Copyediting: Because Language Matters

So I am sitting at Grainger and just finished reading the latest chapter of “When Words Collide” and thought now was a good time to blog. For some reason the creative spirit has not come over me so I decided to simply Google “Copy editors.” I have been Googling random terms since our lab session last week since we discussed the importance of Googling ourselves before job interviews.

I was not expecting much when I entered “Copy editors,” but to my surprise I found a very humorous hit. The piece started out by defining what a copy editor does:

“Your job title may or may not be ‘copyeditor,’ but copyediting is what you do: it’s your job to make sure that the documents and publications you work on are clear and accurate--that no errors of fact, grammar, punctuation, or style get in the way of the intended message.”

Copyediting newsletter link

This special, inspirational message to all the copy editors out there comes from a newsletter for copy editors! Maybe this is only funny to me because I have been sitting at Grainger for about three hours now, but come on. I just find it hysterical that there is a newsletter titled “Copyediting” that has been around “since 1990” for all those nerds like us out there who want the hot gossip about copyediting. You have to subscribe to this newsletter!

Besides offering people juicy copy editing tips, “Copyediting” also offers those who are interested in being certified in copyediting a self-paced training program to actually get certified. Although you have to pay for online modules, I can only imagine that the experience is priceless.

McMurray, the company that produces this magical newsletter, gets two thumbs up from me. Not only has it made me laugh out loud at Grainger and given me the energy to keep studying, but it also dotes on the importance of the copy editor. To all of those out there who believe we are destroying the English language and there is no hope in saving it, subscribe to “Copyediting.” At least some people still care and are trying to save our language, or at least having been trying since 1990.

Laura