John Linnegar
Until 2010, like many other editors, John Linnegar had little idea of how to distinguish between the nuanced three levels of editing (and that after 30 years in the game!). Then he began researching the subject, only to find that less than a handful of authors had written about it! It’s their ideas — plus his own guide on how possibly to quantify the levels in specific editing tasks — that he will be sharing and workshopping, using a set of real texts.
John has been a text editor, proofreader and indexer of school and academic textbooks, reports and journal articles since the 1970s. For almost 20 years he has trained generations of editors, proofreaders and indexers. During this time he has published several books on aspects of language usage and editing, including Engleish, our Engleish: Common errors in South African English and how to resolve them (NB Publishers, 2009) and Text Editing: A handbook for students and practitioners (UPA, Brussels, 2012). Now based in Antwerp, Belgium, he is a member of a number of professional associations, including SENSE, MET and Australian and South African societies and a regular presenter at conferences. His postgraduate research is on the mentoring of language practitioners online.
John’s conference presentation is entitled Garnering those English usage and style gremlins: Revealing the contemporary even-handedness of GMEU. John will also give a Friday afternoon workshop entitled It needs only a ‘light’ edit: Negotiating the differences between light, medium and heavy editing.
Emma Goldsmith
Emma Goldsmith originally trained as a registered general nurse at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. She moved to Spain in 1987 and for the following 10 years she worked as a staff nurse through the BNA (British Nursing Agency) during visits to England. This gave her broad experience in a wide range of hospital settings.
Meanwhile, in Madrid, Emma set up as a freelance Spanish-to-English translator, first working for local translation agencies and later — in the internet age — specialising in medicine for global companies and individuals. She now has more than 20 years’ experience in translating clinical-trial documentation, articles for publication in medical journals and product information for EMA submissions. Emma is a member of Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET) and currently serves as Webmaster on MET’s Council.
Emma is giving a Friday pre-conference workshop entitled EU regulatory medical writing and EMA templates: Compliance and consistency. Emma will also participate in a panel discussion with Anne Murray, Marije de Jager and Valerie Matarese entitled Invasive species: Language versus subject specialists in biomedical editing and translation.
SENSE 2018 Conference
Englishes now!
Trends affecting language professionals
Call for proposals (now closed)
We invite proposals that relate to the theme of the conference: trends affecting English-language professionals.
Whether you work in editing, translation, interpreting, copywriting, teaching or any other relevant field, don’t miss this opportunity to share your expertise with fellow professionals!
Priority will be given to presentations, panel discussions and workshops that express a clear take-home message and explain its relevance to our members. Presentations could describe promising practices, report research findings, demonstrate techniques, share experience with new technologies or provide knowledge updates. Please note that SENSE is a knowledge-sharing and peer-training network and encourages submissions from both seasoned and novice presenters with expertise to share.
To submit a proposal, please send an abstract of 200 to 300 words and a short biography (150 words maximum) to conference@sense-online.nl by Wednesday, 29 November, clearly marking your message as a ‘Proposal for SENSE Englishes now! conference June 2018’. Please submit your proposal and biography as one document in Microsoft Word.
Your abstract should briefly describe the what, how, and why of your presentation and it should have an informative title. If you would like to discuss the suitability of your proposal before sending in your abstract, please feel free to contact John Linnegar at conference@sense-online.nl.
Presentations will take one of three forms:
Please indicate the proposed length of your presentation.
We are also inviting proposals for workshops, to be held the day before the conference – Friday 8 June. The duration of the workshops will be 3 hours 15 minutes (including a short break).
The deadline for submitting your proposal and biography is Wednesday, 29 November 2017. You will be informed by 12 January 2018 whether your proposal has been accepted.
Download the presentation submission template here.
Download the workshop proposal template here.
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
© Images by photographer Michael Hartwigsen of SENSE’s inaugural conference, held in celebration of our 25th Jubilee, at Paushuize, Utrecht on 14 November 2015. All rights reserved.
2018 Conference
Englishes now!
trends affecting language professionals
Contact us
If you have any queries that are not answered here, please do not hesitate to contact the conference team at: conference@sense-online.nl
Off-conference activities
For details of off-conference activities click the blocks. To sign up, click here.
Friday morning
Friday evening
Saturday morning
Sunday afternoon
Other ideas for your visit
Workshops
Pre-conference workshops will be held at the conference hotel on Friday 8 June from 14:00 to 17:30.
You can choose from the following workshops:
1. Emma Goldsmith – EU regulatory medical writing and EMA templates: compliance and consistency
2. Stephen Johnston – The impossible blog: how to write a readable blog from unreadable material
3. Margreet de Roo – Making the best, most optimal use of Word
4. John Linnegar – "It only needs a ’light’ edit": negotiating the differences between a light, a medium and a heavy edit
As a conference delegate, you will receive a discount voucher for the workshops shortly after we have received your payment for the conference. Workshop fees are as follows:
Conference delegates | Not attending conference | |
SENSE members | € 60.00 | € 90.00 |
Members of sister organisations | € 80.00 | € 110.00 |
Non-members | € 100.00 | € 130.00 |
Book soon as places are limited!
SENSE 2018 Conference (9-10 June)
Englishes now!
Trends affecting language professionals
The conference itself will start at 12:00 on Saturday, with registration and lunch. The afternoon's sessions will be followed by drinks and bites and a networking dinner. The conference will continue from 09:30 on Sunday. The morning sessions will be followed by an optional lunch and a sightseeing opportunity for conference delegates and their partners to discover the hidden treasures of ’s‑Hertogenbosch.
Before and after the conference there will be workshops, sightseeing options and more. Please return to this page to see the news!
The basic conference package will include the conference sessions on Saturday and Sunday, lunch, drinks and dinner on Saturday, and an overnight stay (with breakfast) in a single room in the conference hotel.
’s‑Hertogenbosch or – easier to pronounce – Den Bosch has been awarded the title of Most hospitable town in the Netherlands. It is time to make our own assessment!
To make sure we all can make the most of this professional development and networking opportunity, SENSE has organised four hours of sessions on Saturday afternoon followed by a networking dinner. After a good night’s sleep, we attend another four hours of sessions followed by a lunch to close the event itself.
For everyone who could handle the full marathon we will be organizing workshops and sightseeing options on Friday, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.
© Images by photographer Michael Hartwigsen of SENSE’s inaugural conference, held in celebration of our 25th Jubilee, at Paushuize, Utrecht on 14 November 2015. All rights reserved.
2018 Conference
Englishes now!
trends affecting language professionals
Sarah Griffin-Mason
Sarah Griffin-Mason is the current chair of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting and senior lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Portsmouth, where she mostly teaches Spanish-to-English specialised translation and professional aspects of translation. She trained as a translator and editor in the InterPress Service in Montevideo, Uruguay in the 1990s and also runs a business as a freelance translator and editor for clients. These include NGOs and international entities such as UNICEF-TACRO, Plan International and the European Training Foundation.
Sarah will give the closing plenary talk of the conference, entitled Trends in translating and interpreting to 2050.
Conference fees
*** UPDATE 30 April 2018 ***
Now booking conference only!
For hotel rooms please contact Hotel Central:
Telephone: +31 (0)73 - 6 926 926
E-mail: info@hotel-central.nl
Members and non-members will pay different fees to attend the conference (membership costs only €80 per year). Members of sister organisations will also be entitled to a discount. Last but not least, there's a special fee for those contributing to the conference. All fees shown include Saturday night at the conference hotel.
When you come to register, if you can't find the option you are looking for, please contact us.
Early-bird fee* | Contributor fee* | Standard fee*** | |
---|---|---|---|
SENSE members | € 327.50 | € 277.50 | € 377.50 |
Members of sister organisations | € 367.50 | € 317.50 | € 417.50 |
Non-members | € 402.50 | € 352.50 | € 452.50 |
* Registration and payment by midnight (23:59!) on Sunday 25 February 2018
** Registration will close on 26 May 2018, or earlier if tickets are sold out.
*** Prices based on a single room.
What this fee includes:
If you wish to find your own accommodation in Den Bosch, you can book the conference without the hotel on Saturday night. The conference fee is as follows:
Conference without hotel | |
---|---|
SENSE members | € 275.00 |
Members of sister organisations | € 315.00 |
Non-members | € 350.00 |
Extras | |
---|---|
Guest package (Saturday lunch, networking drinks & dinner) | € 92.00 |
Supplement for single use of double room | € 15.00 |
Friday workshops, see fees and registration* | Differs |
Sunday lunch (Brabant ‘koffietafel’)** | € 24.00 |
** Sunday lunch not included in conference fee.
N.B. Prices exclude hotel tourist tax (€ 3.20 per person per night)
N.B. Prices exclude extras in the hotel room (mini bar, room service, laundry etc.)
© Images by photographer Michael Hartwigsen of SENSE’s inaugural conference, held in celebration of our 25th Jubilee, at Paushuize, Utrecht on 14 November 2015. All rights reserved.
2018 Conference
Englishes now!
trends affecting language professionals
Timetable
Friday 8 June ’s-Hertogenbosch |
|
Morning – TBA |
Off-Conference activity: Friday morning sightseeing (optional) |
14:00–17:30 |
Four parallel workshops relevant to editors, translators, writers, language professionals (separate registration, also open to those unable to attend the conference) |
Evening – TBA |
Dinner in small groups (4–6) with fellow conference delegates at local restaurants (optional) |
Saturday 9 June ’s-Hertogenbosch |
|
Morning – TBA |
Off-Conference activity: Sightseeing tours of ’s-Hertogenbosch (optional) |
12:00 |
Conference registration and hotel check-in |
12:30 |
Buffet lunch |
13:30 |
Conference sessions: keynote speaker and parallel sessions |
18:45 |
Post-conference networking opportunity with drinks and snacks |
20:00 |
3-course networking dinner with open bar and tea/coffee |
Sunday 10 June ’s-Hertogenbosch |
|
08:00 |
Buffet breakfast in the hotel |
09:30 |
Conference sessions: Parallel sessions and keynote speaker |
13:15 |
END of conference |
13:30 |
Off-Conference activity: Traditional Brabant ‘koffietafel’ lunch in the hotel (optional) |
15:00 |
Off-Conference activity: Sightseeing tours of ’s-Hertogenbosch (optional) |
SENSE 2018 Conference (9-10 June)
Englishes now!
Trends affecting language professionals
The conference itself will start at 12:00 on Saturday, with registration and lunch. The afternoon's sessions will be followed by drinks and bites and a networking dinner. The conference will continue from 09:30 on Sunday. The morning sessions will be followed by an optional lunch and a sightseeing opportunity for conference delegates and their partners to discover the hidden treasures of ’s‑Hertogenbosch.
Before and after the conference there will be workshops, sightseeing options and more. Please return to this page to see the news!
The basic conference package will include the conference sessions on Saturday and Sunday, lunch, drinks and dinner on Saturday, and an overnight stay (with breakfast) in a single room in the conference hotel.
’s‑Hertogenbosch or – easier to pronounce – Den Bosch has been awarded the title of Most hospitable town in the Netherlands. It is time to make our own assessment!
To make sure we all can make the most of this professional development and networking opportunity, SENSE has organised four hours of sessions on Saturday afternoon followed by a networking dinner. After a good night’s sleep, we attend another four hours of sessions followed by a lunch to close the event itself.
For everyone who could handle the full marathon we will be organizing workshops and sightseeing options on Friday, Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon.
Timetable
Friday 8 June 2018
Workshops and/or sightseeing to be announced.
Prices - see below.
Speakers to be announced.
Saturday 9 June 2018
12:00 |
Conference registration and hotel check-in |
13:00 |
Buffet lunch |
14:00 |
Conference sessions: keynote speaker and parallel sessions |
18:00 |
Post-conference networking opportunity with drinks and snacks |
20:00 |
3-course networking dinner with open bar and tea/coffee |
Sunday 10 June 2018
08:00 |
Buffet breakfast in the hotel |
9:30 |
Parallel sessions and keynote speaker |
13:30 |
END of conference |
OPTIONAL on Sunday 10 June 2018
14:00 |
Traditional Brabant ‘koffietafel’ lunch in the hotel |
15:30 |
Sightseeing tour of ’s-Hertogenbosch |
Call for proposals
We invite proposals that relate to the theme of the conference: trends affecting English-language professionals.
Whether you work in editing, translation, interpreting, copywriting, teaching or any other relevant field, don’t miss this opportunity to share your expertise with fellow professionals!
Priority will be given to presentations, panel discussions and workshops that express a clear take-home message and explain its relevance to our members. Presentations could describe promising practices, report research findings, demonstrate techniques, share experience with new technologies or provide knowledge updates. Please note that SENSE is a knowledge-sharing and peer-training network and encourages submissions from both seasoned and novice presenters with expertise to share.
To submit a proposal, please send an abstract of 200 to 300 words and a short biography (150 words maximum) to conference@sense-online.nl by Wednesday, 29 November, clearly marking your message as a ‘Proposal for SENSE Englishes now! conference June 2018’. Please submit your proposal and biography as one document in Microsoft Word.
Your abstract should briefly describe the what, how, and why of your presentation and it should have an informative title. If you would like to discuss the suitability of your proposal before sending in your abstract, please feel free to contact John Linnegar at conference@sense-online.nl.
Presentations will take one of three forms:
Please indicate the proposed length of your presentation.
We are also inviting proposals for workshops, to be held the day before the conference – Friday 8 June. The duration of the workshops will be 3 hours 15 minutes (including a short break).
The deadline for submitting your proposal and biography is Wednesday, 29 November 2017. You will be informed by 12 January 2018 whether your proposal has been accepted.
Download the presentation submission template here.
Download the workshop proposal template here.
We look forward to receiving your proposals!
Conference fees
Members and non-members will pay different fees to attend the conference (membership costs only €80 per year). Members of sister organisations will also be entitled to a discount. Last but not least, there's a special fee for those contributing to the conference. Registration will open at the beginning of January 2018. All fees shown include Saturday night at the conference hotel.
Early-bird fee* | Contributor fee* | Standard fee** | |
SENSE members | € 327.50 | € 277.50 | € 377.50 |
Members of sister organisations | € 367.50 | € 317.50 | € 417.50 |
Non-members | € 402.50 | € 352.50 | € 452.50 |
* Registration and payment by 16 February 2018
** Registration will close on 26 May 2018, or earlier if tickets are sold out.
What this fee includes:
Extras | |
Guest package (Saturday lunch, networking drinks & dinner) | € 92.00 |
Supplement for single use of double room | € 15.00 |
Sunday lunch (Brabant ‘koffeetafel’)* | € 24.00 |
*Sunday lunch not included in conference fee.
N.B. Prices exclude hotel tourist tax (€ 3.20 per person per night)
© Images by photographer Michael Hartwigsen of SENSE’s inaugural conference, held in celebration of our 25th Jubilee, at Paushuize, Utrecht on 14 November 2015. All rights reserved.
2018 Conference
Englishes now!
trends affecting language professionals
English continues to be used more and more in professional life in the Netherlands. It is the language of business, the language of academia, and the international language of communication in general. An ever-increasing number of people want to use English at a high level, but they also want to be seen as real users, with their own way of saying things. SENSE members play various important roles in mediating between the writers and readers of English. Crucially, whether it be in our role as editor, translator or tutor, we are seen as gatekeepers of the language. It is our job to determine what counts as good English and what not.
But as a lingua franca, English is changing. So should we stick to our guns and ensure that every report we edit comes across as a piece of native speaker writing? Should we use the full richness of our vocabulary and syntactic repertoire when translating a website for an international readership? And should we continue to put a red line through <If the experiment would be replicated> in every PhD candidate’s first draft?
In other words, what is the best way to perform our gatekeeping role? Should we become more relaxed in that role, or is it important that we do everything we can to ensure that standards do not slip? Is there perhaps a way to continue to stress the importance of correctness and clarity while at the same time recognizing that the English used by Dutch speakers may have its own features, and that the readability of a text is more important than the wonders of the idiom?
Mike Hannay - panel leader
Alison Edwards
Susan Hunt
Tony Parr
Laura Rupp
Mike Hannay - Professor of English language and Director of Studies at the Arts Faculty of the VU University Amsterdam. He is specialized in the relationship between sentence and text: how can you organize the information in a sentence so that you improve the coherence of the text? He is particularly interested in differences between English and Dutch. Mike incorporates insights from new linguistic research into advanced training programmes in writing, translating and text editing. Over the last 15 years he has given a range of invited courses and workshops in the Benelux, Germany, Spain and Brazil, including workshops for the translation departments of the European Commission.
Alison Edwards - received her PhD at the University of Cambridge, focusing on the sociolinguistics of English in the Netherlands. She has a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and undergraduate degrees in both German Studies and Journalism. Alison has lived and worked as a researcher, writer, editor and translator in various countries, including Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
Susan Hunt - Inspired by the principles of the UK-based Plain English campaign PLAIN ENGLISH, Susan set up her own translation agency in 1987 to provide English language services in the widest sense to businesses and organisations in the Netherlands whose activities are dedicated to an international audience.
Tony Parr - Tony Parr has extensive experience as translator (freelance and in-house) and as teacher of translation, principally at the National College of Translation in Maastricht. He is co-author of Handboek voor de Vertaler Nederlands-Engels and, operating under the name of Teamwork [http://www.teamwork-vertaalworkshops.nl], has been organising short courses, workshops and conferences for language professionals in the Netherlands since 1993.
Laura Rupp - Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics of the VU University Amsterdam. Previously, Laura was Lecturer English Language and Linguistics in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Essex, where she also received her PhD. Current research: Language Variation and Change and Global English. She also is involved in an international research project regarding English as an international language in higher education.
Posters are intended to get people’s attention. To present a short, simple message, they combine a strong image (such as a moustachioed officer pointing straight at the viewer) with a short text (“Your Country Needs You”). In principle, scientific poster sessions borrow from this tradition, aiming to present the essence of a complex idea quickly and accessibly. In practice, many posters fail, and all too few are read, a fact conference organisers now seem to recognise. To improve communication – and possibly to increase networking – many sessions now include a poster walk, in which successive scientists present their poster in a three-minute talk. But if you’re a junior scientist working in your second or third language in a setting without native-speaking inputs, how easy is it to give such a talk? You certainly won’t get the guidelines you need from a conventional poster, which is too cumbersome: wordy and poorly designed. And there’s no way you can make an overloaded scientific-sounding sentence trip off the tongue! In recent work with PhD students at Erasmus University Medical Centre, I have developed a set of style and design guidelines that seems to work surprisingly well. I will outline it briefly, providing a handout. One of my students has kindly agreed to demonstrate how she puts these guidelines into practice. Time allowing, we will also summarise the responses of PhD supervisors to this approach.
David Alexander has been living in the Netherlands for nearly 41 years, where he has worked in various commercial and academic settings as a translator, language editor and language-skills trainer. This presentation reflects 14 years of experience as teacher and co-ordinator of the course in English Biomedical Writing and Communication at Erasmus University Medical Centre, Rotterdam.