More Than Grammar: Expectations of Technical Editing New Hires
A discussion list summary article by Shelley Thomas, sthomas@weber.edu
As an academic who teaches technical editing to undergraduates, I wanted to know what employers’ expectations are for their new hires. In September, I asked the discussion list: “What would you expect from a new hire who has completed a technical editing course (beyond being well-versed in grammar, mechanics, and punctuation)?” I received 18 responses to my question, and the range of issues raised by the listserv participants surprised me. While some of the responses stressed knowledge of the basics (strong knowledge of grammar, punctuation, and style guides), other responses were less focused on editing mechanics, concentrating instead on adept interpersonal skills and familiarity with various technologies. The technical editor’s responsibilities extend beyond grammar checking; the editor must be able to ensure consistency, logical structure, completeness, usability, and effective communication among all parties.
Grammar and Mechanics
While any company should be able to safely assume that a new technical editor would have a solid command of grammar, punctuation, usage, and mechanics, this is not always the case. Several respondents emphasized that this basic knowledge, which I assumed applicants would possess, was lacking. One respondent, Candy Jenkins, said, “I don’t believe enough emphasis is stressed on grammar and mechanics in institutions of higher learning, so having a good foundation in that is important.” Many companies use editing tests to ensure that their applicants have this most basic editing knowledge.
Style Guide
New editors must be familiar with standard proofreading marks and be experienced with using more than one style guide, especially the more widely used guides such as APA, Chicago, and AP. Because editors are divided regarding the use of soft copy and hard copy edits (see “Paper, Screen, or Scissors: Editing on Hard Copy or Soft Copy,” Corrigo, July 2007), editors continue to use proofreading symbols and authors rely on a standardization of these symbols to understand the edits. With the knowledge of various style guides comes an ability to create and maintain an in-house style guide (or a document-specific style sheet) to promote consistency. Furthermore, new editors must acquaint themselves with whatever style guide the company uses. Virginia Janzig remarked, “The editor needs to find out what style guide is used and then use it even if the editor doesn’t agree with some of the guidelines.” This knowledge allows the editor to edit with confidence by referencing a standard to support edits and make only necessary changes.
Interpersonal Skills
Editors must be able to adeptly defend their edits across many levels of an organization’s hierarchy. Their edits must be based on sound reasoning (or a notation in a style guide) and readability (as defined by the user or audience). To do this successfully, a new editor must make intelligent edits, write helpful and respectful queries, and persuasively communicate the changes to the author(s). These skills allow the editor to assist the author and to advocate for the user without projecting an “I-just-got-my-degree-and-know-it-all” attitude. When a new editor explains her edits to an author, she must do so with tact. And, according to Jennifer Coury, “[Editors] should always be able to gracefully explain [their] edits (either by e-mail or on in person).” Not only should effective editors be able to write clear queries within the document, they should also be able to discuss the emendations with the author through e-mail, in person, or on the phone.
Teamwork
While many technical writers and editors wish they could work alone, it just isn’t so. “Gone are the days when the editor sits alone in a corner, rarely to be approached except in times of grammar crises,” wrote Catherine Rudiger. New editors, especially, must integrate themselves into whatever project, big or small, they need to accomplish. This element requires, as Stephanie Weiss explains, “teamwork, flexibility, follow-through, and project management skills.” All too often, junior employees defer to their more senior colleagues. A successful technical editor, regardless of rank, must communicate clearly to writers of all skill levels and not be intimidated by a person’s degree or seniority. Good communication allows consistent editing of documents across organizational lines and document versions.
Documentation consistency requires an editor to look beyond sentence-level edits to examine page design, template use, layout, and font. With this editing task, a new hire must refer to a style guide or documentation guidelines to maintain the organization’s “look and feel” for documents, whether delivered in e-versions or in hard copy.
Technology
New hires must be familiar with various technologies: Web, content management systems (CMSs), advanced features of word processing, XML/DITA, and FrameMaker, to name only a few. As Jim Purcell wrote, “Nothing irritates writers more than editors who know language but have no idea about technology.” A familiarity with technology allows a new hire to acclimate quickly to a new position without extensive (and expensive) training. With the job market growing ever tighter, new employees in technical writing and editing must demonstrate complex skill sets. This includes, as Christina Bottomley emphasized, “the ability to upload docs to a website, learn a CMS, follow a style guide, and update changes in multiple docs.” An interest in technology helps new hires investigate editing options and delivery methods. It also and keeps them on the cutting edge of software packages.
Translation
In the global economy, technical writers and editors must prepare for their documents to be translated into other languages. With this in mind, an editor must be able to “meet the challenges of creating documents that will be translated” and understand “strategies for keeping translation costs low,” according to Julie Kumasaka. This editing skill involves an eye for consistency in usage and terminology, avoidance of jargon and idioms, and clarity of expression. In addition, a new editor may have to justify these types of edits to an author persuasively and confidently. Furthermore, knowledge of another language aids in the task of translation and deepens an editor’s understanding of English usage.
Conclusion
As I have researched undergraduate technical editing courses across the country, I have found that many address the issues expressed in this discussion This discussion opened my eyes to the complex nature of technical editing and created an avenue for more effective instruction. The editor is ultimately responsible for ensuring the author’s message seamlessly reaches its audience. At times, educators become removed from the work world, and we (educators) need to update our skill set and corporate knowledge. From the detailed comments I received, educators cannot take anything for granted when it comes to preparing undergraduates for “the real world.”
Sharon McCormick said,
June 1, 2008 at 10:42 am
EXCELLENT ARTICLE, THANK YOU. SHARON
Whitney said,
June 4, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Regarding the quote,
“I don’t believe enough emphasis is stressed on grammar and mechanics in institutions of higher learning, so having a good foundation in that is important.”
I would tend to agree. The Composition courses that are a staple of early college years (sometimes lumped into the category of “General Education Credits” that must be completed before students can begin work on their majors) rarely touch on grammar as a dedicated class subject, even as a summary. The assumption appears to be that the students learned grammar and mechanics in high school.
However, in high school, the assumption seems to be that someone else later down the road will cover this course material. And the buck just keeps getting passed…until the kids graduate, head off to college, and, to put it bluntly, become someone else’s problem. It’s likely that what they are learning — and how they are learning it — in high school is not what college instructors expect or have in mind. Grammar is taught through the lens of teacher corrections made on reports, essays, and term papers, and not through dedicated exercises.
As a high school student, I was in honors-level English courses for all four years and can honestly say that I never once had grammar lessons like the ones my parents had 30 years earlier. My first experience with diagramming sentences was in a linguistics course in my junior year of college. I remember the professor being shocked that 18 of the 20 students had never diagrammed sentences. Fortunately, our knowledge of grammar and mechanics was excellent…seemingly in spite of our prior learning environments.
In the last 20+ years, I’m sad to say that I’ve talked with very few high school students and college freshmen who have been able to tell me that things have changed. It’s unfortunate.
Maggie Prince said,
July 17, 2008 at 1:57 pm
This article was very good and very interesting to me. As someone who works alone as a technical writer with no technical editor, my work is edited by the Corporate Communication Dept. Although most times we work very well together, there have been times when I felt their edits just didn’t really indicate they had a clear understanding of technical writing. Having someone to review your work whether it be a peer or a technincal editor is extremely helpful and important.
I also found the article interesting because I taught high school English for 10 years and was an English education major in college. Unbelievably, we had only one course in any type of grammar. It was obvious even some English majors in the class had very little grasp of grammar and mechanics. And rather ironically, when we were given our first test, the person in the class who received a perfect score was someone who learned English in Japan. Apparently, they do a better job with this than we do!
Although I’m not a big fan of teaching grammar without context, I believe it’s crucial to teach. Many of my students who came into my classroom had no concept of grammar, and as seniors, were on the way out the door. I guess I felt like I needed to take one valiant stab at it before they went on into the world, whether it be college or something else. Unfortunately like most teachers, I will never know how successful I was.
As someone who also used Simplified English in my first job, I knew how important and difficult a job it was for our technical editor, given that most of the writers were engine mechanics and not people who had English backgrounds. So it appears many people make their way in the world without a real grasp of this knowledge, and some even end up writing instructions! I only know my solid knowledge of grammar and mechanics made it much easier to write within the Simplified English framework while I watched many writers struggle with it.
Lea Galanter said,
July 17, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Regarding style guides, in technical editing it’s not as important to know AP, since this is newspaper style. (I haven’t used the AP Style Guide in nearly 20 years, since I left magazine publishing for technical writing and editing.) However, it is extremely important to know technical style as set out in the Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, Sun’s Style Guide for the Computer Industry, and the Apple Style Guide. Knowledge of the user interface is also important, along with page layout and design (not only for print books and PDFs, but for Web sites). It’s also disconcerting to see how little most writers and editors know about crafting (yes, I mean crafting) a procedure.
Technical editors should see themselves as “software testers” in many respects and be prepared (and have the desire) to check every single procedure in a document they are editing. (Freelance editors may not be able to do this, so hopefully the testers are reviewing documentation and testing the written procedures.) The vast majority of procedures I edit are incorrect in some fashion. Imagine yourself as the frustrated user!
Technical editors also need to be aware of how to write for an international audience, that is, Global English (creates clearer writing as well as saves on translation costs). A good ear for jargon helps.
As a hiring manager, I am finding it increasingly difficult to find good writers and editors.
Jackie Eldridge said,
July 18, 2008 at 12:44 pm
This was a very good article, and I agree with just about all of the points made here. In particular, I think the necessity of having a broad knowledge base (i.e., editing skills plus technical background) cannot be overemphasized.
In our industry (environmental), a good technical editor must have more than solid grammar and punctuation skills, that person must be familiar with the technical aspects of the documents they review. I’ve worked in this field as both a member of the technical staff and as an editor and publications manager for more than two decades, and I’ve seen what can happen to a technical report when it gets edited by someone who is well acquainted with the subject matter. The result is a deliverable that is easy to read and understand, presents the material in an intelligent way, and is favorably received by the client. When a draft deliverable is of good quality, from both a technical and an editorial perspective, there are fewer changes to make when it “goes final”; that saves time and money, makes everyone’s job easier, and keeps clients happy. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to say that it also helps the company’s image.
Sad to say, I’ve also seen the other end of the spectrum. In our field, which is heavily regulated and where we are always conscious of the legal issues surrounding our work, a poor review, executed by an inexperienced editor, can lead to all sorts of difficulties. Sentences get edited for grammar, but the meaning gets changed; regulations are incorrectly cited; the editor tries to introduce variety in the writing by changing the wording of technical terms essential to the narrative; etc., etc.
One thing I would add to the list of requirements for a good editor: the ability to be flexible. The editor is very often the last on a list of people reviewing a document. When it’s time for the technical edit, the deadline is often just a couple of days away, the authors are stressed out, and there isn’t much money left in the budget. It’s unfortunate, but that’s life sometimes. A good editor has to be able to respond quickly and make the best of what little time there is. The ability to stay calm and keep a sense of humor helps, too, as does the ability to accept bribes of chocolate. Seriously, though, authors will almost always have unending respect for the editor who can help them out during a crisis and put the final glowing polish on their documents.
Gloria Gill said,
July 22, 2008 at 8:10 am
Thank you, Shelley. I enjoyed your article very much!