by Priya Murmu
Editing content across English variants can be a daunting task. You scratch your head while staring at the screen, pondering whether the word should be spelled dialogue or dialog, dreamt or dreamed, or whether the period should fall inside or outside of the quotation marks. Then, you spend quite some time browsing through a dictionary and an elaborate in-house style guide, desperately looking for answers while your deadline draws near. It can get really frustrating at times, can’t it? Well, that’s the charm of working with diverse English versions! It exposes you to a vibrant tapestry of socio-cultural, historical, and regional elements that offer a distinct flavour to the English language.
My editing journey in India
Starting my editing journey in India, then continuing the momentum in the UK, and finally transitioning to the Canadian editing landscape, what I find most challenging is learning to adapt my editing techniques to align my work with the publication standards being followed and the expectations of the regional audiences being served. I guess it’s natural to get mixed up amid a maze of differing grammar conventions when you work with multiple English variants!
During my stint as an editor at an e-learning company in India, I worked in a variety of academic disciplines for different international clients, juggling between editing in British English and US English. Initially, grasping the intricacies of these two English versions felt taxing. It took long hours of immersing myself in the relevant dictionaries and style guides and a fair amount of practice to get the hang of spelling differences, punctuation rules, and vocabulary distinctions.
Ironically, I haven’t professionally edited content in Indian English, but as an Indian, I am aware of this dynamic, eclectic English variant that uniquely blends British English with regional dialects and cultural expressions. Indian English has its roots in British English, which has emerged as the predominant English variant in India owing to the country’s colonial past. British English conventions are widely followed in formal writing, and publishers and amateur writers alike turn to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary for guidance on spelling and grammar. However, in many cases, publishers and institutions do not adhere to a single definitive style guide; rather, they develop and follow their own in-house guidelines. Indian English follows the same spelling and grammar rules as British English: favourite with a u, towards with an s, programme with an me, marks instead of grades, and zebra crossing in place of crosswalk. However, when it comes to punctuation rules, some Indian English writing follows US English norms, such as using double quotation marks for direct speech and periods after some abbreviations like “Dr.” and “Mrs.”
While editing text in Indian English, you might encounter vernaculars and culturally-specific terms that are vital in adding depth and authenticity to the content, and hence reinforcing its resonance with the regional audiences. You’ll want to retain well-known administrative terms, such as panchayat (village council), tehsil (administrative unit within a district), and sarpanch (elected head of a village council) to preserve their cultural and contextual significance. It’s also a good idea to retain terms such as lakh (one hundred thousand) and crore (ten million) that are integral to the Indian numbering system.
Editing content in the UK
Editing content in the UK was a slightly different experience from editing British English text in India. The British place great emphasis on brevity, clarity, and objectivity. I didn’t have to slog much to absorb the British English protocols, but I went to great lengths to acquaint myself with important British milestones. Nonetheless, learning about the Industrial Revolution, the Victorian era, the Brontë sisters, Shakespeare’s stellar literary works, and Brexit was amusing and, at the same time, necessary to ensure that these references were used precisely, without any ambiguity. During my tenure in a UK-based firm, I found myself constantly adjusting the tone of the content, clarifying assumptions, and providing contexts to make the content clear and accessible to readers from diverse cultural backgrounds.
In the UK, the Oxford Style Manual and the Oxford English Dictionary are the go-to resources trusted by writers and editors for ensuring that their work aligns with the sophisticated British English conventions. I, too, heavily relied on these Oxford tools for crafting and refining narratives that were clear and polished, and maintained a formal tone.
Immigrating to Canada
For me, immigrating to Canada meant unlearning certain things and learning an entire set of new things: switching to right-hand driving, strictly avoiding jaywalking, greeting strangers with a smile, and, of course, striving to gain a comprehensive understanding of Canadian linguistic nuances. While I’m relieved to see familiar metrics of measurement (kilometres, kilograms, and Celsius) in Canada, I’m gearing up to get accustomed to Canadian English vocabulary, spelling, and grammar conventions.
As I now navigate the Canadian editing landscape, I frequently examine comparison tables of British versus US spellings to determine which variation to use. Canadian English is a delightful cocktail of British and American variants. Like British English, Canadian English uses spellings such as –our (endeavour, honourable), –re (calibre, fibre), and –ce (pretence, defence). Similar to US English, it adopts the z spelling conventions for words such as analyze and finalize, and also the punctuation styles. While spelling differences are relatively easy to remember, I realize that I must remain vigilant about certain irregularities and inconsistencies. For someone like me who’s new to editing Canadian English text, it can sometimes get tricky to ascertain whether to use travelling or traveling, or whether to refer to a residential unit as a flat or an apartment. In the middle of this linguistic dilemma, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary and The Canadian Press Stylebook have proved to be my saviours, helping me explore Canadian editorial practices.
Tips for editing English variants
The next time you receive an assignment to edit content in an English variant, consider following a flexible, customized approach. Instead of pursuing uniformity by strictly adhering to a set of rules, focus on enhancing clarity and cultural relevance for the reader. Consult region-specific dictionaries and familiarize yourself with relevant style guides to avoid misinterpretations. Create an exhaustive style sheet tailored to each project and follow the style preferences of your stakeholders. Also, remember to maintain the writer’s distinctive voice. These measures will help to ensure that your content is linguistically accurate and meets regional standards.
Priya Murmu is a writer and an editor with a master’s degree in creative writing from Loughborough University, England. With more than seven years of experience in the e-learning and education sectors across India and the UK, she is dedicated to simplifying intricate concepts and making content more accessible. Now based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Priya is an avid storyteller, passionate about writing fiction, poetry, and personal reflections that capture the essence of modern life. Medium and LinkedIn.
This article was copy edited by Jennifer D. Foster, a Toronto-based freelance editor, writer, and mentor. Planet Word is her company.
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