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- The Conscious Language Newsletter: August 2021
The Conscious Language Newsletter: August 2021
From the World of Conscious Language
Note: The authors’ viewpoints are not necessarily shared by Conscious Style Guide.
Don’t Call Them “Shark Attacks,” Scientists Say | The New York Times
“A lot of what’s called a shark attack in society is actually provoked by humans.” —Toby Daly-Engel, director, Florida Tech Shark Conservation Lab
Mispronunciation: Why You Should Stop Correcting People’s Mistakes | The Conversation
“Correcting pronunciation can actually be an act of linguistic prejudice.”
“Person-first language can have the unintended implication that autism is an impediment rather than a natural variance in neurology.”
“Ola Majekodunmi, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants who serves as a board member of Foras na Gaeilge, suggested the new term, arguing that duine daite and duine gorm were outdated.”
“The point is to have a spectrum of content moderation tools to respond to the spectrum of harmful content.”
“When you are making an app or service to appeal to millions of humans, it’s vital to ensure your language fits with a deep intersection of different experiences, opinions, and situations.”
What Does “Transsexual” Mean? | Medical News Today
A gender-affirming primer with information on how a person can transition and how to be an ally.
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Whole Whale Reading by Bri Reads
Whole Whale was written by Conscious Style Guide founder Karen Yin, illustrated by Nelleke Verhoeff, and published by Barefoot Books (June 2021).
The Problem With “I Argue That…” | The H-Net Book Channel
“Good signposting…requires thinking from the point of view not of the writer, but of the reader.”
“Simply picking another word to replace ‘Caucasian’ won’t be enough to root out racism in research and medicine.”
Accent Bias Is an Unchecked Signal of Racism in the Workplace | Quartz at Work
“Saying ‘I don’t understand you,’ or ‘what did you say?’ puts the onus on the other. Instead, say something like ‘I want to be sure that I’ve understood you correctly, could you explain that again?’”
How to Build an Inclusive Community Through Conscious Storytelling | Creative Entrepreneurs Club
“Personal narratives of success that do not consider privilege, oppression, discrimination, access or any other systemic considerations are problematic and alienating.”
“Establishing boundaries, guidelines and expectations is crucial in addition to signposting students to additional support.”
Wisconsin Birth Certificates to Have Gender-Neutral Options | The Associated Press
“Forms that are used to generate birth certificates will include ‘parent-parent’ and ‘parent giving birth’ options in addition to the current ‘mother-father’ option for identifying parents.”
Introducing Yourself Without Saying Your Title | UX Collective
“I don’t want to have my voice heard in a meeting because I hold a fancy title…I want to be heard because/if I have relevant things to say.”
CSG in the News
A Conversation With the Editor of The Diversity Style Guide | Public Relations Society of America (National Capital Chapter)
“This is not about being ‘politically correct.’ It’s about being sensitive, yes, but it’s also about being accurate and current.” —Rachele Kanigel, editor, The Diversity Style Guide
Updated Guidance on the Reporting of Race and Ethnicity in Medical and Science Journals | JAMA Network
The Inclusive Language section of the AMA Manual of Style now has updated guidance on reporting race and ethnicity. Other subsections that will be reviewed and updated include preferred nomenclature for sex and gender, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, and persons with diseases, disorders, or disabilities.
5 Areas of Language to Examine When Editing Your Content Marketing | Business 2 Community
“Taking the time to ensure that each of these areas is inclusive is an important step to making sure that your content marketing reaches as many people as possible.”
From the Archives
Pruning Hedges: Editing for Confidence | Conscious Style Guide
“If writers sometimes, generally, and maybe everything, they will be right, but their work will be unreadable.”
In Case You Missed It
How I—a Jewish Writer—Approach Sensitivity Reads for Authors Who Write Jewish Characters | Conscious Style Guide
“When something an author writes doesn’t ring true, feasible, or authentic to the reader, the reader may end up questioning what else the author got wrong.”
On Arab authors in kidlit, tribal sovereignty, and the media focus on Asian American Olympians’ bodies.
100 Diverse Databases
The Editors of Color Database, a project of Conscious Style Guide, is a free service that connects employers and recruiters with editors, proofreaders, and sensitivity readers of color in the U.S. and Canada. It’s also free to submit job listings for distribution to our private network of editorial pros. The Editors of Color website is home to the Database of Diverse Databases, now with almost 90 resources featuring underrepresented communities. Diversify your staff and sources now!
Writing Advice on Instagram
Follow @consciousstyleguide on Instagram for examples of how context can support sensitive content, with a focus on children’s books, including young adult.
The Conscious Style Guide newsletter rounds up the best news and blog posts from the world of kind, compassionate, mindful, empowering, respectful, and inclusive language. Note: Spotlighting an opinion is not intended as an endorsement. Please send news tips to [email protected].
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