Contribution from Susan:

Dear Editor,

Check out the first sentence of the description of this movie. With a company as big as Netflix, you'd think they'd spend the extra $100,000 [editor's note: or even $50,000] a year for an editor. Netflix, you need an editor.

The Count of Monte Cristo
2002 | PG 13 | 131 minutes

In this beautifully photographed rekindling of the classic Alexandre Dumas story. Edmond Dantés's (Jim Caviezel) life and plans to marry the beautiful Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk) are shattered when his best friend, Fernand (Guy Pearce), deceives him. After spending 13 miserable years in prison, Dantés escapes with the help of a fellow inmate (Richard Harris) and plots his revenge, cleverly insinuating himself into the French nobility.

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Also: the passive voice makes the second sentence quite cumbersome.

The irony continues

Job posting by Reference Matters on Yahoo HotJobs:

"The right individual will be an open minded and creative individual with exceptional writing and formating.skills."

Clearly this position needs to be filled ASAP.

Double Whammy

At first, I just wanted to re-post this humorous but embarrassing mistake, as pointed out in a BBC News article.

(www.bbc.co.uk)

"The English is clear enough to lorry drivers - but the Welsh reads 'I am not in the office at the moment. Send any work to be translated.'"

"'When they're proofing signs, they should really use someone who speaks Welsh,' said journalist Dylan Iorwerth."

Then, I discovered some mistakes in the article itself. . .

Ironically, in an article about the importance of proofing, there are TWO mistakes. The sentence following the quotation by Dylan Iorwerth is missing a period:

"Swansea Council became lost in translation when it was looking to halt heavy goods vehicles using a road near an Asda store in the Morriston area "

Next, we have this sequence:

"A council spokeswoman said: 'Our attention was drawn to the mistranslation of a sign at the junction of Clase Road and Pant-y-Blawd Road.

"Other confusing signs

"'We took it down as soon as we were made aware of it and a correct sign will be re-instated as soon as possible.'

"The blunder is not the only time Welsh has been translated incorrectly or put in the wrong place . . ."

Talk about confusion! That heading is in the wrong place!

Check out the BBC News article: "E-mail error ends up on road sign."

The Ohio State University has a web page called Do Something Great, which includes the heading "Something to Brag About." One of the articles profiling a graduate of OSU does just the opposite.

"As an undergraduate, she was paid for her lab work. (She worked in physics education and experimental high-energy physics.) She also earned funding to study abroad, researching women scientists in France and Quebec for at project she presented at Ohio State's Denman Undergraduate Research Forum."

Oops.

Program for Ladysmith Black Mambazo performance:

"For more than forty years, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has married the intricate rhythms and harmonies of it's native South African musical traditions to the sounds and sentiments of Christian gospel music."

In the eye of the beholder . . .

What's wrong with this picture?

Chipotle cup

Sarah contributed this photo and I scoured it for misspellings and blatant grammatical errors.  But I couldn't find any!  Can you?

The Center for Eating Disorders & Psychotherapy website:

"An eating disorders is an illness 'Research tells us that anorexia nervosa is a brain disease with severe metabolic effects on the entire body.'" (T R Insel, MD Director NIMH)

What's wrong: an extra "s" and a missing period.

But wait, there's more!

"How much a person surrounds themselves with images and friends or family or work environments that focus on body size and shape can aggravate and intensify this illness."

What's wrong: A person surrounds himself or herself. People surround themselves.

There are also a disturbing number of conjunctions that make this sentence cumbersome to read (and comprehend).


Contributed by Susan

Structural Ambiguity

An ad on Craigslist calls for a "two-year old teacher," which reminds me of another ambiguous statement I saw in Kruger National Park, South Africa:

Chinese Designs Stained Glass Coloring Book (Dover Publications, Inc.) inside cover:

"Infused with a sense of representing the wholeness of things, Chinese artwork is never simply meaningless ornamentation. Using exquisite combinations of flowers, birds, animals, symmetrical designs, and symbols, it has long been recognized worldwide for it's delicate lines, enduring beauty, grace and harmonious composition."

Oh, and you also need a writer. Birds are animals.

Job posting on Craigslist.org:

"Turning Point Center for Youth and Family Development, Inc is hiring an Education Counselor for our Day Resources Program in Fort Collins, CO. Qualifications include a Bachelor's in Human Serviveces, some superviisory experience, clean driving record, good communication and organization skills, team player, and ability to work independently."

~ ~ ~

Link on Oprah Winfrey's website:

"Watch the O Ambassadors's Journey in Kenya"

~ ~ ~

The Wine School of Philadelphia website:

"Our charity wine tastings are extraordinarilly popular and a wonderful way to throw a gala event."

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Welcome

Welcome to You Need an Editor.

This is a forum for posting professional writing that should have been proofed first.  If nothing else, calling attention to their carelessness may shame them into hiring an editor.