Singapore Copyediting

A General Overview Of Singapore Copyediting

On general perspective, copyeditors serve not only the authors’ need, but the publishers’ and readers’ as well. Copyeditors thus have far greater responsibilities to attend to aside from being the author’s second-eye – checking for consistency, conciseness, clarity, and coherency.

In times that the author has been careless with punctuations and accent, and when the author is a non-native English speaker, or when the author is using an inappropriate lingo for the target readers, copyreaders should start assuming of conducting a heavier intervention in the manuscript.

Moreover, copyeditors may find themselves in the middle of two opposing views of the author and the publisher. For instance, authors may prefer the quick read-through approach to correct everything that needs to be corrected. Publishers, on the other hand, may insist on a thorough inspection of the manuscript to ensure an error-free publication. There are also times when publishers, especially those budget-conscious, may instruct copyeditors to fix only the unforgivable errors and forget about detailed polishing of the text.

Singapore Copyediting – Rules To Abide By In Copyediting

Copyeditors from across the globe, including those in Singapore, adhere to various rules, protocols, and principles to ensure that their clients’ needs are being met. Among those rules include having the knowledge about the contents of the two general purpose manual for copyediting.

Copyediting manuals, however, provide instructions that are at par with professional and veteran copyeditors. They also do not tackle quirky experiences that any copyeditor may encounter along the process. So, copyeditors equip themselves with handbooks and dictionaries with latest version.

Copyeditors also need to be aware of the four commandments of copyediting. The first speaks of not losing, damaging, or destroying any part of a manuscript. The second requires of not adding erroneous words on the sentence that is originally grammatically correct. The third entails of the necessity not to deliberately change the author’s meaning. Lastly, copyeditors need to submit the final output on time.