The text doctor’s criteria of a healthy text
A healthy, non-fictional
text is
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Easy to understand |
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Correct |
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Informative |
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Alive |
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Not longer than necessary |
How can the doctor help?
My text treatments can be
divided into three categories:
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What types of texts can be treated?
Examples of texts that I
work with:
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Company presentations, newsletters and press releases |
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Brochures, ads and other types of sales promotion material |
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Product descriptions, specifications and manuals |
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Web pages (on the Internet or intranets) |
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User interfaces: online help, messages, menus, forms |
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Course material |
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Job ads |
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Articles in newspapers or magazines |
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Letters |
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Reports |
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Letters of recommendation |
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CVs, applications, personal presentations |
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I accept English- and
Swedish-speaking patients.
Of course, I also write
new, healthy texts.
What medicines does the doctor prescribe?
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Templates and writing conventions |
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Courses and seminars |
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Examinations, analyses and proofreading |
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Newly-produced material |
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Text and language consultation |
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My educational background
is a university degree as a Swedish language consultant, which means that I am
trained to analyse, edit and write various types of non-fictional texts. I have
in-depth knowledge of language theory (such as phonology, morphology, syntax,
etymology, and socio- and psycholinguistics), but I have also worked a lot with
the writing process: composing, re-writing and editing.
Although the focus of the
programme is on the Swedish language, I have found that there are great
similarities between different languages, especially when it comes to
structuring a text.
Between 1986 and 2000, I
worked as an information designer (or technical writer), mostly with WM-data
(now Logica) and Ericsson. Apart from writing
manuals and online texts, I have
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Translated such material between English and Swedish, and from French
and German to Swedish |
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Given courses in effective writing |
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Taken part in user-interface design |
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Been a section manager |
Can the doctor translate?
I translate between Swedish
and English, and to these languages from French, German, Russian and Spanish. I
am an authorized translator (English to Swedish), certified by the Swedish
Legal, Financial and Administrative Services Agency. This means that I am
qualified to translate legal and official documents such as birth certificates,
diplomas and wills.
A sample of cured patients
My customers include:
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I write and translate web
pages, compose presentations, translate patent applications, regulations and
correspondence, and edit reports, to mention a few tasks.
Some language links
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The
AltaVista web site for translations to and from English –
unfortunately, does not (yet) support Swedish |
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Swedish-English
dictionary – goes both ways |
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yourDictionary.com
– lists dictionaries in 100+ languages |
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Merriam-Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary – information about English words |
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Babylon –
downloadable translation tool with numerous dictionaries; both fast and accurate
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Merriam-Webster’s
Word of the day – if you want to expand your English
vocabulary |
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The Chicago Manual of Style – answers tricky style
questions by |
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California
State Univ, Chico - Writing Style Guide – a full style guide built
on The Chicago Manual of Style |
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IATE
– the EU inter-institutional terminology database |
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Contact the doctor
E-mail: info@textdoktorn.se
Telephone, fax: +46 54
15 09 70
(Please be patient with the answering machine!)
Mobile: +46 709 151 763
Address:
Svampstigen 3, SE‑654 68 Karlstad, Sweden
Updated 10
April, 2008.