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Forum -> Working Women
Editors - I need 'italics' help



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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 9:19 am
I often struggle when it comes to deciding which words belong in italics and which don't.

Do words like tichel, challah, chametz etc. go in italics, or not?
Is there a clear-cut rule of sorts?
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Iymnok




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 9:44 am
I don't like it. I feel it degrades the reader. I use those words daily, I don't need emphasis on them. In literature aimed at people who don't use Jewish words with n their normal speech, or who are not familiar with them, it seems appropriate.
There is generally a glossary at the end for these any.

Your goal is to make your piece the smoothest read possible. Italics and bold break it up. They're supposed to.
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allthingsblue




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 9:49 am
I disagree with previous poster. If the Hebrew/Yiddish words aren't italicized, I sometimes have trouble realizing what that word is initially. If it's in italics, it signals to my brain, "this is a Hebrew/Yiddish word. Read it as such."
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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 10:19 am
I agree with both of you Smile

I feel that a piece full of italics is silly especially since we all know what they mean. On the other hand, some words clearly do need italics. I wouldn't put words like Rosh Hashanah in italics especially since its capitalized, but its a matter of defining what does and what doesn't require italics.

What do magazines usually do?
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allthingsblue




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 10:22 am
Each magazine has its own set of rules (just as they have own rules for transliteration spelling, I.e. Chometz vs chametz)
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amother
Coffee


 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 10:23 am
Magazines and publishers usually have style guides. You can just write as you want and the editors will make your work consistent with whatever that particular publication does.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 10:32 am
AIUI, in formal printed writing, foreign words that have not been officially included in the English language are italicized, while those that have been formally adopted are not. By and large, this rule is ignored in popular writing.

It's hardly degrading to inform the reader that a word is of foreign birth. When one writes for the public, one has to consider that the audience will include people of different backgrounds. 90% of the audience may be multilingual and know that a word is of Hebrew, Yiddish or Aramaic extraction, but that's insufficient reason to throw the other 10% of the readership to the wolves.

There is a reason why frum novels have glossaries in the back. Yes, 90% of the readers, maybe 99% of them, will have zero need for those glossaries. But some will.

Personally, I am offended by works that are written for an English-reading audience but include words, or worse yet, entire passages of foreign-language dialogue without the courtesy of English translation. Even when I speak that language.
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amother
Periwinkle


 

Post Tue, Jan 24 2017, 10:52 am
zaq wrote:
AIUI, in formal printed writing, foreign words that have not been officially included in the English language are italicized, while those that have been formally adopted are not. By and large, this rule is ignored in popular writing.

It's hardly degrading to inform the reader that a word is of foreign birth. When one writes for the public, one has to consider that the audience will include people of different backgrounds. 90% of the audience may be multilingual and know that a word is of Hebrew, Yiddish or Aramaic extraction, but that's insufficient reason to throw the other 10% of the readership to the wolves.

There is a reason why frum novels have glossaries in the back. Yes, 90% of the readers, maybe 99% of them, will have zero need for those glossaries. But some will.

Personally, I am offended by works that are written for an English-reading audience but include words, or worse yet, entire passages of foreign-language dialogue without the courtesy of English translation. Even when I speak that language.


So I'm guessing you would italicize all of the words I mentioned, correct?
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