News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
1. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
2. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Enhance your chances
3. MEMBER BENEFITS: JSTOR library discount
4. CONFERENCE 2021: Update
5. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
6. MEMBER NEWS: Tell the world about your accomplishment
7. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
Are you looking for training opportunities online? Check out our upcoming webinars.
Don’t forget: Editors Canada members and student affiliates register at discounted rates.
Upcoming webinars
- Tuesday, October 6: Productivity While Working From Home with Sagan Morrow
- Thursday, October 8 and 15: Les dictionnaires en ligne : utiles ou pas? with Mireille Elchaca
- Tuesday, October 20 and 27: From Digital to Dollars with Social Media Marketing with Christine LeBlanc and Virginia St-Denis
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.
2. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Enhance your chances
Registration for the 2020 certification exam is open until 11:30 p.m., EDT, on Friday, October 2. Register now and showcase your skills in stylistic editing!
Exam date: Saturday, November 21, 2020
Exam offered: Stylistic editing (10 a.m. to 1 p.m., local time)
Locations: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the exam will be offered by remote testing only.
All candidates must arrange an external exam site with an available computer (PC or Mac) and an invigilator and send the details to certification@editors.ca for approval by Friday, October 2. Full details on this process are available on the Editors Canada professional certification web page.
Please note: If registration numbers are low, the exam may be cancelled. In that case, it will be offered in 2021 alongside a second exam.
Already registered? It’s time to start studying! Visit the Preparing for Certification page for resources to help you get ready. Here are some tips from certified editors to improve your chances of passing:
Do:
- Familiarize yourself with the reference books you plan to use. You’re allowed any major dictionary, Editing Canadian English and up to three more style guides.
- Order and work through the updated Certification Test Preparation Guide for stylistic editing.
- Practise your test-taking skills, including speed (time yourself).
- Ensure you’re familiar with the track changes and comments features in Microsoft Word.
- Budget your time. Look at the marks allotted per question, and spend more time on the ones worth the most.
- Follow the instructions!
Don’t:
- Assume you don’t need to practise because you’re a professional editor.
- Wait until the last minute to begin studying.
- Arrive late, flustered, hungry or tired.
- Stray outside the scope of the skill being tested. If you’re taking the stylistic editing exam, don’t start reorganizing the text.
- Leave questions unanswered. Keep an eye on the time so you don’t run out.
Try a sample stylistic editing question
Which of the following tasks would not be the focus of a stylistic edit?
a. Ensuring reading level is appropriate
b. Incorporating alterations from authors and other contributors
c. Reordering elements to ensure coherence
d. Improving word choice to more effectively convey meaning
3. MEMBER BENEFITS: JSTOR library discount
Did you know that your membership in Editors Canada entitles you to a 25% discount on access to a digital library of more than 1,900 academic journals on JSTOR? JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways.
The JPASS is a time-based individual “library card” granting access to JSTOR’s journal archive collection content. Some exceptions apply.
Editors Canada members may purchase a JPASS annual access plan for $149 US, a savings of 25%. Monthly access, at $19.50 US per month, is also available.
Want to know more? Visit our JPASS page to find out how to get your 25% discount for members.
Looking for more discounts and other benefits of membership? Check out the Editors Canada member services page.
4. CONFERENCE 2021: Update
The initial stages of planning the 2021 Editors Canada conference in Edmonton, Alberta, are underway. Breanne MacDonald (the national conference adviser) and I have been in touch with a couple of companies to discuss running a hybrid (in person and virtual) conference. I have had numerous responses to the local call for volunteers that the Edmonton twig put out, as well as some offers to volunteer from people outside of Alberta, and I am excited to get to work. Please join the 2021 Editors Canada Conference Facebook group for updates as they are available.
Heather Buzila
2021 conference chair
5. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
Join the volunteer translation group
Do you translate from English into French? Have you worked on English-to-French comparative edits? Would you like to provide an important service for your fellow members? Consider joining the Editors Canada translation and editing group! These dedicated volunteers offer their translation and comparative editing services to national committees and the national executive council. While the bulk of the work is from English to French, we do occasionally assist with French-to-English translations, so all French-English translators and editors are welcome. Members who are interested in joining the group or would like more information are invited to email Nancy Foran, the group’s coordinator.
6. MEMBER NEWS: Tell the world about your accomplishment
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.
7. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
The national executive council (NEC) has been in discussions about the best timeline for scheduling meetings, since the association’s finances and the COVID-19 pandemic have made it impossible to continue meeting as we have in past years. Previously, the NEC met quarterly: three in-person meetings (usually September, November and March) that took place over two days, and one two-hour virtual meeting (in June). We looked at several options and decided it would work best to meet monthly for three hours over Zoom. This will mean that the NEC meeting agendas will need to change as well, with the most pressing topics discussed first and other topics possibly being pushed to a future meeting. We may also need to use our mailing list for more discussions and votes. In addition, the treasurer will hold separate budget meetings so that enough time can be devoted to this important topic.
Even with these changes, the NEC is committed to remaining transparent to Editors Canada members. Meeting agendas will be posted to the website in advance of each meeting. The meeting agendas will include the meeting Zoom link, and members are welcome to join and observe the meetings. Our Zoom account allows up to 100 participants per meeting. I’ll use the e-news updates to give meeting reports, since the shorter meeting duration will mean that there won’t be enough content to warrant a separate write-up.
The meeting dates for the remainder of 2020 are as follows:
Sunday, September 27, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., EDT
Sunday, October 25, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., EDT
Sunday, November 29, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., EST
October’s e-news will have a report on the September 5 and 27 meetings.
Heather Buzila
President
Answer
b. Incorporating alterations from authors and other contributors
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.