Since I have spent a large part of my career as a
professional copy editor, this could be merely the first of numerous blog
postings which comprise a course in copy editing; but that is only going to
happen if I feel ambitious.
Meanwhile, or for starters, I want to show just one rule of how to be a copy
editor--or, rather, how not to be a copy editor; but it is a very important rule. This first of the thou-shalts,
or thou-shalt-nots, is: verify.
This means, if you see something that you suspect to be
incorrect--that is, a typographical error, or typo--and they definitely do
occur--before you go ahead and change it to what you think it ought to be, do
your best to corroborate what the word ought to be. (If you are editing a book,
you usually will have the opportunity to query the author--something to be used
very liberally, as I will discuss further, if there are further posts on copy
editing.)
I want to give some egregious examples of cases where a well-intentioned
copy editor changed right to wrong--to their shame, and to the shame of the
publication they were working for. And this includes some big-name
publications.
When the famous MIT linguist and social commentator Noam
Chomsky was coming to town, the Chicago Tribune announced a visit by Norm
Chomsky.
When the famous opera singer Yvonne Minton had performed the
role of Octavian in Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier, Time magazine had
a headline which read "Milton's
Octavian."
The famous Indian film director Satyajit Ray made a trilogy of films
known as the "Apu Trilogy," and the first of these was titled Pather
Panchali. Guess what that was made into by an over-zealous copy editor: Father
Panchali.
And, before it became more widely known, I believe that the
title of the famous Public Television drama Downton Abbey tended to become
"Downtown Abbey."
I will even confess to being guilty of this myself, but this
was in my student days, and long before I became a professional editor. I don't
think I'll give the details just here.
So, as perhaps the first and prime commandment to any copy
editor or would-be copy editor, be very
cautious lest you change right to wrong.
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