They go almost unnoticed. They are, however, essential players in the cultural milieu. The duty offers a series of portraits of shadow trades, through the confidences of professionals who practice them or have already practiced them. Today: proofreaders.
Is it a vocation, a secret ambition or a last resort after a more or less successful career in literature? You have it all wrong, judging by the testimonies collected by The duty on the profession of proofreader. One thing unites the members of this profession, regardless of their training, their favorite fields, whether they are salaried or self-employed: an infinite love for the French language.
Novels, essays, magazine or newspaper articles, annual reports, press releases, song lyrics, nothing escapes the sharp eye of proofreaders. Their profession is exercised in variable conditions, sometimes benefiting from the most precious asset, time, to plunge into the very heart of a dense text, or working in haste, that imposed by the news media, but sometimes also publishers. Especially for books that exploit a still burning topicality.
Are they well prepared on the school benches to juggle these constraints? Unlike other jobs, the doors to it are as numerous as the people who practice it. We often arrive there by chance, after studying literature as well as political science, sometimes dreaming of becoming a translator and then preferring the position of reviser. And if it is not uncommon to see them working on several texts at the same time, everyone recognizes that novels and essays constitute a world apart, imposing its own rules.
“A literary reviser must show good judgment,” insists Renaud Roussel, co-director general of Éditions du Boréal, one of whose first jobs was precisely that of reviser. “You have to understand the tone, the intentions of the author, and respect the text as a work of art. We cannot simply apply the norms of French, but be in constant dialogue with the text, going in its direction rather than trying to bring it back to us. »
It is not even the task of the editor, he who takes an essential look at the work of an author, followed by the reviser, receiving in his hands a practically finished manuscript — sometimes after a few versions… —, followed by the proofreader, tracking down typos before printing. Roughly summarized, the editor deals with chapters and paragraphs; the reviser, of the sentence; and the proofreader, from the word.
Holder of a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in literature from UQAM, Édith Sans Cartier did not initially dream of practicing this profession, but her passage in the grammar concentration of written French was decisive. “It is this portion of my studies that serves me the most,” admits the one who has already collaborated for several years with Éditions du Boréal, initially as a proofreader.
If the two functions impose their requirements, they are more numerous at the revision stage, according to Édith Sans Cartier. “A macro and microscopic look is necessary. In addition to the language, it must be ensured that throughout, there will be no inconsistencies, contradictions, breaks in tone or style. She also allows herself to be guided by her instinct regarding the clarity of the text: “If I haven’t understood, I tell myself that the readers won’t understand. »
Clarity is also what motivates Martin Duclos, who began his career at Homework, followed by a few years as a freelancer in the world of publishing, and now within the team of proofreaders at Radio-Canada. “It’s certainly linked to my studies in political science, as well as to my 15 years of editing in the journalistic world, but editing novels, I didn’t do much, because I didn’t like it. In fact, he says as a confession, I tended to suggest more effective, simpler and clearer ways of writing, which interfered with the work of the writer. It was on the essay side that he found his place as a reviewer, and felt most useful.
According to him, “errors of fact are not unusual in essays, or else the facts are correct but poorly expressed”, while acknowledging that he must make the distinction, with the publisher, of what is formal corrections and suggestions. Afterwards, it is up to others to take them or leave them.
Correcting, an act of creation?
The challenges of revising and correcting essays are also well known to Isabelle Dowd, a former supernumerary at the Homework, a freelancer at heart, which allows him to devote part of his professional time to one of his great passions, music. “I very often find errors in essays,” she says with a smile, she loves fact-checking in this type of work. The names of historical figures and dates may change within the same text! Which doesn’t prevent proofreaders from missing a few, much to their dismay. Isabelle Dowd regrets some of them – which she is careful not to mention to the one whose work she has already scrutinized! —, quoting a friend exercising the same profession: “This job makes us humble. »
This is support work. Just like that of the publisher: they bring the work further, but the creative gesture does not come from them.
This precise and delicate task could also be related to an art, close to goldsmithing. But is it really one? In the opinion of the main interested parties, out of modesty as much as pragmatism, they all answer in chorus: absolutely not!
“It’s a support job, slice Renaud Roussel. Just like that of the publisher: they bring the work further, but the creative gesture does not come from them. An opinion that Édith Sans Cartier fully shares, without minimizing the importance of her presence. “There is an element of subjectivity in what we do: two reviewers will not approach the same book in the same way. My task is to slip under the pen of the author… or to be his gloves. »
Putting oneself at the service of the author is the responsibility of the reviser, according to Isabelle Dowd, who finds in the music the necessary space to satisfy her thirst for creation. “I’ve already dreamed of being a translator, because it’s a job where you make a real artistic gesture”, underlines the one who considers this totally incompatible with her musical passion. Running two hares at once is always exhausting.
“We are workers in the shadows, just like desk clerks in the newspapers,” says Martin Duclos. Recognition rarely happens, but I’ve learned to deal with that. This translator’s son remains categorical about the fundamentals of his job as a reviser, however: “Basically, it’s to prevent the world from looking crazy! »