plain language videos are now available with audio narration.
Editors Canada presents: What is Plain Language? (with audio narration)
Narrator: Alana Chalmers
Réviseurs Canada présente … Le langage clair : de quoi s’agit-il?
Narrator: Sandra Gravel
In-house Editing Case Studies
The first post in our new series of case studies by and for in-house editors appeared in the Editors’ Weekly this month! New posts will appear every other month with personal experiences and insights from in-house editors. Stay tuned for Gael Spivak’s post on “Client Relationships for the In-house Editor” in early February.
If you are interested in writing a post in this series or an article related to in-house editing for our national magazine, Active Voice, please contact Sara Promislow. We have a list of suggested topics for inspiration.
9. ONLINE SAFETY: Recognizing scammers and bad clients
Members were recently discussing someone who appeared to be a scam artist and who was working their way through the Online Directory of Editors (ODE). There were discussions on social media as well as on the member email forum (“the list”).
Members sometimes ask why the association doesn’t warn people about bad clients such as this one. The national executive council (NEC) has looked at this more than once over the past decade. A few years ago, the NEC was advised by a lawyer about the risks (and potential high costs) of doing this, so the directors agreed to not pursue that option.
Given the reach of this recent scammer, and the limitations on what the association can safely do about this, the directors decided to put warning information about suspicious business practices on the website. It’s on the ODE (members will see it when they create a new listing or update their current one). It’s also posted on the members’ area of the job board. Being aware of these suspicious practices, and using the Agreement Template for Editing Services, will mitigate the risks to members.
10. SHOP EDITORS CANADA: 2018–19 wall calendar nearly sold out
We’ve nearly sold out of our Editors Canada wall calendar! Do you have your copy yet? If not, be sure to order one today because there are only about a dozen left.
This 16-month (September 2018–December 2019) bilingual wall calendar makes a great gift. It’s full of advice from Editors Canada members and student affiliates.
Special dates for word lovers
Any calendar could tell you when New Year’s Day and Thanksgiving are, but a calendar for language enthusiasts by language enthusiasts? You know we went the extra mile. Wondering when Read a Book Day and Dictionary Day fall? You’ll find these and other dates for word lovers in our calendar.
Get your calendar now
Purchase your calendar online now. The cost per calendar is $25, which includes shipping* in Canada.
*Please note that orders placed in December will be shipped at the beginning of January.
11. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
Editors Ottawa-Gatineau member Marion Kennedy teamed up with her cousin Bill Kennedy of Belleville and Tellwell of Victoria to publish his book Putting the Outside Inside Kids: A Father’s Algonquin Journey with His Daughter. It will catch the attention of anyone who would like to be carried away from everyday life into the magic of a canoe trip. With parents and grandparents in the writer’s mind, the book illustrates how nature can engender self-confidence, curiosity and a spirit of adventure in their children and grandchildren. Bill’s book can be ordered through his website.
The Abbotsford Arts Council recently honoured long-time Editors British Columbia member Philip Sherwood with their 2018 Arty Award for the Literary Arts. Sherwood’s business lifewriters.ca helps individuals, families, organizations and communities tell their stories and preserve them in print. This is the second time that the Arts Council has recognized Sherwood’s work.
Editors Québec member John Sweet was acknowledged at the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize gala for his work as a copy editor. Esi Edugyan, the winner of the $100,000 prize, thanked him in her acceptance speech on Monday, November 19.
“It’s awfully nice to be recognized for one’s work,” says John. “Truly a moment to remember and cherish! And a welcome reminder that our work as copy editors is valued.”
Editors Canada Member News is where we share information about members and affiliates who win awards, publish books and make their mark in other important ways.
Do you have an achievement you’d like to share? Are you excited about a new project or opportunity that has come your way? Let us tell the world all about it! Please send your stories to the member news coordinator.
12. CH-CH-CHANGES: The national office is moving
After nearly 20 years of calling 27 Carlton Street in downtown Toronto home, our national office is moving.
As of Wednesday, January 2, 2019, the Editors Canada national office will be located at
180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1507
Toronto, Ontario
M5G 1Z8
Our phone numbers will not change.
416 975-1379
1 866 226-3348
Why the new adventure?
Our lease expired earlier this year and rent for the current space is increasing significantly. We decided this was a good time to move our operations to a smaller (or “cozier” in real estate lingo) office.
The move will also result in longer-term cost savings that we can put to use improving member services.
Holiday closure/moving day
The national office will be closed for the holidays as of Thursday, December 20. The big move will take place on this date.
The national office will reopen at its new location on Wednesday, January 2.
Best wishes for a happy holiday season. See you in 2019!
13. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
In my message to members last December, I looked back on what the NEC had accomplished during 2017. It was a good reminder of the work we’d done on behalf of members.
I could do that again this year. Or… How about something unexpected and fun for the last e-news of the year? Yes, let’s do that instead.
I asked the directors for their favourite punctuation mark. Seven of us responded. We obviously like punctuation with strong character.
Here are the results.
Dashes
The en dash – because there’s always something to add.
I like the em dash because it sets off a second thought that isn’t necessarily secondary.
The em dash because it knows exactly what it is doing—making the reader pause—so there is no mistaking what is going on.
The interrobang
I like the interrobang. You don’t see it very often, but it’s very effective.
I love the interrobang and wish it was in common usage. It does double duty as a question mark and exclamation mark in one!
The interrobang (?!). Because it’s fun and says so much, even on its own.
The colon
The : because in French it is useful to put some energy in a sentence.
Enjoy the holiday season. And please take a break from work if you can. It’s important to rejuvenate.
See you next year!
Gael Spivak, president
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.