Die teksversorger as spookskrywer: Die teorie en professie onder die loep

Abstract

The text editor as invisible writer: Scrutinising the theory and the profession

The aim of this article is to determine how the growing demand for properly trained language practitioners in South Africa can be met. In spite of the fact that research has established that language editing in South Africa is done in a “haphazard” manner, this article proposes that text editing should be regarded as an inseparable part of language and text practice. The autors of this article attempt to establish a uniform theoretical assumption that will be valid for all aspects of language practice. The preliminary finding is that the classical communication model as refined by Jakobson (1971) is valid for all facets of language and text practice – in other words, for translation studies, the science of texts, and text editing. Furthermore, the autors of this article aim to provide an indication of the degree to which text editors remain “invisible” in spite of the fact that they bear the final responsibility for the quality, clarity of expression and final appearance of completed texts. Although it is therefore accepted that text editing is a profession in its own right, very little has been done to date to professionalise this career in the true sense of the word.