Jeff Kotuby

Continuing with the “Localization Quality: from Meh to Wow” series, I’d like to talk about some of the most common reasons why errors end up appearing in localized content. You might be tempted to say “it must be the translator’s fault!”. And although sometimes the root cause is actually a human error, more often than not, the reason is somewhere else. You just need to find it. I have listed a total of 9 reasons. Let’s start with the first one: ✨unclear instructions and lack of context✨. Have you ever heard that translators need context? Well, it’s true! If you send your translators a ridiculously short brief and an outdated style guide, you cannot expect perfect quality. It just won’t happen. A few tips to keep your linguists/LSP happy: ⚡ Explain the way your company talks to end users: you might think it’s obvious, but it should be written down somewhere, whether it’s the Style Guide or in the project brief. The company’s tone & voice, values, do’s & don’ts, etc. should be clear. If you have a different tone for a specific market, mention it! If the style varies per content type (i.e. legal content vs website copy), mention it! ⚡ Be clear about your expectations: if you’re working on a high stakes project, make sure you let your translation partner know. Are you launching a new product? Give your linguists extra information on what the product is about. Do you need to localize a new marketing campaign that needs to be catchy? Let your translation partners know what you expect. Don’t treat these just like “any other project”. ⚡ Sometimes, less is more: instructions and context are always helpful, but be careful not to overdo it. How many places/resources do your linguists need to check before translating? Ideally, everything should be centralized. And if you have a 100-page long Style Guide (yes, those exist), is that helping your linguists? Do you keep that document up to date? Is all that information necessary? Ask your translation partner(s). They’re the ones using it, so they’ll be able to tell you if some sections are confusing/no longer necessary (more on outdated linguistic assets in the upcoming post!). ⚡ Add visual context: do you need to localize a deck with images? UI content? A 200-page doc full of charts? Make sure to add visual context. CAT tools allow you to add it to your projects, and this will certainly have a huge impact on the final quality. Because if linguists see where the text will end up and the visual references, they will be able to produce more accurate work so you don’t end up with weird/inconsistent translations that will make your end users complain. Or, if you work with diligent linguists, with a ton of queries sent your way. (More in the comments section because I ran out of space 😅)

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Brandon Sanderson’s worst writing advice (and why it matters) When one of the most prolific fantasy authors alive says something is “the worst advice,” I listen. In a conversation with Tim Hickson (𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘔𝘦), Sanderson listed a few of his least favorite nuggets of so-called wisdom writers often hear: • “𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄, 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹.”   Great for Writing 101, but disastrous if followed blindly. Sometimes one well-placed “He was proud” moves the story faster than three paragraphs of foot-tapping and chest-swelling.    • “𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄.”   If he’d followed this, we wouldn’t have Mistborn or The Stormlight Archive. Yes, use your unique skills (Grisham had law, Crichton had medicine), but don’t chain your imagination to your résumé.    • “𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲/𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝘀𝗲 ‘𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱.’”   Sanderson’s stats show 85% of his tags are “said/asked.” Invisible, clean, and efficient. But sometimes a whisper or a shout earns its place.    • “𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀.”   If he waited for inspiration, we’d still be waiting for Elantris. The truth? You train the muse to show up when you sit down.    • “𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲.”   Heinlein’s ghost may haunt us, but Sanderson calls this “ludicrous.” Drafts are scaffolding. Revision is architecture.    The deeper lesson: 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹. What starts as a helpful pointer (“show, don’t tell”) turns toxic when elevated to gospel. Sanderson’s warning is one every writer should take seriously: 𝘋𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺. 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘴, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴. 👉 What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever received?

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"We could revamp and re-date posts without publishing anything brand new all year and we'd be in good shape." To be clear: No new URLs. Likely 90% new written content. I never thought I'd say this to a client, but here we are. Major publishers with large budgets have me refreshing content that's less than a year old! (And, as I'm doing it, I can see why it needs it!) SEO/GEO/AEO ... call it whatever you want... Getting seen by not just Google, but GOogle's AI overviews, plus getting mentioned on ChatGPT and the others... is a whole new game. If your content is old... You may not be ranking. Or, you might be ranking with the wrong messaging, which is even worse. (When I research articles, studies and articles from the early 2010s often pop up.) Messaging evolves. Marketing changes. If you're reading this as a B2B founder or small business owner, your company has probably changed in the past 5 or 10 years. But has your website changed with it? This is my specialty lately and I'd love to help you rank TODAY with the messaging your audience needs to hear RIGHT NOW. Reach out if you need some help navigating this new world of digital marketing. TurboTax, CNET, The DBL Center Ltd. Jak Daragjati, CTS, CTS-I and so many others trust me.

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Tuesday Tip from a Copy Editor: Strong writing has 𝘳𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮. If every sentence is the same length, your writing starts to feel mechanical. Predictable. Easy to skim past. But when you vary sentence length, something changes. Short sentences create emphasis. Longer ones add depth, context, and flow. The result? Writing that sounds more human. . .and keeps readers moving. In other words: 𝗠𝗶𝘅. 𝗜𝘁. 𝗨𝗽. Your sentences should have a pulse. #TuesdayTip #WritingTips #EditingTips #CopyEditing #BetterWriting #TheEditDerr

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Most technical writers know their documentation is doing its job. They just have no way to prove it. The metrics that matter are rarely tracked. The ones that get tracked rarely measure what documentation actually does. Here are 12 Technical Writer metrics that change that: Adoption → Time-to-First-Success: minutes for a new user to complete their first task using docs alone → First-Contact Resolution Rate: users who solve their problem without escalating to support Clarity → Task Success Rate: users who complete a defined task using the documentation alone → Readability-to-Complexity Ratio: how well you simplify without losing accuracy Support Deflection → Ticket Deflection Rate: tickets resolved by pointing to existing documentation → Recurrence After Update: whether your doc fix actually solved the problem or just acknowledged it Engagement → Page Stickiness: users who return to the same guide within 30 days → Search-to-Success Rate: searches that lead to a page visit and task completion, not just a click Maintenance → Staleness Rate: pages past their review SLA that are silently expiring → Coverage Gap Rate: shipped features with no corresponding documentation Career Impact → Doc-Attributed NPS Lift: NPS difference between users who used docs and those who did not → Time Saved Per Ticket: resolution time reduced when docs are referenced Most teams measure documentation by page views and word count. Those numbers tell you nothing about whether the work is doing its job. These 12 do. Which category are you tracking first? Drop it in the comments. 👇 Save this for your next performance review or stakeholder conversation. Reshare this with a technical writer who needs numbers to back up what their work actually does. 🔄 Want more career insights for writers: 1. Follow Joshua Gene Fechter 2. Like the post 3. Repost to your network

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I post about copy editing and content writing on a semi-regular basis. I've been doing both for over 30 years. I got my first freelance proofreading gig in 1993, working on math textbooks. I don't often talk about ghostwriting. I've never considered it separate from my writing services. I don't get credited as the writer for a lot of the content I write for certain clients - it gets published as the client company's content. I've written thought leadership, articles, reports, and blog posts for CEOs, executives, business owners, marketing managers, and others who can't or don't want to write the copy themselves. This is ghostwriting, but I just thought of it as writing for a client. I've learned that telling people on LinkedIn that you're a ghostwriter attracts clients seeking ghostwriting specifically. Marketing yourself as a LinkedIn ghostwriter has led to clients hiring you as to ghostwrite LinkedIn posts. Interesting how that works. I follow a number of "premium ghostwriters" on LinkedIn and they advise marketing yourself as a premium ghostwriter to attract "the right types of clients." Mind you, I'm still a copy editor and content writer. Three decades of experience in these areas doesn't disappear overnight. But, who am I to ignore potential clients looking for something specific that I've been doing already? So, if you're looking for a ghostwriter, I usually write articles, blog posts, case studies, white papers, and thought leadership for: - Real estate industry (REITs, rental housing owners and managers, proptech, businesses servicing this industry) - Financial industry (advisors, mortgage, financing, fintech) - Sales and marketing professionals - B2B firms in general Reach out if you'd like to chat.

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*The DMs keep coming* Authors, editors, agents, publishing professionals - all telling me privately that they're already using AI in their workflows. Drafting, editing, research, marketing, metadata, comp analysis. These are serious people doing serious work. But many feel they can't say it out loud. Surely we need to move this conversation from the naive and the idealistic into reality? AI is not a passing trend. It is not something that only affects other industries. Every part of the publishing value chain - from acquisition to production to marketing to distribution - is already being reshaped. Much as I don't think the current status quo is best serving most authors, my fear is primarily protective in that if publishing doesn't work out how to adapt and adopt rapidly (this year), it will simply leave itself exposed for massive disintermediation, both from external platforms and from self-publishing. The blunt instrument of denial is exacerbating the issue, and the real situation is sitting in my DMs. While the industry debates whether to even acknowledge this shift, Amazon is building massive new AI tools for self-publishers, tech companies are creating end-to-end book production platforms, and authors are discovering they can do in a weekend what used to require an entire team. Ignoring AI and refusing to create the protocols for its usage is the equivalent of refusing to use the internet when it first came around. We know how that ended for the companies that chose denial. This is a monumental transition. Our children already understand this, and they're growing up with these tools as a natural extension of how they think and create. They're not agonising over whether AI is legitimate. They're evolving. Humans have always evolved alongside their tools. The question is whether publishing will be part of that evolution or stand still and watch as the market routes around it. On a separate note, it has come to my attention that a well known London based literary agent has been phoning around traditional publishers to ensure that I am not working for them. I have no issue with people feeling strongly about their own position but equally I think these things should be done in the open? The conversation has to move on from lots of people pretending that they don't use it. The transition is already here. Time to evolve.

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Can a proofreader replace a copyeditor? 🤔 You’re writing your novel. It’s taken months of late-night worries over the believability of the plot, the relatability of the characters, and if your book will even sell. You’ve had it developmentally edited. You’ve rewritten it—twice. Now you need to make sure everything in your novel is coming together. You need to make sure there aren’t any errors that could turn your readers away. You need to hire a copyeditor. But wait, don’t proofreaders charge less than copyeditors? 🤔 Aren’t they the same thing? Well, actually, they aren’t. The proofreader comes at the very end of the editing process, after your novel has been copyedited. They carefully read through the manuscript to find any remaining errors and inconsistencies in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and capitalization. However, ➡️ If you want your novel to be consistent so your readers aren’t thrown off by Martin, who was pleasant 😊throughout the first twenty-seven chapters, suddenly cursing 🤬 at the barista with no lead up to the change in behavior—you need a copyeditor. ➡️ If you want your novel to be concise so your readers aren’t lost in a sea of unnecessarily long sentences, redundancies, and flowery 🌺 writing—you need a copyeditor. ➡️ If you want your novel to be clear so your readers aren’t wondering who is saying what as Tina, Adrian, and Noah discuss clues🕵🏻‍♀️and possible murder suspects—you need a copyeditor. ➡️ If you want your novel to be accurate so you readers aren’t questioning your writing skills because it took Kaitlyn only one hour ⌚to drive from Lancaster to the Jersey Shore 🏖️ (it takes more than twice that long)—you need a copyeditor. Looking for a copyeditor ✍🏻 or a proofreader 🔎 who will help you get your novel clean and professional looking so you can feel confident to publish? I can help. I provide a free 1,000-word sample to help you determine if I am the right fit 🧩 for your project. DM me here or email me at eileen@eileensproofreading.com I’d love to chat with you about your novel. 😊

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What I wish more technical editors discussed openly (Especially when it comes to handling unclear writing without offending authors) This is my first post for August, and I want to start with something I’ve been thinking about deeply. Technical editing isn’t just about polishing grammar or improving flow. It often means interpreting meaning, navigating ambiguity, and making judgment calls when the author’s intention isn’t fully clear. One of the hardest moments in any manuscript is when the writing is vague, dense, or simply confusing – but the topic is important – and the author is highly knowledgeable – and the deadline is close In those moments, I find myself asking ✨️Should I rewrite based on what I think they mean ✨️Should I flag it as unclear and return it without changes ✨️ Or should I offer a possible rewrite while inviting clarification That balance between improving clarity and respecting the author’s voice is tricky. But it deserves more open conversation in our field. So I’m curious How do you handle unclear writing without damaging trust or stepping too far into the author’s territory If you’re a technical editor, academic editor, or science communicator, I’d love to hear your take. Let’s start the kind of conversation that usually stays buried in track changes and comment bubbles. #TechnicalEditing #CopyEditing #ScienceEditing #AcademicPublishing #ScientificCommunication #ManuscriptEditing #EditorReflections #EditorCommunity

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How to Be an Outstanding Proofreader: Love What You Do! If you don’t, it will show in your work. Just read some LinkedIn posts written by proofreaders, and you can immediately tell which ones love proofreading. Without loving what you’re doing, it’s difficult to maintain the meticulous focus needed to catch dangling participles, comma splices, faulty grammar and syntax, misplaced modifiers, verb tense errors, double negatives, faulty parallelism, run-on sentences, mixed metaphors, and all of the other typos and mistakes that passionate proofreaders correct with delight. It’s obviously necessary to pursue knowledge, learn the latest technology, work intently, and keep up on the latest trends…but, above all, exceptional proofreaders must love what they’re doing and have the consuming passion to produce flawless copy. Outstanding proofreading is not just correcting errors. It’s all about protecting the integrity of the written word. What makes you love proofreading?

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Sometimes it's hard to quantify how much you get from being a member of a trade association. Michelle Rafter does a great job in her piece 26 Ways to Get Your Money's Worth from the American Society of Journalists and Authrs this year.

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Most people don’t know the difference between proofreading and editing, but these services are very different: 🖊they should be done at different times in the publishing process 🖊they work with different kinds of files 🖊their scope of work is vastly different If you’re unsure which one you need, read this week's blog post to find out the difference between proofreading and editing. 🧐 https://lnkd.in/gUza8QGW

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How to Land High-Paying Freelance Contracts Writing for Textbook Publishers!    When freelance writers think about writing for publishers, they generally focus on book projects they create and submit, or finding work for hire book projects that are available. And while both of those options are always available, and if done correctly, can pay very well, there is another option if you are interested in making money writing for publishers.   I discovered the wonderful world of writing for textbook publishers nearly two decades ago. The Internet as we know it today was still in the early stages of being developed and, back then, it wasn’t uncommon for big textbook publishers to place ads for freelance writers to help on just about every topic from A to Z. I was hired by Macmillan to write a few chapters of a history book and a few months later, they contacted me to see if I was interested in more work.    Fast forward to now, and although very few of the big textbook publishers now find the need to place ads, they still use a large group of freelance writers, editors, subject matter experts and proofreaders. (Check out their websites. Most will have a list of current projects and needs posted.) Textbook publishers will pay big bucks for professors, subject matter experts, etc. to create chapters, and sometimes even the entire book. However, in around 50% of those cases, most of the material is “too raw” to use and they end up hiring qualified freelance writers to rewrite and edit the pages into the final product.   There are several associations you should check out, including:   1. Textbook and Academic Authors Association Look at the listing for the “author guidelines,” and send an e-mail to one of the editors and ask about freelance opportunities that are available.   2. Association of University Presses There, you will find a directory of 140 University publishing companies. Search through the ones that are of interest to your subject matter and find an e-mail address for the appropriate editor.   3. Publishing Professionals Network At this nonprofit association, you will find lists of both publishers and other outside book-related associations. Check each link very carefully to see if there is something of interest to you. Then, find an e-mail address for that firm’s editor.   As a professional freelance writer, you should always be open to new and creative opportunities and writing for textbook publishers should be high on your list! For more tips on how to make $$ as a freelance writer, head over to Amazon and look for "The Flying Nun, A Light Bulb Moment and Me: 40 Years Making Money As a Freelance Writer (Hey, You Can Do It, Too!)" https://lnkd.in/erPqyrPE Keep writing and NEVER give up!

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Why DIY Doesn’t Always Work in Publishing: The High Cost of Cutting Corners on Your Book "Self-publishing is Easy…all you have to do is write, create the cover on Canva, and hit Publish on Amazon KDP. All you so-called Publishers are just out to get and fleece us writers. I can publish my book for free, and you charge us nonsense rates that don't even make sense." And in my head, a voice went: "Oh, ok…let’s talk." “It’s just writing the book, right?” — Well…no. Writing is just the beginning. Then comes rewriting. And editing. Then rewriting some more. You will wonder why you thought this was a good idea in the first place. And then keep going anyway. “But once it’s written, you just upload it?” — Upload what? A Word file or a PDF file full of inconsistencies, an all-over-the-place plot, characters who are dull, and typos? No, no. You will need a good editor who will rip it apart lovingly and help you put it back together. Trust me, Grammarly and ChatGPT can’t save you here. “But the cover…I can just make it on Canva? Or ask my cousin’s roommate’s sister?” — Oh, I have seen this one before. You barter with that college girl for a free or cheap cover because “she is good at Photoshop”. Then you hold your book and wish you had paid a real designer who understands books, not just pixels. “And what about beta reading and reviews? I’ll just ask my family and friends, right?” — Sure. If you are okay with your Amazon page full of half-hearted one-liners like “Nice book.” Or worse, silence. Good beta readers and genuine reviewers are worth their weight in gold. And no, they don’t come for free. “Once it’s all ready, then it’s just a click?” — Oh, if only. You’ll still need to proofread the proof copy (yes, it will likely have errors you didn’t catch before). You’ll need to format it beautifully for both print and eBook. And test every little thing. Twice. Or a hundred times if you care about your book. “But then, people will discover it and sell, right?” — HA. No. You will need to market it. Talk about it. Share it. Plan a launch. And keep telling people why they should choose your book over the millions of others. And yet… here’s what my heart whispers at the end of this little monologue: "Yes. It’s hard. It’s exhausting. But when you hold that book in your hands for the first time? It’s worth every tear, every rupee, every typo, every sleepless night." So go ahead. Write it. Publish it. But please...respect the process. Hire professionals where it matters: the editor, the designer, the typesetter, even the beta readers. Because nothing feels worse than looking at your finished book and thinking: "I wish I had done this the proper way from the start." If you have published a book, what is the one thing you wish you had done differently? Or, if you are planning to, what is one thing you want to get right? #SelfPublishing #WritersLife #IndieAuthors #BookPublishingTips #AmWriting #WriteToPublish #lessonslearned

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Here's a quick tip for writers and editors wrestling with jargon in a draft. Before you cut a technical term, ask two questions: 1. Will my reader understand this term without explanation? 2. Does the term compress a complex idea more efficiently than a plain-language alternative? If both answers are yes, keep it. If either answer is no, you have options: Swap it for something more accessible, define it on first use, or add a brief gloss. The goal isn't eliminating jargon; it's making sure every word serves the reader. #WritingTips #BusinessWriting #AmEditing

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