Occupational Hazard

Occupational Hazard
July 31st, 2011
By: Gina Yoryet Roman



Whether it is teaching, translating, editing, interpreting, writing or investigating, my occupation is words. Anything that encompasses my job requires me to convey ideas so that readers students or an audience can understand the message clearly.

So for the most part I can usually see what’s wrong with someone else’s writing (and with my own as well, although I don’t like to admit that perhaps I am not one of the best writers) and figure out how to fix it.

As as an editor, I am paid for being critical. My job is to see what’s wrong with the way words are used. When I was first initiated in this game of words, there was always this tinge of fear and stress to point out other people’s flaws in writing. Unlike a few weeks ago when I met a client who I translate, edit for and give a “touch” of tourism to their magazines.

Now that I am so used to it there are times (99.9% of the times) while I read a book my default antenna pops up and I am automatically on the look for spelling, punctuation, sentence structure mistakes, or sometimes even the right font size and style.

Sometimes it gets to the point where I don’t even enjoy a good story because I always have a highlighter in hand, ready to point out even the slightest flaw.
When I can get myself to stay still and watch a movie, if it happens to be subtitled, I am always looking for “a better way” to rephrase the sentence.

As far back as I can recall, it’s been in my nature to question myself about the littlest things, to be observative and curious and to always be alert of my surroundings but this “ability” of being critical becomes a disability when I carry it into my personal life and always look for what is wrong, as focusing on what’s wrong can cause us to miss all the good things in life. It is okay to know good from bad but for an individual’s sake, it is not good to only focus on the bad aspects.

This reminded me of when my sister came to visit. I spent more time in the kitchen than ever, despite the fact that I am not too fond of domestic chores. I did it and I actually didn’t mind it because we were spending quality time and we very seldom get to sit down and have nice meals as a family since we live so far apart.
One day, (I don’t remember whether we were preparing a meal or picking up after a meal) I did something that annoyed her and she told me very politely that it was a very bad habit. We then chatted about how every single human being on earth has bad habits but it is not a major sin. It is completely ok to point them out to the ones we care about without hurting their feelings.

As much as I find it harmless or uninportant, I try to put myself in someone else’s shoes and that would annoy me, so, I being a woman of word told her I’d work on that.

Each chapter of my life is just like each piece of writing in the magazines that I translate and edit or an article that I write.The work is not done only once and bahm, it’s ready! Before I flip to the next page there’s a lot more work involved than that, it has to be shined and polished until it’s got the best touch. It is the same case with every single human being in this existence...
Every day is a new promise and a new opportunity to focus on the best things and to try to work on our flaws.