Dear Editor:
Recently, I spent 15
days in Gournes where I picked up your newspaper, which I found very
informative and interesting. However, the attached article (Crete’s
Driving Frenzy: Can It be Controlled?) stuck out like a sore thumb.
I thought the days of “smashed potatoes” and “meat footballs” were long
past; but apparently not. Having taught English as a foreign language for
the last 30 years, I tend to “correct” as I read. I apologize for being so
critical, but I believe that where there is room for improvement, it should
be pointed out. It seems the writer of the article is “neither here nor
there” as far as the two languages are concerned, but I am sure she has
other accomplishments . . . I hope this doesn’t make me a “picky bitch.”
Iris Kozirakis
Athens
Dear Ms.
Kozirakis:
No need to
apologize for your critical letter – we welcome criticism, and, for the most
part, it helps keep us on our toes. As you say, there’s always room for
improvement.
However, the
author of the article you singled out, Kerenza Vlastou, is an excellent
writer in both English and Greek, and one of the finest translators we have
had the pleasure of working with. Some of the “errors” you red-lined were
simply typos (typographical errors) and should have been picked up by our
proofreaders. Sorry about that, but when your processing over 30,000 words a
month, some just seem to slip through. We will strive to improve our average
in the future.
However, many
other “corrections” you outlined were not incorrect at all – only a
different way of saying the same thing – and both perfectly correct.
As we said, your
comments about actual errors in the newspaper are always welcome, but your
derogatory remarks regarding Ms. Vlastou are a bit over the top. Could it be
that because of your personal relationship with our “former” translator (the
one Ms. Vlastou replaced), you’ve allowed yourself to overreact and turn you
into a “picky bitch,” as you yourself hinted at?
The Editor
|
Dear Editor:
Just an “end-of-season” note to let you
know how much we’ve enjoyed The Khronicles, as both a news and
entertainment source, as well as an excellent sales tool. The advertisement
we ran in your paper over this past season has proved to be very
successful, generating new clients both here in Crete, and the UK, for our
flight seat sales. The clients have been varied, from expats to holiday
makers, reflecting the wide outreach the newspaper has . . . It has proven
to be great value for money, and the flexibility of time and type of
advertisement has really been a benefit to us, especially as we only run
our programme for seven months of the year.
It has been a good season, and I would
like the thank you for working with us.
Helen Flanigan
First Choice Flight Seat Sales
Dear Ms. Flanigan:
Thank you for your comments
concerning our newspaper’s editorial content, as well as its commercial
appeal. We are gratified to learn that we have played a part in making your
company’s past season a success by reaching new clients both here and
abroad. We will pass your note on to our advertising department, since the
creation and placement of your promotion was its responsibility.
The Editor |
