Do Editors Have English Degrees (at least a minor)?
Warning: For Full Access Please Log In or Create an Account (Free)
using "-" does NOT make something a run on sentence!
Nope. Many do not. But, many who do have degrees may not have done well in class and still managed to squeak by.
Remember this joke: what do you call the person who graduated last in their class in medical school? Doctor.
Remember this joke: what do you call the person who graduated last in their class in medical school? Doctor.
@shoptastic, I agree! I always get a laugh when I get feedback that says, "Some minor grammar errors..."
I'm 99.9% sure that there were no grammatical errors in my report.
I'm 99.9% sure that there were no grammatical errors in my report.
Re-read your reports, follow instructions, I'm not a grammar whiz, and hardly ever get feedback on what your talking about...I re-read and correct spelling, or spell check sometimes works. Me thinks you may be a bit lazy
or just like complaining (to us).
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 06:21PM by Irene_L.A..
or just like complaining (to us).
Live consciously....
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 06:21PM by Irene_L.A..
I usually catch "typos". It is much harder to to catch "word-0-s." As in "The stud survey was long". Errrr.
Based in MD, near DC
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
Shopping from the Carolinas to New York
Have video cam; will travel
Poor customer service? Don't get mad; get video.
When typing a report, I do my best to make sure my grammar is perfect to my knowledge. (I don't pay attention to it when making posts like this one). If/when I make a mistake, so be it. I don't get marked off for it often, but when I do, I don't really care as I know there were not many such errors. I will say, and the reason I am replying, is that I think some editors feel that because a sentence is not structured the way they would have done it, that it is wrong.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 04:52PM by KA047.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 04:52PM by KA047.
@KA047 wrote:
When typing a report, I do my best to make sure my grammar is perfect to my knowledge. (I don't pay attention to it when making posts like this one). If/when I make a mistake, so be it. I don't get marked off for it often, but when I do, I don't really care as I know there were not many such errors. I will say, and the reason I am replying, is that I think some editors feel that because a sentence is not structured the way they would have done it, that it is wrong.
Agree 100% with this. And when you say that editors change a sentence because it's not structured how they would have done it, I wonder how much of our reports are original. Sometimes I put a lot of thought into how to word things so that they come across the right way and with the right tone in order to catch the feeling of the moment.
I also do my best to make sure that everything is as perfect as it can be. Honestly, I sometimes think I take longer on reports than I need to (or should), which cuts into my per hour pay, so maybe I will have to be more relaxed about the reports. I almost always get a score of 10, with an occasional 8 or 9. Maybe it would be fine to shoot for scores of 8 with an occasional 9 or 7....
I gave up on editors long ago, when one "corrected" my report by putting in several incorrect apostrophes. Like, the place was named "Greenes" and every single one, the editor changed to "Greene's". I think the people who owned the business knew how to spell their name!
Another time, the editor changed "York" (a small town in Nebraska) to "New York".
I assure you I did not drive 1500 miles to perform a shop in New York.
Now, I just let 'em do their job, and I don't sweat it.
(However, I freely admit I did have to alter my writing style somewhat -- no more dashes, ellipses, colons, or semi-colons. Simple (and I mean SIMPLE) declarative sentences only, please! So I dumbed it down to like 4th or 5th grade level -- slightly, very slightly -- above "See Spot! See Spot run!" )
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 05:16PM by ceasesmith.
Another time, the editor changed "York" (a small town in Nebraska) to "New York".
I assure you I did not drive 1500 miles to perform a shop in New York.
Now, I just let 'em do their job, and I don't sweat it.
(However, I freely admit I did have to alter my writing style somewhat -- no more dashes, ellipses, colons, or semi-colons. Simple (and I mean SIMPLE) declarative sentences only, please! So I dumbed it down to like 4th or 5th grade level -- slightly, very slightly -- above "See Spot! See Spot run!" )
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 05:16PM by ceasesmith.
I’m guessing that not many editors have English degrees. They get their editors, at least in part, from their shopper pool. You will know that your grammar is excellent as a shopper if you’ve been solicited by MSCs to be an editor. I have, but I’m not at all interested. Reading here has educated me that shoppers are not always aware of grammar and syntax rules. I know that my reports are not always perfect, but I also know that the changes needed are minimal. The editors are there for a reason, every report does not have to be perfect. Additionally, the editors have a better understanding of how each client likes reports presented. I let them do their job, I don’t worry about the final project. It’s not a novel, I do my reasonable best and let it go.
Maybe they’re right, maybe they’re wrong. Maybe I’m wrong. I don’t care. Another day, another report. Whatevs. I’m working for the money, not the grade.
While it is true that many editors have poor English and others are too fast to add "alternative facts," to our reports, I would feel remiss not to point out that there are many fields of study, beyond English, which both demand and yield strong writing skills. I recall one of my Political Science professors remarking that Journalists must have good writing skills because they have to write short and often for others to read and that Historians are often good writers because they read quite a bit and learn quickly what is good and what is bad writing. He cautioned to always have aspirin at hand when reading those in his field.
Two words: app shops.
I understand people's concerns about editorial changes that may go far beyond a grammatical or syntactical tweaking. If an editor unintentionally or otherwise changes the meaning of your words, the result may be a significant misrepresentation of your experience. This is like a lie. Are clients paying for lies? Well, some posters have said that think so. But do all clients want a lie?
With some of the app assignments, such as merchandising gigs, you may not need to include narrative. You might only count, place, add, rearrange, remove, or photograph. Unless your pics are doctored, your work should stand as is and reflect the conditions that you documented.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 08:06PM by Shop-et-al.
I understand people's concerns about editorial changes that may go far beyond a grammatical or syntactical tweaking. If an editor unintentionally or otherwise changes the meaning of your words, the result may be a significant misrepresentation of your experience. This is like a lie. Are clients paying for lies? Well, some posters have said that think so. But do all clients want a lie?
With some of the app assignments, such as merchandising gigs, you may not need to include narrative. You might only count, place, add, rearrange, remove, or photograph. Unless your pics are doctored, your work should stand as is and reflect the conditions that you documented.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you.... (Rumi)
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2018 08:06PM by Shop-et-al.
@Jill_L wrote:
@shoptastic, I agree! I always get a laugh when I get feedback that says, "Some minor grammar errors..."
I'm 99.9% sure that there were no grammatical errors in my report.
Sounds like we could have the same editor.
I actually like the MSC a lot and their schedulers, so I will not name this one. They are generous with bonuses and have always been great to me. But I get whacked on my report grades for stuff I know 100% is perfectly okay.
I do wonder if they are the type of MSC that hides better shops from you if you have a low rating. If that's the case, I would consider complaining. But, I've beenn too lazy to so far.
Well, since you asked, I have a BS in Ed degree with a English/History/Social Studies triple major. However, from what I have seen, this is not the standard in our industry.
Administrative Manager for Shoppers' View
p: 800.264.5677 | e: christinew@shoppersview.com | w: www.shoppersview.com
p: 800.264.5677 | e: christinew@shoppersview.com | w: www.shoppersview.com
Who cares if they have a degree or not? Or if they think you made grammatical errors or not. As long as I get paid after I submit a report I couldn't possibly care less. They can edit all my correct theirs to incorrect theres and it wouldn't bother me.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
This Industry that hires you if you can breathe, doesn't care, one can train themselves to be good at this, a college degree for this would be an embarrassment, while doing this for other reasons works, I care about it all.
The only way to learn or teach is by conversation, not silence.
The only way to learn or teach is by conversation, not silence.
Live consciously....
@bgriffin wrote:
Who cares if they have a degree or not? Or if they think you made grammatical errors or not. As long as I get paid after I submit a report I couldn't possibly care less. They can edit all my correct theirs to incorrect theres and it wouldn't bother me.
Because:
1.) It's annoying to be told you did something wrong when you didn't. Just the principle.
2.) If my shopper rating is lowered, as a result of these alleged grammatical errors, then that could affect my ability to get better shops.
It's that simple.
I don't take myself (or anyone else) seriously enough to be annoyed by that.
We're talking a 9 instead of a 10. We're not talking 5s. It won't affect your rating enough to make it harder to get work. What will is complaining about something inconsequential.
If I'm a scheduler and I know my annoying editor is sometimes going to give someone a 9 instead of a 10 because they're in a bad mood or feeling superior that day then I'm going to assign shops to the people that don't care, because I don't have time to read an email from some shopper that just wants to compalain they didn't get a 10.
We're talking a 9 instead of a 10. We're not talking 5s. It won't affect your rating enough to make it harder to get work. What will is complaining about something inconsequential.
If I'm a scheduler and I know my annoying editor is sometimes going to give someone a 9 instead of a 10 because they're in a bad mood or feeling superior that day then I'm going to assign shops to the people that don't care, because I don't have time to read an email from some shopper that just wants to compalain they didn't get a 10.
There are reasons that a body stays in motion
At the moment only demons come to mind
At the moment only demons come to mind
With some companies. tenths of points matter. Just sayin'.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you.... (Rumi)
Dunno if you all factor in job board hunting time, negotiating with schedulers, and just "waiting" for the right pieces of a route puzzle (or non-route shops too) to fall into place into your hourly.
I might make $5/hour after that.
OOPS - wrong thread
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2018 03:24AM by shoptastic.
I might make $5/hour after that.
OOPS - wrong thread
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2018 03:24AM by shoptastic.
@shoptastic wrote:
Dunno if you all factor in job board hunting time, negotiating with schedulers, and just "waiting" for the right pieces of a route puzzle (or non-route shops too) to fall into place into your hourly.
I might make $5/hour after that.
OOPS - wrong thread
I do... The last two months it's been north of $40/hr. after all that.
Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
@Shop-et-al wrote:
With some companies. tenths of points matter. Just sayin'.
For what?
I have shopped for all the MSC's that folks here say have editors who don't know grammar.... I know my grammar is strong. However, I know that I don't always proofread my work. (That is a business decision I make.) I've never lost more than a point for grammar issues. The difference between a "9" or a "10" makes no difference to me or any MSC. If you are scoring a "6," you are doing something very wrong. Either your grammar is abysmal or the shop has a fundamental issue and was barely able to be submitted.
Hard work builds character and homework is good for your soul.
I use Microsoft Word to edit my narratives and very seldom do I lose points for grammar.
@MFJohnston wrote:
@shoptastic wrote:
Dunno if you all factor in job board hunting time, negotiating with schedulers, and just "waiting" for the right pieces of a route puzzle (or non-route shops too) to fall into place into your hourly.
I might make $5/hour after that.
OOPS - wrong thread
I do... The last two months it's been north of $40/hr. after all that.
Yeah, we don't have jobs like that out here. That's awesome you get that hourly, MFJ!
The job board here looks like:
$6.00 fee Burger meal that is reimbursed
$7.00 fee for going to comic book store
$5.00 fee for a carry-out pizza + reimbursement
$65 fee for opening up a checking account
$40 fee for apartment shop
asked about bonuses for everything...almost always get denied
Thankfully, I've found a few shops that less people want to do and can get a driving and small hourly bonus added to make it worthwhile. Those are rare. They happen once a month on average probably. So, it's like lots and lots and lots of little shops you have to string together to get anything over $30 (non-reimbursement profit) when leaving the house.
That's why I don't even like to shop anymore or leave the house to shop. I have to do it to some degree to make some side money, but I hate doing it. No motivation to leave the house to do a shop that will take several hours for a company paying me less than min. wage for those several hours.
Sadly, lots of people in my area take those jobs. They practically fly off the boards.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/24/2018 08:59AM by shoptastic.
At first I laughed at the thought of an editor taking that job because they went to school for it. Then I realized, “what do you do when a BA in English?”
#avenueQwasright
#avenueQwasright
______________________________________________________________________
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
Seriously, nobody cares that you're offended.
@Hoju wrote:
At first I laughed at the thought of an editor taking that job because they went to school for it. Then I realized, “what do you do when a BA in English?”
#avenueQwasright
Our Sunday School teacher was a paralegal with a BA in English.
A woman from my old church was a copy editor.
Another did auto insurance claims (adjuster).
Another is a writer.
People in my school often go into teaching - sort of a stereotypical path (but, also, a safe back-up plan for anyone with an English degree).
Many apply to law school.
Some go into business.
For sure, it's one of those degrees you have to be creative in marketing yourself for when it comes to employment.
@MFJohnston wrote:
@Shop-et-al wrote:
With some companies. tenths of points matter. Just sayin'.
For what?
For assignment types.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you.... (Rumi)
If you get a BA in any degree you are required to take composition classes.
Sorry, only registered users may post in this forum.