News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
1. WEBINARS: No time for training? Try our webinar recordings
2. MEMBER SERVICES: Discounts for Editors Canada members and student affiliates
3. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Spotlight on the Stylistic Editing Certification Exam
4. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
5. AGM 2022: Call to meeting
6. BRANCHES AND TWIGS: Local updates
7. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
8. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. WEBINARS: No time for training? Try our webinar recordings
If you’d love to learn something new, but you struggle to find time for professional development, we’ve got you covered. When you buy one of our many webinar recordings (at 40% off with our member discount), you don’t need to rearrange your schedule to tune in at a specific hour. The webinar is yours to watch whenever and wherever is convenient for you, and to return to as often as you like.
With recordings offered on subjects like copy editing, marketing, editing software and much more, you’re sure to find something to enrich your work. Visit our webinar recordings page to see what’s available now.
2. MEMBER SERVICES: Discounts for Editors Canada members and student affiliates
Looking for savings on training opportunities and resources? Editors Canada is pleased to offer great discounts to members and student affiliates.
From free access to the Oxford Reference Online Premium Collection and the Chicago Manual of Style Online, to professional liability insurance through APOLLO Insurance and discounts on partner conferences, PerfectIt, academic journals and University of Chicago Press imprint books, we’re offering savings on the resources editors want most.
Visit the member services section of our website to learn more about discounts and other benefits you don’t want to miss.
Is there a service or discount you’d like Editors Canada to offer? Email the member services committee and let us know so we can keep adding to the benefits our members want!
3. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Spotlight on the Stylistic Editing Certification Exam
Stylistic editing is all about elegance. It walks a fine line (a catwalk, perhaps) between structural editing, which deals with organizing a manuscript into shape, and the more detailed work of copy editing, which involves catching errors, inconsistencies and inaccuracies. Stylistic editing is finessing. Some sample tasks that a stylistic editor might perform include:
- Improving sentence construction and word choice to convey meaning more effectively
- Rewriting sentences, paragraphs and passages to resolve ambiguity and ensure logical connections
- Eliminating wordiness
- Adjusting language level or tone to suit the intended audience
If you have a flair for this type of work, make 2022 the year you obtain professional certification in stylistic editing. The exam is scheduled for Saturday, November 19, 2022, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., local time, and will assess your mastery of the Editors Canada Professional Editorial Standards for Stylistic Editing (C1 – C15) and the Fundamentals of Editing (A1 – A12).
Visit the Preparing for Certification page for resources to help you get ready for the exam. Resources such as seminars, webinars and Certification Test Preparation Guides are available to help you prepare.
Exam registration will open this summer. In the meantime, why not try a sample question to test your readiness?
The focus of the meeting was back-office personnel efficiency enhancement procedures development.
Which problem does this sentence contain?
a) Noun string
b) Non-parallel construction
c) Unnecessary modifiers
d) Redundancy
4. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
The Editors Canada mentorship program now offers two levels of mentorship.
Level 1
- designed primarily for student affiliates and those who have a small, clearly defined topic they want to discuss
- 4–5 hours over 1 month
Level 2
- designed for a more in-depth mentoring experience
- 10–20 hours over 2 months
- can be extended up to 6 months
Visit the John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program page for more details and to apply to be a mentor or a mentee.
Testimonials
“My first mentorship term was a wonderful experience! My mentor was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and inspiring. She tailored our conversations to my needs and was very generous when answering questions and recommending resources. Working with her over these last two months has given me many different perspectives on my editing career. Thank you so much to Editors Canada for making this possible.”
– Sarah Jefferies, PhD
“What a great opportunity to learn collegially and to benefit from the experience of a senior editor; we’re lucky to have a program like this. Thanks so much for this opportunity!”
– Claire Wilkshire
5. AGM 2022: Call to meeting
Our annual general meeting (AGM) of members takes place on Saturday, June 18, 2022, on Zoom. Earlier this month, we sent members the call to meeting, proxy form and online registration instructions. Look for the subject line “Call to Meeting—AGM 2022” in your inbox.
For meeting details, including the agenda, supporting documentation and instructions for student affiliates to register to attend the meeting by phone, please visit the Annual General Meeting 2022 page in the members’ area.
6. BRANCHES AND TWIGS: Local updates
Editors Atlantic
After much hard work by the Editors Atlantic website committee and designer Marsha Amanova, the Editors Atlantic website is now live at editorsatlantic.ca! Editors Atlantic is excited to have this beautiful online space to serve our members while the national site is being developed.
Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph
Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph held a Stet Walk in Waterloo, Ontario, on Wednesday, April 27. Four people attended and a good time was had by all, with lots of good conversation and a cup of tea or coffee together at the end. We look forward to seeing members at our outdoor social and twig AGM at the end of May.
Editors Québec
Editors Québec is seeking two members to sit on its executive committee. The volunteers will benefit from the experience and support of the two current members and the outgoing branch chair in carrying out their duties. For more information, contact Sylvie Collin prior to the branch’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, June 1.
The branch will also present the webinar Faux Pas: Everyday English Words and Expressions People Think They’re Getting Right (But Totally Aren’t), hosted by Joachim Lépine in English on Wednesday, June 15. While spoken English can be surprisingly forgiving, careful writing can be treacherous terrain. And you really need to watch your footing in today’s world of rapid-fire self-publishing, up-to-the-minute reporting, and instantaneous posts and Tweets.
Unfortunately, it’s easier than ever to stumble or get bogged down when writing nowadays…and the results can be pretty messy. From tricky terms and expressions such as “acting/interim,” “plethora” and “as per” to subtle particles (is it “consist of” or “consist in”?), this webinar will take you through many words that even native anglophones often just can’t seem to get right. This webinar is for all language professionals (beginner through advanced).
What is your local group up to? Check with your branch or twig to find out about professional development opportunities and social events. And be sure to check our national calendar for events across the association.
7. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
The Broken Places, by Editors British Columbia member Frances Peck, is now on the shelves at bricks-and-mortar and online bookstores. The novel, part of the Nunatak First Fiction Series, examines how a major earthquake upends the lives and relationships of a group of characters in and around Vancouver. The book has been hailed as a “wonderfully sophisticated and razor-sharp” novel, featuring a “beautifully layered and compelling” story with “nuanced, stunning characters.” For more, visit NeWest Press or Frances’s author website.
In February 2022, Editors Toronto member Betty R. Robinson self-published Elizabeth’s Enlightening Day at the Zoo. This second book in her Elizabeth series of STEM books for girls supports the Light unit of the Ontario Grade 4 science curriculum. Elizabeth’s Enlightening Day at the Zoo was edited by Editors Toronto member Susan Hughes and reviewed by Editors Calgary member Becky Noelle. For more information, please visit www.bettyrrobinson.ca.
Editors Calgary member Lorna Stuber just published a memoir of the three years she spent living and teaching in Japan when she was in her early 20s, from 1992 to 1995. The book launched in early April in Okotoks, Alberta, where she now lives, and has hit #1 on Amazon a few times already! For more information, visit Lorna’s website.
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.
8. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
The national executive council (NEC) met on Sunday, April 3, and discussed several items, including the following:
- The NEC considered replacements for the defunct email forums, which have not been operational for the past year because of the server issues Editors Canada experienced. We reviewed a few options but ultimately voted to use Google Groups, since it is free with our Google Workspace for Non-Profits account. More information about this will be upcoming.
- The director of branches and twigs provided an extensive update following her meeting with many of the branch and twig chairs. Topics included difficulty replacing outgoing twig chairs and methods of volunteer recognition.
- The NEC also gave updates on work being done by national committees, including by the publications committee, which is continuing to work on the structural editing edition of Edit Like a Pro; the volunteer management committee, which has completely updated the VolunteerConnect spreadsheet to make it easier for members and student affiliates to volunteer and to post positions that need to be filled; and the nominating committee, which has successfully recruited candidates for almost all positions coming vacant at the end of June.
The next e-news update will include a summary of the May 14 NEC meeting.
Heather Buzila
President
Answer
a) Noun string
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.