This document discusses common writing errors made by non-native English users and the role of editors. It notes that English is widely used globally and editing services are an important industry. The document compares processes where a subject matter expert writes a document in another language and has it translated, versus writing in English and having it edited. It discusses common mistakes made by non-native English writers like incorrect word forms, spelling errors, and direct translations. The document provides examples and advice for editors on how to identify errors and stay sane in their work editing documents written by non-native English users.

1. Non-Native Users of
English:
Common Writing Errors &
the Role of the Editor
©2015 Mark Matsuno. All Rights Reserved.
Making Tracks
STC Canada West Coast Chapter Event
January 31, 2015

2. English is a Global Language
• According to Wikipedia, it is the primary language of 350 million
people worldwide, and a second language for 850 million people.
• An important language in academia, industry, and government.
• Related industries
• English language education
• English testing
• English editing services
• English pronunciation coaching / accent reduction

3. Non-native users of English
• My definition: People who learned English as an additional
language who use written or spoken English in their personal or
professional lives
• Diverse group
• Difficult to generalize
• Why such a complicated word?
• Why not “ESL” ?
• Why not “Fluency”?

4. Speaking and Writing
(and everything in between)
Spoken
Conversation
Writing
Documents
Less formal
Need to exchange information
More formal
Need to sound professional
E-mails
Chat
Wikis
Presentations

5. Role of the Editor
Edit
• Edit translations.
• A NNUoE writes a document in English, and you edit the document.
Read
• You read emails and reference documents written by NNUoE.
Discuss
• Discuss the subject matter & document with the NNUoE.

6. Imagine a SME Who…
• Is a NNUoE
• Needs to create a well-written document in
English.
What does he/she do?

7. Write in Another Language &
Have it Translated
• The SME writes the document in another language.
• The translator translates the document.
• The editor edits the document.
SME Translator Editor

8. Write in English &
Have it Edited
• The SME writes in English, and the editor edits it.
SME Editor

9. Comparison of processes
Write (Other Language) + Translate + Edit
Write (English) + Edit
SME Translator Editor
SME Editor

10. Comparison: SMEs
SME Translator Editor
SME Editor
• The top SME doesn’t need to speak any English at all.
• The bottom SME often speaks English well enough to be
successful in their field.

11. The Translator
SME Translator Editor
SME Editor
• Rarely an expert in the field.
• Translations must be ACCURATE and CONSISTENT; translation
quality varies widely.
• Is the translator translating into their stronger language?

12. Comparison: Editors
SME Translator Editor
SME Editor
• Helps if the editor speaks the language of the SME, more so in
the first case and the editor is acting as a translation checker.
• Google Translate is useful for checking translations.

13. Comparison: The document
SME Translator Editor
SME Editor
• These documents sound more translate-y even though there are
no grammatical problems

14. Writing quality
Writing quality is hard to define
• Clarity and flow
• Accuracy
• Grammar
Editors have to take what they receive and improve quality.
Does that sound right to you?

15. “Can you edit this?”
• What is it for? Who is the audience?
• How much time do you have?
• Do you have to check for accuracy?
How do you see yourself?
• A champion of the end user?
• A defender of the English language?
• A teacher?
• Someone trying to get on top of their workload?
• Is editing a craft or a step on the assembly line?

16. Common Mistakes

17. Common mistakes
• Errors don’t occur in isolation
Excessive jargon
Poor organization
Errors by NNUoEs
Spelling mistakes
…
Errors add up

18. Examples: Adjective order
They knocked on the red, big door.
Click the dispatch taxi configuration
tab on the main screen, and check your
settings.

19. Examples: Spelling
Thank you for your corporation
Our vacuum tube amplifiers typically
have a dumping factor of 10 to 20.

20. Examples: Plurals
The 2010 accident affected his
cognitive performances.
Enter the number of widgets you need
in the “widget needed” field
Please send me more informations

21. Examples
• Articles (a, the)
In 2010, a contamination of a city’s
water supply led to a transmission of
a disease.

22. Examples: Prepositions
ABC Co., Ltd. is engaged on efforts to
prevent the cathode from being
damaged during the manufacturing
process.

23. Examples: “It was in the Dictionary”
Stratum Corneum
Also called the
horny layer

24. Examples: Tense
Since the operation, he was in a lot of
pain.

25. Examples: Direct translation
This guide targets the persons who
have the fundamental knowledge of the
followings:
ID Code of a node of update target

26. Examples: Dated English
I conduct nuclear research at UCLA. I
am a Japanese.
I was once stung by a bumble-bee.

27. Examples: False Friends
Finally, the report is finished! I just need
to revise it.
Actually, we’re working on something
else
Remember that electrolytic condensers
have a limited shelf life.

28. Examples: Mixed formality
I hope you have a better idea of how I
can be an asset to your organization,
and I hope we are on the same page.
• From a cover letter
Appreciate if you could inform the new
company policy to your staffs.
• From an email sent from head office.

29. How to Stay Sane

30. Learning another language helps
• Learning another language is a fun way to
see how other languages add order to the
world around us

31. Machine Translation:
How it can be your friend
• Google Translate is a quick way to check
translations.

32. Final Bit of Advice
• If you’re editing lots of writing by NNUoEs,
your English may suffer.
• Solution:
• Read plenty of well-written English.
• Write lots in your own words.
• Engage in plenty of conversation

33. The End