By Glenine Hamlyn AE
Why do we edit?
What lessons do we learn from it?
In her presentation on “The braid of words: editing, translation, publishing”, hosted by Editors Queensland on 6 November 2024, Jodie Lea Martire invited us to “translate” these questions for ourselves.
Jodie has learned several languages and calls herself an “engaged scholar”. Currently she is completing her PhD at the Centre for Communication and Social Change (CCSC) of the University of Queensland, where she also works as a communications officer. For over 20 years, Jodie has worked in editing, translation and publishing, learning through experience rather than formal education.
Why do we edit?
We “do it for the love of words”, Jodie put to us. How easy it is to forget that. Lesson number one: Don’t lose the joy!
In her professional life, Jodie has frequently edited and translated in support of human rights (“for the revolution”). In Mexico she worked for Peace Brigades International and SIPAZ (Servicio Internacional para la Paz). Having supported people whose lives were threatened, Jodie urged us to be sensitive in editing or translating for, and writing about, these people: “Remember the weight of words.”
Jodie was sometimes not paid or acknowledged as the translator. She emphasised that editors and translators have a right to be named and to be paid fairly for their work. Of her later experience working for UN agencies, including UNIFEM, Jodie underlined “how amazing it is if you can get into a system … and be paid well!” The lesson: “Charge what you are worth.”
Rates of pay for editors and translators indicate the value a society places on language work. As a positive example, Jodie cited Australian publisher Wild Dingo, who paid to have a novel by Iranian author Shokoofeh Azar translated from Persian into English because they believed in it (English title: The enlightenment of the greengage tree). It was an international success. Such work is “for the nation”, broadening horizons in Australia. Jodie urged us to read literature in translation and make space for languages other than English. “Know all languages belong [in Australia]” and that many Englishes are spoken here. Academic editors working with international students need to “trust the expertise of the language user” while helping them with non-standard academic English. Jodie highlighted the IPEd Guidelines for editing academic theses.
Jodie noted the growing trend for authors of texts in English to write non-English terms in roman font, not italics, sometimes without translation, to avoid “othering” these languages.
At one point, Jodie worked for social change with Lilla, an international women’s network operating in Chiapas in Mexico. Having taken on the publication of a book with contributions by organisations working for women’s rights, Jodie learned to seek professional help when she needed it and urged us to do likewise. She later translated this book into English without pay because she had promised this to the women she had interviewed. “Who do we owe our words to?”
Jodie reminded us to keep up the quality and pay attention to detail. After all, we are “doing it for communication”. She cited her experience of editing Lonely Planet phrasebooks, illustrating the pitfalls of inaccurate translations, especially in interpersonal situations.
In Australia, Indigenous languages are endangered because of the dominance of English. Next year, Jodie plans to collaborate with the Muurrbay Aboriginal Language and Culture Co-operative, which publishes materials in the languages of seven Aboriginal nations. She will contribute publishing skills, while her Aboriginal colleagues are the language experts. We should “support Indigenous and minority languages … for the future”.
Jodie cautioned us to be respectful in our use of language. For the alt text accompanying her own image on the CCSC website, she wrote, “A headshot of a white woman” because people “whitewash” in their heads if no skin colour is given. “Ask people their preferred language and formulations,” she urged us.
Jodie also works with Braille House, which publishes books and magazines in braille and Moon. We need to ask people what format they prefer, she stressed. Not all formats are accessible to all users.
Jodie wove all these threads into a rich tapestry illustrating the weight of the words we work with.