I remember the first time I received cruel feedback from a client. I’d been freelancing for a few months. Although I could see the client was belittling me because they were confused by the tracked changes, their brutal words hit like a gut punch, leaving me unsure of...
Disability is not an inability
Cripple, dumb, spaz, spastic, midget, crazy, invalid, handicapped, moron, idiot, retarded, deaf-mute, deaf and dumb, stupid, Mongol … these are only some hurtful terms that inconsiderate people use to refer to people with disabilities. Frequently used when...
PEG’s Directory of Services – How do I get an entry?
You can be listed in the Directory of Members’ Services on the Find an Editor page: if * you have been a member for at least the last calendar year and * you have paid your subscription for the current year and * submitted proof that you have earned at least 20 CPD...
Formatting before editing 3: Figure and table captions
(The instructions are intended as guidelines and apply to Microsoft® Word for Microsoft 365 MSO (Version 2403 Build 16.0.17425.20124 64-bit) for Windows 11. Details may differ slightly for other versions.) In my first blog post, I shared my 14-step formatting...
CPD – What’s the difference between CPD hours for regional and national events?
Regional events (whether in-person or online) are equally weighted with national ones. National and regional information-sharing or learning sessions earn formal CPD hours equal to the actual length of the event but committee and administrative meetings earn...
CPD – When is the Accreditation Test?
The Accreditation Test is always held in September and members who wish to take it are given a window period of eight or nine days in which to take it. From the time you receive the test script by email, you have precisely 48 hours in which to complete it in your home...
CPD – Must every PEG member take the Accreditation Test?
Short answer: No. It is not mandatory, although PEG’s Accreditation Scheme is something every member should aspire to passing: With PEG’s membership levels limited to Associate and Full members, we feel that individuals should attain the Gold Standard of...
CPD – How many hours can I claim for webinar participation?
If you attend a webinar or listen to a recording of it, you earn the number of hours equivalent to the length of the webinar, eg if the webinar takes two hours, they earn two hours. Your certificate of attendance or proof of purchase is proof of your having earned...
CPD – Does PEG keep track of member CPD hours?
Our webinar administrator keeps a record of all members (including ATEs) for whom a certificate is issued. This helps members to calculate their CPD hours garnered during a membership year for a variety of activities and to submit those as proof of having completed...
Should a preposition end a sentence?
Then: 2007 We found this in an edition of Pegboard from as far back as 2007. These were deliberations of editors about prepositions at the end of sentences: Do your hackles rise when you spot a preposition at the end of a sentence? What does this little rhyme by...
Renkema’s CCC model: Why is it useful?
Renkema’s CCC model facilitates and evaluates the text-editing process in a systematic, standardised and accountable way. This blog briefly describes the origin, composition and usefulness of this model. (The blog was written first in Afrikaans and has been...
Renkema se K3-model: Hoekom is dit nuttig?
Renkema’s K3/CCC-model facilitates and evaluates the text-editing process in a systematic, standardised and accountable way. The first of our blogs written in Afrikaans, this blog briefly describes the origin, composition and usefulness of this model. Renkema se...
10 tips for freelance copy editors
If you are a freelance editor or are considering editing in a freelance capacity, this is for you. These 10 tips guide you through different aspects of your work as a freelancer. Before we get to the 10 tips, here are three additional points to consider with two quick...
The accreditation debate
Debating accreditation: This was the title of a contribution by the PEG newsletter editor at the time, André Snyders, in the edition dated November 2007. How far we have come. And how long it has taken! Sixteen years on, the questions regarding whether or not we need...
Editing for conscious and inclusive language
In support of the efforts of Alexis Grewan, our national chairperson, to work towards greater diversity and inclusion in PEG, I offer my thoughts on what this means for PEG and its members and what it requires of all of us as professional language practitioners. PEG...
The ‘P’ in ‘PEG’
I recently came across Alexis Grewan’s four-part series, which was posted between November 2021 and January 2022. This post will add my contribution as a follow-on to Alexis’ excellent series. For those who missed her posts, here are the links:...
Technology for editors – made nice and simple 1: The basics
In a recent coffee conversation with PEG members, we discussed technology and how it could be used better to help us get our work done more efficiently. A number of questions were raised which prompted me to put together a series of blog posts on this mysterious...
Formatting before editing 2: Headings
Formatting makes it much easier for me to work with the document, it looks professional, and it is much easier for the examiners to navigate (Richard Steele, 2023). In my last blog, I shared my 14-step formatting checklist and how to work through steps 1 to 6: Open...
Formatting before Editing 1: Introduction
Richard Steele said in his recent blog about his take on academic referencing: Formatting “makes it much easier for me to work with the document, it looks professional, and it is much easier for the examiners to navigate … this is a technical issue, not an academic...
Accreditation – What does it mean for PEG members?
Accreditation enables PEG members to advertise their level of competence to clients, it boosts their self-confidence, and enables them to benchmark themselves against international best practice. PEG has conducts an annual accreditation test for members. We run...