Metaglossia: The Translation World

Teach grammar and mechanics in the context of real language with every day edits -- daily editing and proofreading activities.

Your child has found a great topic. He or she has written, revised and edited. Now it's time for the final step: a careful proofreading. How can you help your child hand in something that's error-free and will make you all proud? These copy editor tips will help you to help them.

In order for the first paragraph of an essay to actually be a proper introduction (in other words, for it to fulfill the requirements of a proper introduction), it must do two things. These two things are:

1) Include a thesis statement.
2) Provide a preview or essay plan for the essay.

So what do these two things mean?

Les humanistes (…) insistent sur les vertus et les plaisirs de l'art d'écrire, qui n'est pas un ornement ou une vaine affectation, mais un outil essentiel pour soutenir l'attention et approfondir la compréhension. Les scientifiques, de leur côté, tout en reconnaissant la nécessité d'atteindre à la brièveté et à la clarté, tendent à affirmer que la recherche du style, de la mise en forme plutôt que de la substance, ne joue aucun rôle dans la science.

Según FACT- Finder, líder en la búsqueda y navegación online del mercado europeo, entorno a un 40% de las búsquedas realizadas...

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Cruises are a great vacation value. The food, transportation and entertainment are all included in the price. Better yet, the cruise doesn’t have to end when you get off the boat.

...

As any editor or proofreader can tell you, catching typos and misspellings on a good day can be tough. But when you’re jerking around like Martin Lawrence in drag, it can be next to impossible.

A proofreading test that was implemented by UK marketing company WM Group, revealed that even when people specifically set time aside to proofread documents, they still miss mistakes...

interactive thesaurus...

Multi-touch keyboards and mice are the next generation in quality computer peripherals.

Cuando empecé a trabajar, entré en una editorial que me enseñó mucho. Tuve la suerte de contar con una gran mentora que me transmitió sus más de veinte años de experiencia para que en el fut...

Students often read newspapers for a wide variety of reasons, not least of which is to keep informed in English. As you know, newspaper writing style tends to have three levels: Headlines, leading phrases, and article content.

Everything you wanted to know about four common, and not so common, punctuation marks, but were afraid to ask.

I recently received an email advertisement for a proof-reading service which contained, inter alia, the following text:
" ... We are offering an efficient service to help you and your colleagues ensure that your academic and professional work is written in perfect English. We will check the grammar and style of your work and return it to you to meet your requirements and deadlines.

If your research has too many English spelling and grammar errors, or if the publisher’s style guide has not been followed, your research may be rejected without due regard to its content. We strongly suggest sending the document to us for editing and proofreading before submission, particularly if English is not your first language.

English has borrowed heavily from French, including a number of expressions beginning with en (meaning “as” or “in”). Some of these, such as “en masse,” are ubiquitous; others, like “en ami,” are obscure.

Your work could be full of mistakes when you send it along to Medicare or your insurance company, thus ensuring a straightforward denial for you. Avoid the embarrassment of your boss and double work discovering your less than impressive medical coding skills by proofreading your work before handing it in.
Proofreading isn’t as easy as it seems. It can actually be difficult to catch your own mistakes. Learn to recognize some of the most common types of mistakes along with some tips to proofread your work. Keep your eyes open for these most common mistakes:...

So, here's the thing! I just had a 2* review stating that one of my books contained 'poor grammar and sloppy editing'! I mean, who says things like that to an author with an ego as thin as tissue...

STEVE EMBER: We use rhetoric every time we use language, whether giving a speech or talking with a friend. So what is rhetoric? Dictionaries list several meanings for this word. One is the study of using language effectively. Another is the art of using language to persuade, influence or please.
The Greek philosopher Aristotle described rhetoric as "the ability, in each particular case, to see the available means of persuasion." But the word can also have a negative meaning, like when a politician gives a speech and critics dismiss it as "rhetoric." What they mean is, it sounded good, but lacked substance.

Si vous n’avez pas l’habitude de recourir à un traducteur professionnel, entendre votre prestataire évoquer une relecture externe, par une tierce personne spécialisée, peut vous surprendre, voire éveiller votre méfiance.

« Comment ? Voilà quelqu’un qui se vante d’être professionnel et spécialiste de mon métier, qui m’annonce un prix en rapport, et qui a si peu confiance dans son travail qu’il le fait vérifier et corriger par un autre ? »

Loin de vous alarmer, cette démarche doit au contraire vous rassurer, car elle témoigne du sérieux et du professionnalisme de votre interlocuteur.

A previously regular feature that started on my first blog was what became known as the 'translator posts'. These were started when my American friends would get confused by my use of Scots or Brit...

Exemple: "Excepté livraison locale"


You've seen this phrase many times on traffic signs but have you ever
wondered why "excepté" in this instance does not agree with "livraison" which is ...

In the current economy, many people have discovered that they must change careers or reinvent themselves in order to keep their current positions.  Some are entering into fields that contain jargo...

A Connecticut man who was illiterate until age 96 learns to read and then writes a book.

Although part of a more advanced group of ESL lessons, writing an essay is an important skill to learn if you want to present your ideas, perceptions and arguments about particular subjects in the ...

The Prague Cemetery
by Umberto Eco ‏(translated from the Italian by Richard Dixon‏). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
464 pages, $28

Conspiracy theories and intense historical settings are Umberto Eco’s forte, and here he turns his attention to one of history’s most persuasive and destructive false texts - with mixed results.