Butterspider

Editing services

2011-11-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

The last blog was on translation. This one is about editing.
Editing is about bettering a document. Making it easier to read and understand. I do this by correcting spelling, grammar, word choices, sometimes even entire sentences needs to be rewritten as they have double meanings, checking facts and the list goes on.
There are different kinds of editing:

Copyediting - editing for spelling, sticking to house rules, fixing typographical errors, making sure the sentence's meaning is obvious, checking punctuation, usage of the right words and being consistent.
Content editing - this is the part where you look for factual errors, logical errors, mathematical errors and so forth.
Stylistic - making sure the language suits the readers and that the document reads smooth by fixing connections in the sentences and between sentences, fixing it when the focus is on the wrong things in the sentences and fixing it when a sentence reads difficult.
Structural editing - you should know how the text structure should look and fix it accordingly (for example when it is a poem you know the basic structures of poems). Also you would need to look whether the paragraphs follow logically on each other.

These have not been discussed in detail here, so there is much more to look at.

Editing makes a document professional and enables smooth reading. When you read a book and there are spelling mistakes or even typos, your reading speed is broken as you stop at the word thinking "is that right?" before moving on.
Having a document edited helps with a lot of different things and for industries having documents checked before handing it over to clients or anyone else is highly important for a good reputation.
Individuals can also use editing services for University or even just something for school. It will better your marks, opening more doors for you in the future.

Details please

2011-08-17T02:28:00.000-07:00

Since I just barged in with a “ButterSpider is back”, I think it is time to better describe what ButterSpider actually does. I’m going to take one service at a time, explaining it in every update. Let’s start with the old services.
Language is important in communicating just as visuals are. It can also be misunderstood and misinterpret if used the wrong way, again, just like visuals. I’m not going to go on about what language is and why it’s important – I’ll leave that for another time if anyone really wants to know that. I’m just going to explain what we do with the service we provide. For now I’m doing translation.
Translation is more than just taking a word in one language (source text) and putting a word of another language in its place (target text). A lot of thought must go into every word and sentence construction. You need to know about both cultures. Know the sayings. Know about the subject of the text. Understand the meaning of every word. Know what to say and what not to say. Know the context. Know who the readers are. Know what the readers would want. You’re not just changing the language; you’re making sure the text is suitable for the readers of that language. When translating, your world is the text, the readers, the client and the author(s). That is where your interest falls.
You get enveloped by the text. You interpret the text and only then when you understand it, can you decide on a way to approach the translation (there are different ways to translate and the way chosen depends on the type of text, meaning of the text, the goal of both the source text and the target text, the readers and more). This is why it is important to analyse the text thoroughly and to have a clear understanding of what is expected of the text.
If I was to explain more or even just half of what translation is and what needs to be done to create a good translation, this blog would be too long. Just know that a lot of thought, effort and research go into a translation and that this and more is what happens when we do your translation.

Blogs about translation worth looking at:
About translation (just look on the right for things on translation quality and such)
Translation journal
Translation times

So what is Butterspider about?

2011-08-06T12:06:00.000-07:00

It’s about communication. In the world we live in, communication has become easier, quicker and more important. Just look at Facebook, Skype and so many others.
If you want to communicate you need the right tools. You need language, visuals and you need a medium through which to use your words.
Butterspider focuses on all these. We handle the text (text is more than words – it also refers to other visual aspects such as design and layout) and the medium. This way you get all your communication needs at one place.
Convenient.
All the more people are going digital. If someone wants to know more about a place, a person or anything at all, they usually go to the internet. If you don’t have a website or the one you have does not live up to their expectations you send a bad message. Your image in that persons mind will not be a good one. You need to send out a good image. If not, word-of-mouth will work against you. This is why communicating in the right way is so important.
People don’t often see the need for communication specialists. But go on a website done by someone who lacks the understanding learned by communication specialists and you will notice there is a lacking of some sort. It’s the details that count. It’s the passion behind the work. It is not skipping the no-one-will-notice-things. It is about knowing the reason behind everything you place and where you place it.
Everyone wants to be understood but we live in a judging world, so make every word and visual aspect blend perfectly into what you want your image to be and send the message out, clear and hard to ignore.

After some rest

2011-08-05T15:20:00.001-07:00

Most people don’t know about Butterspider and thus, naturally, nothing about what this blog is going on about.
I am not going to go on talking in third person to make this more personal. I am Michelle Botes.

Butterspider went on a bit of a ... holiday. Now we are back and ready for business – literally!
After about a year of working on skills Butterspider is trying to get back into the loop. Rather to start the loop. To do this I got a partner to help. He is Darren Albinson, the marketing director and everything else. Thank you Darren for your support, help and patience.

So what is Butterspider up to?
We have worked a bit on the website (http://butterspider.withtank.com). There is a portfolio now. It will grow in time so don’t laugh as you see the few examples. Sadly, the examples I really want to show has been done at work, which means it belongs to them. I will however make some examples to put on that are rightfully mine.
Further on we just advertised, advertised and some more advertising!

We want comments and ideas. We want to hear what you think. So contact us at butterspider.freelance@gmail.com.

There will be an update on what exactly Butterspider is for those of you who still feels left in the dark.