There’s nothing wrong with a filter per se, it’s just the way our world works. Photos, videos – everything is retouched, filters are used everywhere, in the press, in cinema, on television, even in private social media accounts of individuals. Most often, they meet the reader’s or viewer’s expectation that beautiful, refined images will be used. It is very human to want at least a small protective wall from reality, which often bites. Does it make you uncomfortable?
The only problem is if the filter is the only one and if it disappoints the audience. I know it will sound controversial, but I think that the current filter of beautiful language of editors is not suitable everywhere. It really improves some texts, but other, more authentic ones suffer because their originality is sacrificed in the name of normative language. The idea that exactly will sound even more controversial default normalizing and correcting all texts according to rules, even if the text represents the tradition of spoken language and when corrected loses humor or meaningful accents, contributes to the separation between Lithuanian literature and society. After all, we have all heard the classic “I don’t read Lithuanian literature”. Of course, there are people who read, and some authors are read by a lot of people, but the abstract sentiment that floats in the air is this – for many, Lithuanian literature and even translations into the Lithuanian language are associated with low quality and wooden language, namely with an exaggerated filter of prestigious language application sacrificing liveliness, originality.
The current editor filter for all texts is rules and logic – to check whether all words and sentence constructions are usable, whether there are no major language errors, whether everything is logical, smooth, economical. If the reference point is institutional guidelines rather than living, spoken language, a gap between everyday life and written language inevitably emerges. One friend mentioned that many Lithuanian books seem to her to be translated. After all, we don’t say it every day several? So why does it appear in fictional texts in the train of thought of young characters? It seems somehow strange when people somehow put together sentences in their head smoothly and correctly, because you don’t hear such speech in many places every day.
What if there were more of those editing filters?
Currently, any failure to meet the only filter of prestigious language is treated as an editor’s error, and no one wants to make a mistake. Human. Sometimes editors even need to write a preface and publicly say that one or another error was left at the author’s request to avoid condemnation by colleagues. This could change if the following spots appear before editing begins: letterasclarification of the need for different stages of editing and a general decision on what language is needed. Perhaps some publishers already use these processes in one form or another, but the huge popularity of REDOS, the first editing conference, shows that many, not just us organizers, care about improving editing practices and having an open, transparent conversation about the various issues that arise in the process. .
Purpose of editing
What is editing and who needs it? The question seems simple only at first glance.
It seems to me that the editor’s work is a subtle, light touch to the text, highlighting its uniqueness. The editor is like a curator who offers his perspective from the outside and helps the author to unravel all the ambiguities. It prepares the text for the reader’s eyes and helps to contextualize it. The editor’s job is not (only) to fix mistakes, sometimes they need to be left, and sometimes they need to be removed; moreover, the task of the editor is not to make the text “beautiful and readable” or to normalize it in any way.
If the starting point is the notion that the purpose of editing is not self-evident, but depends on the context, the type of text, the personalities of the author and editor, the goals of the publisher, and the intended audience, the first step is a conversation. Before starting to edit the text, the author, the publisher and the editor should express their wishes, intentions and agree to write the briefwhich would be a reference point for decision-making.
Let’s say the author is targeting bestsellers, then the editor can make suggestions based on the norms of conventional storytelling and the preferences of a wider audience, for example, the reader must be clear about what is happening; you need action and intrigue from the very first page, and it would be nice if all the plot twists were tied up at the end. In this case, the editor could show the author stumbling paragraphs, an unclear character, or overly complex sentences. Author’s fiction, in English, would require a completely different editing literary fictionor for a scientific monograph.
Each text has its own needs, internal logic and challenges, so it is necessary to define the rules of cooperation. What is the overall goal? When releasing a work to the wider world, different interests inevitably intersect: the author’s fear of not being understood or unread, the publisher’s fear of not selling, and the editor’s fear of making a mistake. While organizing REDĂŠ, at the first conference of editors, we asked how this stage is taking place in different publishing houses. We received various answers – some consult, others don’t even talk and immediately argue in the comments, so it seems that it is at this stage that misunderstandings and grievances can be prevented.
Briefcase would provide clarity and clarity to the security editor. He would no longer have to bear the weight of responsibility alone. After appearing stationery would be clearer
what stages of editing and what editor is needed for a particular work. Some texts need a strong content editor, while others may only need the light touch of a language editor. Some authors don’t mind being rewritten, others don’t want a single word touched without reason. Sometimes it is useful to share the text with a closed group of selected readers, friends or representatives of the target audience, who will help predict the reception of the work and develop the best version. The editor does not have to be a lone warrior in the field, carrying the responsibility of saving the writer or the book.
A proverb
In searching for a term that would help writers and editors agree on what language should be used for a particular text, I realized that a new word was needed. The proverb fits perfectly, although it is not entered in the Lithuanian language dictionary in this sense.
Proverbs from the spoken word. It describes the ever-changing spoken language. Although the Lithuanian language is one, there are many sakshis, i.e. types of spoken language, which vary depending on the speaker’s age and social group, place of residence and context. A young girl from Shevchenko’s lofts will speak differently than an elderly man from Kaunas or a thirty-year-old DevOps engineer. Humans are very sensitive to fairy tales, we recognize them intuitively because it helps the newly met interlocutor to find a place in our imaginary hierarchies. Usually, just by the way a person greets us, we can already guess where he comes from and what he does in life.
Language is like clothes – it tells a lot not only about the social context, but also about an individual’s creativity and past. A sakmi is not the same as a dialect, which is a much broader, no less important, historically formed branch of a language specific to a certain geography. The story is usually not written down, it changes very quickly. One person can use many different proverbs in their appropriate contexts, for example, a young curator may choose words such as “to commemorate” or phrases such as “trajectories of the development of phenomena” when talking about an exhibition, but when visiting her parents in Žemaitija, she will switch to the dialect.
Currently, the reference point in the editing process is the common Lithuanian language, which is defined in the State Language Policy Guidelines as “a prestigious variety of language created, used, purposefully managed and codified at the state level, intended for the needs of public life, by Lithuanian society and the Lithuanian-speaking diaspora”. At one point, this sterilely clean language is appropriate and necessary, especially in non-fiction texts, but an ex-convict speaking very regularly in a fiction text may appear suspicious to the reader.
A story as a concept would help to adjust and choose certain words or a rhythm of speaking, would help to communicate what kind of language the writer is aiming for, and the editor would be clear about what the end result is aimed for. Suppose letters the editor and author decide that, because the narrative is in the first person, a particular verb is needed throughout the text rather than just direct speech, or they agree to use different verbs for different characters.
It may sound strange that in order to give an editor the courage to stop being afraid of mistakes, two obscure words need to be introduced into the process: letteras and the story. A clear intention of the author would help the editor to select the necessary filter or to create a new one, not necessarily normative and beautiful language, but exactly what is needed for a specific text. Such practices would raise the overall quality and diversity of published texts, and eventually reduce the divide between a nation and its literature. Utopian, but worth a try.
It was first published in the magazine “Literature and Art” (3775 / 15, 2023-09-08). The text is published as a conference REDA. Forum for Language Democracy | Part 2024. The event “REDA. Forum for Language Democracy | 2024“ curated by writer Gabija Grušaitė, editor Aira Niauronytė, publisher and editor Ła Ambrasaitė. Friends of the forum are the publishing house LAPAS and the festival “Open Books“. REDA is part of the Open Books festival“ first day event. REDA is partially financed by the Lithuanian Council of Culture. More information about REDE can be found here here.
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#Gabija #Grušaitė #Editing #Instagram #filters #Culture
Ltering approach for the text at hand. By establishing these terms, both parties can align their understanding of the project’s language and tone, allowing the editor to feel empowered in their role without the constant fear of deviating from a norm that may not even fit the text’s needs.
the editing process is an intricate dance between intent and execution. Emphasizing a collaborative approach, where both the author and editor engage in open dialogue about the text’s purpose and language style, can significantly enhance the final product. As the publishing landscape evolves, it’s crucial that we adapt our editing practices to embrace the richness of varied spoken traditions and the authenticity they bring to literature. By crafting a flexible framework that accommodates diverse linguistic expressions, we can bridge the gap between written and spoken language, ultimately enriching Lithuanian literature and making it more relatable to society.
