Cross-cultural editing

Abstract

Cross-cultural editing is described as editing material written in English either by or for people who have learned English as a second language. Editing material written by non-native speakers of English or material written for them has special difficulties. The 'plain English' that is most understandable to the native reader may be confusing or even offensive to the person who has learned English as a second language. The author discusses some of the difficulties, with examples emphasizing communication between American and Japanese speakers, writers, and readers of English. It is concluded that the Japanese do characteristically have difficulty with certain aspects of English, notably the use of articles, verb form distinctions, and punctuation. These are problems in both writing and reading, despite the fact that reading is generally easier than writing. It was found that the way the two cultures organize their thoughts was not a cause for misunderstanding, because the differences are relatively minor.<>