Episcopal Church Foundation Vital Practices - Blogs

July 25, 2013

Second Eyes

Misteaks happen. Typpos abound.

A listserv that I follow was on fire this week with embarrassing typos. I’ll cop to my own first: In a headline, I gave the presiding bishop the plague (as in bubonic) instead of a special plaque. Someone shared about missing an all-important “r” in the homeless shelter panty collection.

Numerous folks talked about the elusive “l” in the word public.

A few easy practices, though, can help mitigate the problem.

First, of course, there’s spellcheck. Obviously this won’t catch words that dropped a letter but still are spelled correctly. But it’s the first line of defense.

The most important practice, in my opinion, is having a second set of eyes read through the copy. When we prepare bulletins week in and week out, write the church newsletter or press releases for the local paper, it’s easy to make a mistake. After all, we’re all pressed for time, pushed to make haste. And I find that especially when I’ve worked on a project for many hours, it’s hard for me to see errors in a final read. My eyes assume the correct word and skip past the error.

Second eyes will catch most mistakes.

Now, I know many church offices are lightly staffed, with perhaps only a part-time secretary or a solo priest. I wonder if this might be an opportunity to invite the retired English teacher into ministry. Honestly, I never mind when someone asks me to proofread. I feel like it’s one way I can help promote better grammar and spelling in the world. :) Another option might be a college student, a shut-in, or a stay-at-home mom.

Be clear when you’re asking that you’re looking for proofreading, not editorial muscle. That can help avoid misunderstandings. More than once, my husband has handed me a newsletter article, and I’ve brandished my red pen, only to learn at the end that he considered the text complete and wanted only proofreading. Believe me, it’s better to clarify at the front end.

For really important documents, another good practice is to read them aloud. I’ve found that it’s easier to catch any mistakes when you speak the words. It forces eye and mouth coordination, hopefully highlighting any errors as well as providing an opportunity to smooth the language if it sounds stilted to the ear.

Finally, the last practice is to accept the inevitable errors with good humor. You will make mistakes. We all do. Smile graciously when someone points them out. Model the type of behavior you hope they’ll exhibit when they find an error. Laugh about it. Ask them about their most embarrassing typo. And then move on. After all, there’s a lot more work to be done in the kingdom.