We wanted to give Editors Toronto members and student affiliates another way to get to know their executive committee members, while finding out what is involved in being on the committee. So, we asked executive committee members to introduce themselves and their roles by answering a few questions for our “Executive Unplugged” series.
Meet Anneline du Preez
Anneline is a freelance editor, proofreader, and academic and corporate writer. Originally from South Africa, she has over 25 years of experience. Although she has worked in many industries, academic and educational publishing is her favourite. She co-authored, edited, and proofread a number of school and university titles for Oxford University Press, Macmillan Education, and other publishers – all of them in South Africa. She enjoys working in the Canadian editorial sector and learning her new country’s grammar, spelling, and style conventions.
What kind of editor are you? Tell us a bit about your experience.
I started out as an editor and translator (between English and Afrikaans, my mother tongue) in advertising, government, and the private sector. Then, I took a job at a small communication agency that created a huge variety of publications from the conception and writing stage to design, and right through to handing over to the printers. I honed my writing skills and became an expert proofreader – it was one of the most rewarding and interesting jobs I’ve ever had. It was also the perfect preparation for the freelancing I later did for educational publishers. Educational and academic publishing is interesting work, and that’s why I love it.
What is your favourite part of the role you hold on the executive committee?
Ooh, the people I meet and the interesting stories they have. Every article we receive is like a surprise package that you just absolutely have to share with others after you’ve opened it. I also love to be part of this small but efficient exec team.
Give us an elevator pitch for your role.
The co-editor-in-chief of BoldFace is responsible for sourcing, preparing, and publishing blog articles. It entails liaising with volunteer copy editors, authors and potential authors, and the other members of the executive committee – and it involves quite a lot of admin work.
If you didn’t have your role on the exec, what role would you pick?
The position of seminars chair looks interesting. I believe in education and learning, and it would be great to play a role in improving the knowledge and skills of editors.
Why do you volunteer and what does it mean to you?
Language professionals’ work is, to a certain extent, invisible, and it has always bothered me that the editorial profession is generally not valued as much as it should be. Career associations for language professionals, such as Editors Canada, promote the profile of editors, proofreaders, translators, and writers, and I hope that I help in this effort by volunteering. It’s immensely rewarding to meet fellow editors, to work with them, and to learn from them.
Fast five for fun
- Your ritual for settling in for work: I make myself fresh coffee, sit down, and… realize I don’t have something to snack on. So I get up and grab something, and then I’m hopefully ready to go.
- Preferred editing beverage and snack(s): Coffee, water, chips, nuts, gummies, whatever’s in the fridge.
- Favourite thing in your workspace: I’m a sucker for stationery, and I probably have more notebooks and types of pens than I could ever use. They’re all my favourites.
- Three favourite books – editing-related or not: A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman, House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III.
- Things you do in your free time: Reading, forever looking for interesting (and easy!) dinner recipes, walking in the woods.
This article was edited by Natalia Iwanek (she/they), a copy editor, proofreader, and translator, who focuses on accessibility, plain language, and inclusive language. Natalia is the former co-editor-in-chief of BoldFace and won the President’s Award for Volunteer Service in 2022 and 2021.
BoldFace 