The other day at work, I was talking to my manager, Magda, about how I was having trouble with the copyediting work I was doing. In the instance in question, I was having to argue my case for the edits I made to two separate managers who are not native English-speakers. This wasn't simply a matter of using a dashes instead of parentheses, but of using the wrong word.
The document I was proofing was explaining how some new packaging would secure the product better during transit and kept referring to the bottom layer as the "lower wedge." I can see why that word was picked since wedges are sometimes used to secure things (like a door stop), but there were no triangular shapes to be found anywhere in any of the diagrams or photographs of the packaging. I finally quoted a dictionary and highlighted why the word didn't fit. Finally, the product manager saw the light and we compromised with "pack bottom."
When I related the story to Magda, she pulled up an email that she thought was similar. In it, one of the people from product information (the group that I met with back in October) was dealing with a similar back-and-forth over several emails and finally got fed up. "I cost too much to be spending so much time on this project," he wrote. Magda made it clear that his choice of words was too strong, but she agreed with the sentiment. My time is valuable and if people are arguing with me over something, I need to let them know that they're wasting the company's money, albeit gently.
I must say, I really enjoy having a boss who clearly has my back, almost as much as I do knowing that I'm a valuable commodity for my company.
No comments:
Post a Comment