How to Edit Indian English

chillibreeze writer — Sumitra Mukherjee

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The task of an editor is always a tricky one. You are working, with a critical eye, on the fruit of the creative and intellectual resources of another - their writing. Editing is more than just checking for spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. It entails putting together the content in a manner that it communicates effectively and efficiently to the reader.

Are you an editor? While most people with a basic knowledge of English feel that they are in a position to edit well, this is not necessarily true.

Editing involves reading the text of an article or book looking out for grammatical imperfections and technical mistakes whilst maintaining the flow and style of the text. A good editor knows exactly how much editing is required. Editing is indeed an art as the right changes enhance the article but if you overdo it then it may just ruin the writing.

Indian English basically refers to the type of English spoken in India. Being an erstwhile colony of the British Empire the Indian educational system teaches English well, with a strong emphasis on the basics, grammar in particular. In fact there is a strong trend emerging in schools abroad changing to the Indian method of teaching English. The trouble arises when English merges with regional languages and seems to develop a whole new nuance of its own.

The tendency to use antiquated English in official letters, a legacy of the British era and tagging many a sentence with a question seems to be common. There is also a tendency among speakers of Indian English to translate from a regional language without taking into account the different rules of sentence formation and grammar. While Indian English may be the butt of jokes the world around the fact of the matter is that many of our writers are internationally acclaimed and honoured. On an average an Indian speaks better English than most people worldwide.

Editing works written in Indian English

The basic principles for editing remain the same irrespective of the language you are working with. But there are some areas that are particularly interesting when it comes to Indian English and these need to be paid attention.

Incorrect usage of English: Sentence formation is one of the chief areas that an editor needs to focus on. This is basically because the writer may be thinking in a regional language and merely translating into English as he puts his thoughts into words. This would include eliminating sentences that end with a “no?”

It is all in the grammar: There is a tendency to use a progressive tense in stative verbs: “I am knowing the answer” or “I am understanding the problem” instead of “I know the answer” or “I understand the problem.” Prepositions are also often used in a manner that is found in a regional language such as Hindi: “Pay attention on your studies” rather than “Pay attention to your studies.” The past perfect tense seems to be quite a favourite in Indian English while a past simple tense may be more appropriate: “I had gone instead of I went”.

Spelling Mistakes: People across the country speak and pronounce English words in different words. While in written English there are fewer errors one still needs to keep this in mind or you may find some catastrophic errors being neglected. Consider the use of the word ‘corpse’ instead of ‘crops’ in an agricultural report or “the young one of a loin is a cub.”

Know Your Target Audience: Good communication is based on knowing the target audience and comprehending their views and attitudes. Writing is not just about telling people what you know but putting it in a manner that they are able to relate to it. Often Indian English only informs the reader and doesn’t really communicate properly. The editor needs to ensure that the content is in a form that holds the attention of a reader.

Skip Colloquial Usage: While it is common to use words such as ‘specs’ for spectacles the editor needs to be careful not to overlook such use in written English. Also beware of sentences ending with “yaar” or any such term of endearment.

How much is too much: Unfortunately often people think that editing translates into making drastic changes in a text. A good editor snips away errors while shaping up and highlighting the content of the story or article. It is not necessary that every assignment will require enormous changes and thus approaching it with an open mind and no bias is recommended.

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—About our writer: Sumitra writes for chillibreeze.

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