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Building trust and working relationships Posted by peter on Monday, February 19 @ 22:25:47 EST The first question that many writers may want to ask when looking for help is - How can I trust an editor or translator I have never met? On the other side of the relationship, the first question that many editors or translators may want to ask is: - How can I trust the writer to pay properly for the work that I do? There are no easy answers. Many editors, translators and writers depend on friends and colleagues to make contacts and establish trust - but not everyone has a suitable personal network. We all have to start somewhere! One alternative for writers is to look for a commercial editing or translation company, or an independent but professional editor or translator. These are good options if you can afford commercial and professional fees. Such fees can be very high. You cannot be absolutely sure of finding a suitable person this way, but the chances might be good. Not everyone is lucky! In many parts of the world, and especially for writers who are aiming to publish in a second language, it is very difficult to find editors or translators who are - affordable - live nearby - are familiar with negotiating prices and deadlines - are experts in the languages concerned, and - are experts in relevant fields of research For very specialised areas of research, access to suitable editing or translation may depend entirely on whether or not the writer can find a willing researcher in the same field - there may be no other kind of person who can really help. With this website, and with a very specific explanation of your needs, you may be able to find such a person. I work in Japan where researchers often make huge efforts to write and publish in English, but with very limited access to suitable editors and translators. In Japan, and in many countries perhaps, English terms for editing and other kind of writing assistance cannot be directly translated (see also our article on the problem of translating terms) Vetting and the Research Cooperative The Research Cooperative cannot check the suitability and reliability of the people who offer services at this website. Such vetting is the role of editing and translation companies, and it is a service that is reflected in the price paid to those companies. The Research Cooperative can only offer forums for first contact between editors, translators, and writers, and some words of advice in articles like the one you are reading now (see "All articles" in the main menu). The benefit of this open or unvetted approach is that writers of any level of skill can look for editors and translators of any level of skill - and vice versa - according to need and available funds or required level of payment. In this way, the site can promote the mutual development of skills and contacts among all academic research writers, editors, and translators. Getting started as an editor or translator If you are working as an editor or translator on your own, or would like to begin such work, then you cannot avoid having to deal with writers directly. If your standard is good, then you can try to join an editing or translation company, and have your name added to a list of vetted editors (see our forums for company offers and requests in the main menu). Or you can ask the publishers or editors of academic books and journals about opportunities for contracts - short-term or long-term. For writers, there is nothing better than a direct working relationship with someone who understands the research that is being published, and who can be trusted to give good advice on the use of language. Editors and translators can also benefit from personal working relationships - with direct feedback from writers you can adapt your approach to suit each writer and piece of writing. When writers, editors and translators succeed in building trust and good working relationships, then this can also be very cost effective - especially if the relationship is reciprocal (as often happens when research colleagues take turns to help each other voluntarily). When writers, editors and translators have direct working relationships, then any payments can be transferred without anything being lost to people in between. This way of working allows editors and translators to charge less than a commercial company, and to gain the loyalty of their customers. The Research Cooperative supports the work of editing and translation companies, independent professionals, and others It is up to each of us to make choices that suit our particular circumstances and aims. The Research Cooperative fully supports the efforts of editing and translation companies and independent professionals - but we also believe that it is possible for researchers and others to communicate directly to build trust and good working relationships. The latter approach has always been used within local or isolated research communities. The Internet and this website now make it possible for editors, translators, illustrators, and writers to - meet each other over any geographical, linguistic, and social distance, and - build the trust that is necessary for good working relationships. So please try, and good luck!