News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
1. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination
2. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: Marie-Ève Laroche
3. WRITE FOR EDITORS CANADA: Volunteer opportunities to boost your resumé
4. BRANCH NEWS: NCR is now Editors Ottawa–Gatineau
5. PARL: A milestone for francophone editors in Canada
6. CERTIFICATION: One step closer to computer testing
7. CONFERENCE 2016: Call for billets, volunteer opportunities
8. MEMBER SERVICES: New partner discounts
9. NEW WEBSITE: Sneak peek
10. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
11. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination
It’s our time to shine!
Editing might be an invisible art, but that doesn’t mean great editors should hide in the shadows. Help us shine a spotlight on editing excellence by submitting a nomination for the 2015 Tom Fairley Award.
The recipient of the 2015 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence will receive a $2,000 cash prize. Finalists will receive a cash prize of $500 each, because being shortlisted for the Tom Fairley Award is also an exceptional achievement.
The deadline for your letter of nomination is January 15, 2016.
Please spread this message far and wide. Nominees don’t have to be members of Editors Canada and self-nominations are encouraged.
For complete nomination instructions and other information about the award, visit the Tom Fairley Award page.
More than books!
Editors know that the fine art of editing extends beyond books and print media. While the Tom Fairley Award has been awarded to many outstanding book editors since it was created in 1983, we encourage nominations for a variety of written projects. Whether it’s a magazine, a corporate or government report, software documentation or a book, we want to hear about it. When it comes to editing, the variety of material is limitless!
2. VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH: Marie-Ève Laroche
Marie-Ève Laroche rejoined Editors Canada in 2012, after a decade-long absence. She belongs to the Quebec/Atlantic Canada branch and is a proud member of the Comité Agrément/Principes, which is creating the first editing proficiency exams in French.
She joined the Comité Agrément/Principes because she believed the editing profession would benefit from being better recognized and more valued. Further, she won her very first editing contract, a novel, thanks to her membership in Editors Canada.This prompted her to want to give back a little of what she had received.
Curious and passionate about literature and linguistics, Marie-Ève started working for a book publisher in 2001. First employed as the publisher’s assistant, she quickly diversified into proofreading and editing. From 2004 to 2013 she was the literary editor at a book publisher. In 2013, she chose to offer her services as a freelance project manager, literary director and editor to keep expanding her horizons. She teaches manuscript publishing and editing at the Université de Sherbrooke and at McGill University.
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. Visit the Members’ Area for more information about actively participating in the association.
3. WRITE FOR EDITORS CANADA: Volunteer opportunities to boost your resumé
Do you have ideas for articles that would be of interest to editors and others in the language community? Are you looking for a byline on a national platform and published pieces for your portfolio? Here are some Editors Canada writing opportunities that are available.
The Editors’ Weekly: Bloggers wanted
As an editor, you’re always working with language and finessing other people’s copy. But a little part of your brain says, “Hey, I have something to say. I could write about this.” Here is your chance! The Editors’ Weekly is the weekly blog for Editors Canada, and we have room for new authors.
Blog articles are typically 300 to 500 words, but they can be longer or shorter. We welcome one-off opinions, mini-series or regular (monthly or bimonthly) series. If you have your own blog you can cross-post to it, and you can link to your own website and Twitter accounts. You do the writing, and Editors Canada will do the promoting through its social media channels.
If you have something to say that you think other editors and linguaphiles want to hear, submit your proposal to the blog’s managing editor.
Call for articles for the Language Portal of Canada
Since 2011, Editors Canada has contributed four articles a year to the Language Portal of Canada, a federal government website that showcases Canadian expertise in the area of language. Articles submitted have included the role of the editor; editing, translating, and bilingualism; Cree language facts for editors of English and French; and editing measurements. Visit the Language Portal to see the Editors Canada submissions to date.
Have an idea for a Language Portal article? Please contact Lisa Ng.
4. BRANCH NEWS: NCR is now Editors Ottawa–Gatineau
The National Capital Region branch has a new name: Editors Ottawa–Gatineau. Following a decline in seminar attendance, the branch consulted with members and found general support for a name change to something more evocative, that would be understood by a greater number of people, and that would be optimized for search engine results—especially useful when advertising seminars. Branch members voted on the new name in September and the change to Editors Ottawa–Gatineau was made official by a unanimous vote of the branch executive on October 7.
Congratulations, Editors Ottawa–Gatineau! May your new name serve you well.
Wondering what’s happening in your neck of the woods? Visit your branch or twig page to find out about news and events in your area.
5. PARL: A milestone for francophone editors in Canada
We’re celebrating another first for the association and the editing profession. The first examen d’agrément général for Programme d’agrément en révision linguistique – Réviseurs Canada (PARL) has now been written! On October 17, close to 100 candidates were the first in the world to write this exam at Université Laval.
Thank you to all of the volunteers who worked on the development of PARL, who established the first test, and who will now mark the exams. Candidates will receive their results by mid-January.
The Comité Agrément/Principes is now hard at work developing the first examen d’agrément en révision comparative, which will be written in fall 2016.
Visit the PARL website to learn more about the program.
6. CERTIFICATION: One step closer to computer testing
You asked, and we delivered. After extensive research and planning, the copy editing and stylistic editing exams were pilot-tested electronically this fall. So how did it go?
What the pilot testers told us:
Despite a few hiccups with reflow, scrolling and special characters, the pilot testers reported that the exams went quite smoothly. Consensus was that the computer tests reflected real working conditions accurately.
“I was surprised at how easy the file was to use,” one pilot tester told us. “Using Track Changes allowed me to edit very much the way I do in real-world situations.”
What the markers told us:
They commented that the process was similar, whether for evaluating electronic or written tests. However, they identified some challenges with Track Changes, reflow and the marking scheme, which will be addressed.
Next steps
The certification steering committee (CSC) will review all feedback from the pilot testers and markers, and from the staff and volunteers who administered the tests. Next, it will implement further steps to improve the process.
The structural editing exam will be pilot-tested electronically in 2016. The CSC is pleased to announce that copy editing and stylistic editing will be offered live on computer for the first time in 2017.
7. CONFERENCE 2016: Call for billets, volunteer opportunities
The 2016 conference committee is putting out an early call to those needing shared accommodation during the conference, and to those willing to open their homes to out-of-town conference attendees. If you live in the Vancouver area, please consider offering your home for a few days to a travelling editor. What a great opportunity to get to know another Editors Canada member on a personal level!
Travellers: Please specify any special requirements, such as non-smoking, pet allergies, food allergies, disability needs, willingness to share a hotel room, being situated close to transit and the conference site, etc. Vancouverites: Please specify your home’s distance from the conference site and connecting transit. (The conference will be held at Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites.)
Billeters and billetees can contact billeting coordinators Arlene Prunkl and Juliann Krushen to sign up or to learn more.
Finally, we are looking for volunteers in a variety of areas. Of particular need are French-language translators and a vendor fair coordinator, the tasks for which could be handled remotely. If interested, please contact conference co-chairs Amy Haagsma and Lynn Slobogian for more information!
8. MEMBER SERVICES: New partner discounts
We’ve been hard at work fostering relationships with other organizations that will benefit our members and affiliates, while allowing us to keep raising the profile of editors and the editing profession. We’re pleased to announce we’ve negotiated a partnership to offer new discounts.
Through our partnership with The Art Of, members and affiliates received preferred rates for The Art of Leadership conference in Toronto (November 17), and will also receive discounted registration for The Art of Leadership for Women conferences in Vancouver and Calgary next year. In addition to these discounts, Editors Canada will receive a half-page ad in the Spring 2016 issue of The Art of Magazine.
The Art of Leadership is billed as “Canada’s #1 leadership and innovation conference,” and it’s a great opportunity for Editors Canada members and affiliates to hone their skills while networking with leaders in business and other organizations—organizations that may need editors.
9. NEW WEBSITE: Sneak peek
A new association website is on the way! Earlier this month we invited members and affiliates to preview our new home on the web. In case you missed it, here’s your behind-the-scenes look at the new Editors Canada website.
To give our web developer the time needed to address issues that surfaced during the first round of testing, the timelines for our new site have shifted. We expect to begin beta testing this month, with the new site launching early in the new year.
10. MEMBER NEWS: A round of applause!
Editors British Columbia member Karen Autio is delighted to announce the publication by Sono Nis Press of her book Kah-Lan the Adventurous Sea Otter, illustrated by Sheena Lott and edited by Laura Peetoom and Dawn Loewen (Dawn is a member of Editors Saskatchewan). This chapter book is written from the point of view of a young sea otter and is appropriate for ages 7–12, but no one is too old to enjoy this west coast adventure tale.
Young sea otter Kah-Lan is hungry. He is sure there are big crabs near the point, but his mother won’t let him out of her sight. One day, he sees his chance. Soon he and his friend Yamka are swimming around the point—right into danger! Will they ever make it back home?
For more information, visit Karen’s website.
Do you have an achievement you’d like to share? Are you excited about a new project or opportunity that has come your way? We’d love to hear from you! Please send your stories to the member news coordinator.
11. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
Members of the national executive council are busy following up on the 46 action items that emerged from our September meeting: creating partnerships with other organizations, setting up online training, providing more member services, and drafting or revising policies. We are thrilled to have so many engaged members serving on national and local committees and task forces. Thank you! Getting involved is an ideal way to network with fellow editors, develop leadership and other skills, and get more out of your membership.
We’ll gather in Ottawa on November 28–29 for our final quarterly meeting of 2015, where we’ll report on the work we’ve been doing over the last few months. We’ll also set the budget for the year ahead. As always, our aim is to provide as many member services as possible while living within our means. You can follow the meeting on Twitter: #EditorsNEC or #ReviseursCAN.
Gearing up for a new strategic plan
On November 30, the national executive council, along with a few invited guests, will begin work on a new strategic plan for 2017–2021. A facilitator will guide us through this first step as we articulate the general areas to focus on in the new plan. We’ll be sharing our work with members and requesting your input as we go along. After this consultation process, you will be asked to vote on the new strategic plan.
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.