I COMPARE CLARITY TO PRUNING A GARDEN ...

Hellooooooo there

At COMPRESS.dsl we are known for creating stunning designs that pique the reader’s interest and draw them in, making them want to learn what the publication has to offer. But without a clearly written message, the publication remains no more than a pretty piece of artwork, like a meal that looks good but tastes bland and undefinable.

Editing is what turns rambling into resonating – and the three elements of trimming (taking out excess words, inflated claims, vague phrases), choosing clear language (straightforward, plain English without unnecessarily obscure terms or convoluted phrases), and leading with purpose (starting with the core message, and then following on with detail to back up this message) are what turns a publication from a striking piece of work into a message that gets across.

The full version of the quote from Diane von Fürstenberg is, ‘I can compare clarity to pruning in gardening. If you are not clear, nothing is going to happen. You have to be clear. Then you have to be confident about your vision. And after that, you just have to put a lot of work in.’

At COMPRESS.dsl that work is often done by one of our favourite editors, Kamohelo Mabogwane. Kamohelo is a certified copyeditor, proofreader and language expert with 11 years of experience. She is also a published writer and literary and gender scholar, and holds an MA in English from the University of Cape Town (summa cum laude). She is a member of the Professional Editors’ Guild and is qualified in Editing Academic Texts (University of Cape Town, 93%). As our clients will attest, she is highly skilled at line, developmental and stylistic editing and proofreading, and keeps us – and our clients – in line!

ON THE SUNNY SIDE

For the past eight years we have shared our revenue with Mashikhule, our empowerment partner. We also raise funds for them whenever any staff member chooses to go off and do potty things in their spare time. Masikhule is a social impact organisation that offers a variety of vital services to Early Childhood Development (ECD) Centres within marginalised communities. These services include Training, Mentorship, Early Intervention, Nutrition, ECD Resources and registration support.

This article reports on a study of 551 children at early childhood development centres over eight months, and provides concrete proof that structured play-led activities can have a fundamental effect on the school-ready outcomes of very young children. Once again, the results show us ‘that a unique and wonderful alchemy occurs where nurture, talk and play are present for children. This is the food of brain development, physical growth and emotional wellbeing. And it doesn’t require costly infrastructure and equipment.’

How can we help you?

Please do contact us for assistance with translation, copyediting, graphic design, layout or proofreading. We can work with any realistic budget and timeline, so please do get in touch for a quotation.

Please drop us a message.

felicity@compressdsl.com

082 787 5555

Image credits: Adobestock/Shutterstock/Unsplash (Alexander Grey)