Let’s talk about… typos

Within this conversation there are two camps that sit entrenched, unable to face each other: the first are the pedants - and you know who they are - and the others are those in the world that buy entirely into the philosophy that To Err is Human.

As Editorial Director of Newspress and loop, I tend to sit between both camps. Typos tell us that copy has been rushed by people that are seriously under pressure. In that respect, they are forgivable.

A tougher stance taken by the more pedanty types is that typos point to a lack professionalism and poor structures in organisations that haven’t dedicated enough resources to standard checking procedures. That’s a fair point too.

I am not particularly enamoured by those who criticise because they choose to take loftier positions, however. These people are often so pumped up by professional pride that they think it inconceivable they would ever allow a typo to blight their beautifully crafted text. Anyone who tells me they have not written a typo is a) lying and b) not human.

We ALL make mistakes, and that’s why a system for checking for typos on any written material should always be part of a half-decent production process. I see errors on national newspapers and happily berate the abomination before slowly coming down to the reality that I am no better than them.

I do, however, shudder at ‘should of’ instead of ‘should have’, and I am inclined to mentally wince when apostrophes are inserted erroneously within plurals.

There’s little value in going full-speed Lynne Truss though. If you see a typo, don’t get all freaky and judgmental, just satisfy yourself in the knowledge that the person responsible is nothing more than a human, and they are probably working under serious pressure. It’s all ok.

This will be hard for the pedants, who are drunk with pride, to swallow and, as an ‘Editorial Director’, I might well accept accusations of literary heresy. It's just that sometimes you need to lighten up.

So, take a typo on the chin. It’s no real biggie in the grand scheme of things. They are irritating, but we do need to calm down a bit. Maybe I should of gone to university.???