The Quicker Typo Picker-Upper
This post is dedicated to anyone who’s ever made a typo. Yup, we’re casting a wide net at Shelters’ Edge today, thanks to Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson, authors of the new book The Great Typo Hunt. I’ve been reading about the 2008 trip these friends took across the United States, armed with a Typo Correction Kit and a geek-worthy appreciation for grammar, searching for errors in malls and museums, on roadsides and restaurants. They came across quite a few mens’ rooms (and mens rooms), a cemetary, some cheesebugers and a stationary store, to name just a few.
Example of typical typo spotted by Deck & Herson
Oh, and these guys are pretty funny, too:
I can’t help but recall some of the great typos I’ve seen—or didn’t see—throughout my career at the ASPCA. There was the time we ran a photo essay on dogs in our children’s magazine. Oh, we got the provenance right for the tallest breed—but instead of the stately Irish wolfhound, we gave the crown to the scrappy ol’ terrier. It didn’t help that the associate art director made that image disproportionately larger than any other on the page, so the terrier wound up looking three times the size of a German shepherd.
And then there was the time we left the “L” out of the Public Information Coordinator’s title on our magazine’s masthead. Thankfully, she was a good sport about it, but I can’t help but suspect foul play. The masthead rarely changed, and it hadn’t been incorrect in any previous issue…
But you know what I like best about typos? Each one is a total team effort. You can’t really pin an error on one person if everyone, including all the editors, the executive director and the art director, too, had multiple chances to catch it.
Nowadays, of course, you can always make changes at any time to copy—even pdfs—online. And in a perfect world, you’d have plenty of time for what Deck’s and Herson’s Typo Eradication Advancement League (TEAL) calls a “careful look over anything you’ve written for public consumption.” In such a scenario, the League explains, “Besides overt mistakes, you may find phrasing that you would word better, or come up with other ways to enhance the clarity of your meaning.”
But when your world isn’t so perfect—i.e., when someone needs that final copy, oh, yesterday—try these typo-bashing tactics:
A Little Help from Your Friends (and Coworkers)
Doesn’t matter if you have more experience writing and editing and approving copy than anyone else on staff…it’s always smart to run everything by a second set of eyes. If you can’t find a willing coworker, enlist a friend. A friend can be especially invaluable in reading copy that’s about, say, a new service or program you’re launching—he or she won’t have insider knowledge of the program that a coworker would, and thus could be a better barometer of how clearly and effectively you’re communicating.
Spell Check=Your Frenemy
A spell checking program can be invaluable in catching spelling and grammatical errors—but take care you’re paying attention and actually comprehending the suggested edits and not just hitting Ignore…or was that Change All? OOPS!
Get Up Offa That Thing!
The act of printing out a hard copy, standing up and physically moving to a different location to read your material can help you reset and offers a fresh perspective. It’s almost like having a second person read your copy (but not quite, so do try to run it by someone else if you can).
Say It Loud
Hone in on typos and awkward wording that trips you up not by reading but reciting your copy. Your ear may pick up on things your eye doesn’t.
Do Not IM, Pay Your Phone Bill, Participate in a Conference Call and Proof Copy at the Same Time
Don’t act shocked, you know you’ve done it. You say to yourself, “Oh, it’s just one sentence, that’s nothing for a communications professional like me.” And then the email with the “latest news from the APSCA” goes out…
And if you do make a typo? Correct it if you can ASAP, think about what you’ll do differently next time to avoid a similar mistake, and heed these wise words from Big Bird:
Leave a comment if you’ve got any tips to share or typos to ’fess up to. And check out The Great Typo Hunt blog for TEAL’s latest and greatest adventures.
Tags: Marketing & Media, Shelter Management
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Susan Britt Says:
This post had me laughing out loud, Pune! Before joining the ASPCA I wrote the majority of animal bios for my shelter website. Friday evening was usually a writing marathon as I wanted everyone to have a bright & shiny story for a busy Saturday. My fingers were flying, giddy when a phrase came out just right. Fast forward to the next day and a dedicated website follower called to point out an embarrassing typo in a dog story, “the ideal hoe for this devilishly handsome guy will be active and relish a rousing game of catch-me-if-you-can”. Yikes – not quite the image I was going for. I fixed that typo quick, had a good laugh with our observant reader, and got that dog adopted!
Susan Ruderman (Animal Rescue League of Boston) Says:
I have two for the group. In 2009, for the first time, Advancement prepared a photo wall calendar. We indicated all the holidays, as well as pet-specific ones, like Adopt-a-Cat month and Take Your Dog to Work Week, etc. Because there were so many details, we had 6 different people (including several who had not worked on the project) proofread. We went to press and the calendar was distributed. It wasn’t until March of this year that our big typo was revealed: We put Mother’s Day in March instead of May! Nobody caught this. I do think we could create an “Early Mother’s Day” holiday in March for those who were born prematurely…
And one last confession: Our quarterly magazine is called “Our Fourfooted Friends.” The draft of one issue made it all the way to the designer before he caught the error in the title: “Our Fourfooted Fiends”!
Leslie Harris Says:
Great post, Pune! Even though I know better than to send materials out without proofreading, I also get arrogant and believe I’ll catch my own mistakes (after all, no one is better at catching other people’s!). Our spring fund drive letter was ready to go and printed out (in house) for major donors…before we caught the (really stupid, glaring) typo that two of us overlooked. Back to re-printing and re-signing the letters. Sigh. Lesson learned: don’t let the people who WROTE the thing PROOF the thing. It’s like your brain knows what it’s supposed to say so it makes the errors disappear. Someone who doesn’t know what it’s supposed to say is more likely to find the mistake.
Kathleen Duffy Says:
On NE corner of East 77th & Lexington, bagel shop’s second floor window: “All baking done on promises.”
On a hotel banquet menu ready to be handed out to hundreds of guests, menu item: Black Angus Steer (printed without the “g” in Angus. And the list goes on
Pune Dracker Says:
Susans B. & R., ouch! I feel your pain, but have to admit to laughing out loud, too. Leslie, I’m going to add your lesson learned directly to the post–that’s a really good one and so easy to forget. Kathleen, I’m just glad I don’t eat beef…