At
this time of year, I don’t mind being called a “steakholder.” The polar vortex
has crawled back north, farmers are sitting in their cabs making tractor noises
as they anticipate planting season, and barbeques are sending off smoke signals
in our midwestern town. I like holding a steak and watching the coals get just
right.
On
the other hand, a recent press release CAST sent out used the word “steakholder,”
and the A-1 Sauce hit the fan. CAST’s announcement offers editing services for
agricultural written material—but a few readers must have skipped straight to looking
for typos rather than reading for content.They scolded us for our misuse of "steakholder."
If
you examine the CAST announcement below, you will see that several words were
misused on purpose—“overlook, choke, steakholder”—to emphasize the need for
proofreading. If a company is communicating with stakeholders, it’s important
to catch typos and misused homonyms. But reading for content is also important.
Nowadays, many of us quickly read a large amount online—or we read other
languages like Twitterese.
Whatever
the occasion, proper grammar and style still loom large in the world of
communication. Sew, if your like I and worried about missteaks, feel free to
contact CAST Editing Services. It will impress your readers—and maybe your
steakholders, too.
Splitting Infinitives, Dangling
Participles, and
Dealing
with the Elusive M-Dash
CAST Offers New Editing Services
We've all read
about grammar or proofreading mistakes that communicate humor more than the
message intended. It could be the job application that includes a line such as,
"Here are my qualifications for you to overlook." Or a company might
send out an offer that misses the mark: "We have put together a series of
videos that are choke full of usable content that your steakholders can use
immediately."
Grammar and style issues become even more important when
executives are writing company documents or experts are composing scientific
research papers. Typos and diction errors are one thing; syntax and proper
citation are another. No matter how accomplished a writer might be, proofreading
is a challenge, and proper formatting is a key to successful publications.
The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology would like to
help you with your publications, websites, books, newsletters, and other
printed forms of communication. Grammatical errors, confusing punctuation, and
choppy syntax give your readers the wrong impressions--and in some cases, they
can be "deal breakers." Any document you release must look its best
in order to promote your organization and attest to its credibility. CAST
editors will add that layer of polish that your piece deserves.
The editing staff at CAST has many years of experience, and they
can put that expertise to work for you. Services include basic copyediting,
website copyediting, proofreading, layout, indexing, and more.
Contact: Carol Gostele, Managing Scientific Editor, cgostele@cast-science.org *
515-292-2125 ext. 226
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