=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= SFEP-ED-L Vol. 2, no. 1 5 January 1997 SFEP Editorial mailing list =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Contents: [1] Editorial Q & A---Previous threads [2t] Pinyin (was "Taleban" v. "Taliban") Q & A---New queries [2u] Cartographers FYI [3s] _Faux pas_ of the week [3y] Announcement [6] Administration =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --[1] Editorial ---------------------------------------------------- Welcome to volume 2 of SFEP-ED-L, and a happy New Year to all our contributors! We look forward to a successful and fascinating year of editorial and business questions and answers. And don't forget to send your messages for posting to Jane Kerr; admin goes to Iain Brown. --[2] Q & A ------------------------------------------------------ [2t] Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 From: Carol Zhong, Carol.Zhong@awl.co.uk Re: Pinyin (was "Taleban" v. "Taliban") I have some comments on a remark made by Josephine Bacon, which appeared in a recent newsletter. She said that it is "utterly ridiculous to do what the Chinese have done and try to force us to use Beijing instead of Peking." I wonder why it is "utterly ridiculous" for a country whose language does not use Latin characters to have standard spelling for place names and people's names? The Wade-Giles system was developed by two missionaries and based on their understanding of the way Chinese is pronounced. Looking at the system, I'd say that it's mainly based on Cantonese, which is spoken in Guangdong Province and in Hong Kong. But Mandarin is the standard language in China, as I'm sure you know. And in Mandarin, the name of the capital city is pronounced Beijing, not Peking (which is the Cantonese pronunciation). It would seem to facilitate things if, for example, journalists, writers, & just ordinary people want to talk about a place in China and all refer to it by the same name. Then consider passports. My husband is Chinese (& I lived in China for four years). His name in Mandarin is Zhong. In Cantonese, it could be written Chong or Chung. Who's to decide when issuing a passport or writing his name on official documents how it is to be spelled? And what if it's spelled differently each time? Record-keeping could become tricky. Indeed, why should Chinese be forced to call their cities by names that do not sound like the name of the city as it is spoken in thier language? Why should Chinese people be forced to say Peking, Canton or Kwangchow, etc. rather than Beijing and Guangzhou? With pinyin, I was finally able to learn some Chinese because of the consistency in the spelling of place names. Standardization makes sense to me. It also avoids endless discussions about whether the name of a city should have an i or an e in the middle of it! +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ [2u] Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 From: Andrea Cordani, andrea@nam.org.uk Subject: Cartographers I apologise if this is not entirely pertinent to the editing theme of this list, but I would appreciate it if someone would point me in the right direction. I co-edit a directory of UK listings and I now wish to introduce some maps (black and white only, with a scattering of towns, no physical geography). I wish to find a graphic designer or cartographer who specialises in map drawing; preferably someone who has computer software which can easily alter what we need as the focus changes from edition to edition. Is there a professional association which I might contact, or have any of the list members any experience of suitable people? --[3] FYI ---------------------------------------------------------- [3s] Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 From: Eddie Kent, eddie.kent@mcr1.poptel.org.uk _Faux pas_ of the week I was once asked to edit a document of book length which had been typed by the company typists and was to be set in a sophisticated word processor - WordPerfect 5.1 I think - bound and published inside the organisation. I was asked to quote for the minimum possible interference, which I did, allowing time for a just single read- through, looking for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and style inconsistencies. And it was ghastly. The style was lugubrious, wooden, dead; repetitive, badly arranged. Wordy in the extreme without being informative, except after a lot of work by the reader. By the time I finished I was heartily ashamed of my involvement, wishing I could afford the time to do a reasonable job. The one cheerful spot of the whole exercise was one sentence which I treasured. It isn't often one finds anything so perfect. I'm sorry to say I rewrote it. This was how it ran: 'This would provide additional parking spaces for both visitors to the riverside as well as those visiting the town centre.' +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ [3y] Date: Wed, 1 Jan 1997 From: SFEP Webmaster, webmaster@sfep.demon.co.uk Subject: Announcement Volunteers wanted The SFEP needs able volunteers interested in participating in the development of the Society's Internet activities. The range of SFEP Internet-related activities has grown a great deal in the past year, and undoubtedly will continue to do so. If you would like to help the SFEP develop and maintain a professional Internet presence then please send an email to the address below. The areas in which help would be welcome include: - administration of the SFEP Web site (http://www.sfep.demon.co.uk/) - development of SFEP email discussion groups - use of email etc. in our office at Mermaid Court - long-term Internet planning This is a first-class opportunity to help the SFEP and to broaden your Internet experience. Volunteers should be SFEP members willing to work with and influence the committee in the above areas. Reasonable expenses are paid. Please send an email noting your interest plus brief details of relevant skills and experience to volunteers@sfep.demon.co.uk by 20 January. --[6] Administration ----------------------------------------------- SFEP Editorial, a private, moderated e-mail discussion list, provides the opportunity for a weekly online discussion of matters editorial. For more information on the adminstration of this list, go to the SFEP-ED-L homepage. [END OF FILE]