[bksvol-discuss] Re: Proofreading ideas.
- From: "Bob" <rwiley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:45:20 -0500
The great thing about proofreading and scanning is that you don't have a quota
to meet. You can join this list and never submit a book. In other words, there
is no pressure to achieve here.
If I were starting out again, I think I would get a book, look at it and, when
I felt the book was presenting too many problems return it to the
ready-for-checkout cue. But, I'd continue to work on it, maybe trying one thing
or another to take care of a particular problem until I felt comfortable with
fixing that problem. Then move on to the next problem.
Soon, I'm sure, I would get a book, look at it and say "hey, this is easy".
What I am trying to say is, take your own time, and never ever make
proofreading something you hate to do. If it ceases to be enjoyable, and if you
can't find something to learn from proofreading, then don't proofread any more.
Bob
"A bank is a place where they lend you an umbrella in fair weather and ask for
it back when it begins to rain."
----- Original Message -----
From: Rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 10:01 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Proofreading ideas.
Let me add that if I had come to this list to get proofreading advice before
actually trying to proofread anything that I might have been so overwhelmed
that I would not have tried. When I signed up as a volunteer I did not
immediately subscribe to this list. I did read the volunteer manual, but it was
a lot simpler then than it is now and I don't know if I would have been
discouraged by it in its present form. That is one thing I worry about. As the
manual is made more complete it is also being made a lot more complex and
longer and I do worry that it might scare off a newbie. I was fortunate enough
that my first attempt at proofreading was of a book that was a near perfect
scan, so I did not run into any problems with it. My first problem was with
uploading it. That is when I subscribed to this list and asked how to do that.
As you can see by reading this list and by reading the manual there is a lot
that can be done that will make proofreading a quick and easy process, that is,
if you know how to do all those things. Learning them is a slow and hard, as
opposed to quick and easy, process. On my first proofing job I did not know
about all those tricks, though, and a lot of them I still can't do because I do
not have the same equipment to work with as the others do. On my first
proofreading job I just read the whole book looking for errors to correct as I
came to them. That first one did not really have any errors, but my subsequent
proofreads did. I would suggest that you do the same. As you come across the
mention of something on this list that could probably help you try it out. If
it looks like it might help you out, but you don't understand it fully, ask the
appropriate question. That way you will learn a little at a time and gradually
achieve the knowledge level of the others. If, on the other hand, you try to
learn everything at once you will be overwhelmed and will be right back to
saying that you are going to quit. Believe me, I know what it is to be
overwhelmed. When I first got a computer I was lucky to know how to plug it in
and I was completely on my own without anyone to ask about anything. I didn't
even use technical support at the time. I had a phone number for technical
support, but I was not really sure what it was and the word technical scared me
off from calling it. Can you imagine the overwhelming job I had to teach myself
to use a computer? I might add that by signing up for this group I have not
only learned a good deal about volunteering for Bookshare, but a lot of what I
have learned has had other applications, so this list has helped me further my
ability to use my computer in general. The feeling of being overwhelmed,
though, is very familiar to me and because of it I have come to dread learning
anything new because I have come to expect that whenever I do so I will be
faced with extreme frustration and utter exhaustion. Yes, I mean exhaustion.
After dealing with hours of frustration I have at times felt like I had spent
an interminable time doing strenuous labor. At the same time, though, I have
learned. I have also figured out that the more I learn I have more to build on
for the next learning experience and I think the extreme exhaustion is
lessoning a bit every time. There is also a lessening of that exhaustion if I
learn just a little bit at a time. That, of course, leads to the frustration of
being impatient with myself, but in the long run I think it is easier. So,
again, try some basic proofreading. When you have a specific question ask it
here. Continue to read the list and pick up an idea here and there one idea at
a time. And, in my experience, you will learn a few things from the
proofreading that will help you in scanning whenever you decide to return to it.
"Can a nation be
free if it oppresses other nations? It cannot." Vladimir Lenin
The Militant: http://www.themilitant.com Pathfinder Press:
http://www.pathfinderpress.com
Granma International: http://granma.cu/ingles/index.html
_
table with 2 columns and 6 rows
Subj:
[bksvol-discuss] Re: Proofreading ideas.
Date:
8/24/2009 10:21:27 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From:
gstweedy@xxxxxxx
Reply-to:
bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To:
bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent from the Internet
(Details)
table end
appreciate your time and patients.
Thanks so very much this is very helpful
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----- Original Message -----
From:
Lynn I
To:
bookkshare volunteer list
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 3:52 PM
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Proofreading ideas.
Hi Gwen, Kim, and all other volunteers who may be new to proofreading!
I'm sure by now you realize that all of us use different methods to
proofread. We may do things in a different order, but the end result should be
a book
with similar characteristics such as standardized fonts, page breaks,
paragraphs and so forth. I well understand that it can seem overwhelming at
first,
because there's so much to think about and remember.
Here's what you really need to remember--proofreading is a learning process.
It is not something you learn all at once. For example, it is only in the last
few books I have proofread where I have converted em dashes to double
hyphens, standardized and enlarged chapter heading fonts, and converted smart
quotes.
Why didn't I do this before? I didn't understand how to do this even though I
had read the excellent directions provided by several people on this list.
It made me feel pretty inept, so I did nothing about it--and I've been
proofreading books since Spring, 2008.
A few weeks ago, I began an e-mail conversation with Mayrie about something
totally unrelated. I felt comfortable with her, so I asked if I could ask her
a few questions. She graciously agreed, and I sent her an example of text
where I had replaced the em dashes with double hyphens. She looked at it, and
told me I had done it correctly. After that, I was embolden to tackle smart
quotes and changing fonts for chapter headings.
I mention this is a way of encouraging you to begin the process. Start with
something simple--maybe a short book or a children's book. Make sure it's
something
that interests you. Also, as others have said, it's very helpful to begin
with books that have been scanned by careful scanners because you will have less
correcting to do.
I'm a Braille reader, and I use JAWS and a Braille display to proofread with.
I set punctuation to most, and read line by line. I do all of my proofreading
in Word. But before I start reading. I refer to my checklist which I have
Brailed on index cards. I personally do certain things before I even read a
book.
You can do the same thing using speech. I find a checklist of some kind helps
me remember what I have done, and keeps me from forgetting things. Here's
what I do ... you can use the ideas that are helpful and disregard those that
are not. Remember, we each may have a different process, there is no wrong
or right order here--Use what works well for you.
1. Before I checkout a book to proofread. I look at the book information
page. I highlight and copy pertinent information such as title, author,
copyright
date, copyright holder, ISBN number, number of pages, the brief and long
synopsis information, the categories which the submitter has indicated for the
book, and the submitters name and e-mail address (if available). I save this
in a separate text file so that I can refer to it. This also tells me if I'm
going to have to add additional information, or do any editing in that area.
2. After downloading the RTF file, I make a copy of it and store it either
in a different folder on my computer or, as I usually do, on a flash drive.
I do this in the event I make a mess of my original file.
3. Next I open the RTF file and standardize fonts, line spacing and
paragraph format, set the paper size to legal,and immediately save the changes.
I don't
proofread technical reference manuals or text books, so it's easy to do the
standardization of fonts and paragraphs.
4. Next, I look to see if the number of pages in my RTF file matches the
number I obtained from the book information page. If it matches, I breathe a
huge
sigh of relief. If it does not, I know that I have to figure out why things
don't match. maybe the preliminary pages are not included in the submitter's
page count. Maybe, there are unnumbered pages at the end of the book. Maybe
additional page breaks have been inserted. Maybe there a duplicate pages. Maybe,
there are actually pages missing, and I may have to contact the submitter and
ask to have some pages scanned. In any case, I don't get overly concerned.
The reason for the numbering discrepancy will likely become apparent as I
read through the book. I just know it's something I will have to resolve.
5. Next, I look to see if there is a page numbered as "1." I use that as a
reference point to number the preliminary pages. I'm a very orderly person,
so it's important to me to know what I have to do with page numbers. Everyone
does this differently. Page numbers are not absolutely required. Some books
do not have them. At any rate, once I find a page numbered "1" or find any
page number, I can begin to track page numbers.
6. Next, I do things like convert em dashes to double hyphens, remove
"smart" quotes, split dialog, and make sure there are no spaces either preceding
or following dashes. I also make sure the ellipsis are treated properly.
Instructions for how to do all of these things as available on the "volunteer"
page. Some people spell check prior to reading the book, and again after
reading it. Personally, I do not spell check until I have read the entire book
because I find it too easy to change things I shouldn't such as the spelling
of proper names and certain intended slang words. After I have read the book,
I can more easily recognize what may be a scanning OCR error. But if it's
helpful for you to spell check prior to reading, by all means do so. Just be
careful about what you change.
7. I now begin reading the book. As I read, I make sure that page numbers
and chapter headings are surrounded by a blank line, make sure that there is
a blank line at the top and bottom of each page, change the font of chapter
headings or chapter numbers to Times New Roman 16 point, remove extra blank
lines that should not be there, remove any extra page breaks that have been
accidentally inserted, remove headers or footers at the top or bottom of pages
which contain the book title or authors name (only in the text pages),
correct known OCR errors, and remove any extra characters such as back slashes,
slashes, brackets, spaces, and carets that the OCR program inserted during
scanning. Most of these occurrences are easily caught when punctuation is set
to "most". When I come across a page that is blank, I make sure to insert
[This page contains no text.] If there are picture captions, I make sure they
are noted as such. Again, there are instructions concerning how to deal with
picture captions and descriptions on the "volunteer" page. I'm especially
alert to strange characters that appear at the top and bottom of pages, or at
the end of a line of text. Usually it's pretty obvious that they are "junk
characters" and should be removed.
8. As I read, I make a list of things I need from the submitter such as
missing pages, a rescan of any pages because I cannot figure out what a word or
sentence should be, or any other clarification I may need. I do my best to
include page number references for the submitter, and if I think my question
is confusing, I will copy the particular word or sentence about which I have
a question. I e-mail the complete list of what I need to the submitter after
I have read the entire book, unless I know that I particular submitter likes
questions one at a time.
9. After I receive what I need from the submitter, I make all necessary
changes, spell check the entire document, and copy the file to a folder I have
created on my computer called "submit." Personally, I find it easier to
upload a book when it is the only one in a folder. I've come very close to
uploading
the wrong book, so having it in a separate folder is a good insurance policy
for me.
10. Before I upload the book, I open the text file I had saved which contains
the book information and make sure that the title, author's name, copyright
date, copyright holder, ISBN number, publisher, page count, and book
categories match what appears on the book's "checkout" form. I remove any "hold
for"
designation that may be in the title. If the book is part of a series, I make
sure that the title reflects that. I also reread the brief synopsis and make
any necessary changes. I usually include a long synopsis if one is not
provided, though it is not necessary to do this if an ISBN number is present. I
do so only because I enjoy knowing as much about a book as possible before I
decide if I want to read it, and I assume others may feel that way also.
I hope this encourages some of you to try your hand at proofreading. The real
key is don't be afraid to try, and most of all, don't be afraid to ask questions
as you go. Asking questions is the only way to learn, and none of this is
easy, at first. *smile*
blessings.
Lynn I
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