The development of core standards for editing in South Africa

Abstract

South African editors2 currently work within a highly unregulated industry. One factor contributing to this lack of regulation is the absence of clear standards that define the role of the editor and demarcate the tasks and skills required to work in the various sectors of the industry. As a solution to this (and other problems faced by South African editors), this article postulates that it is possible to develop a set of core standards that are specific to the South African editing industry. The development of such a set of standards could contribute towards the raised professional status of editors in South Africa, the development of clear and appropriate forms of regulation (and accreditation), and the standardisation of editor training. This article reports on the findings of an empirical investigation that surveyed South African editors from all sectors of the industry on the tasks and skills associated with their everyday work. Various statistical analyses are utilised to extrapolate a list of core tasks and skills from the data collected through the survey. This list of core tasks and skills is used to draft a set of core standards that reflects the work of editors from the various sectors of the South African editing industry.