Do spelling errors and mathematical mistakes matter? Yes. Here are some examples of what can go wrong, and has already affected some or many people.
Mathematical Errors
1 Hospital mistakes have included people killed by nurses who gave as much as ten times the correct dose of medicines.
2 A bill charges an absurd amount for gas or electricity to the owner of a small house.
Typing Errors
1 Mis-spelling of names can cause mistaken identity, such as revenge attacks killing the wrong person, police arresting the wrong person.
2 The department of education sends out to parents a letter containing several spelling errors. The letter is ridiculed by the press.
3 A bill can frighten pensioners.
Space and Position Errors or Carelessness
1 Many road accidents are caused by 'driving without due care and attention'. As the motorway signs in the UK warn, Tiredness Kills. Drivers are told to take a break when feeling tired.
2 Drivers for commercial companies have limits on the numbers of hours they can be behind the wheel after which they must stop for a rest or sleep. (This includes the UK's AA, Automobile Association - the USA version is AAA American Automobile Association.
3 Resting hours are also mandatory for pilots and aircraft crew.
4 Satnav errors have taken people's cars into dangerous situations such as off roads to riverbanks and left cars stranded, wasted time, caused people to miss social events or business meetings and caused accidents.
5 Hospitals have removed the wrong leg and other similar mistakes with other parts of the body.
6 Council workers have demolished the wrong house.
Translation Errors
The effect of mistranslation can be amusing, as in the famous I am a Berliner speech, in which the President of the USA declared himself to be a sausage, rather than an honorary citizen or lover of the city.
Copy Editing
Who checks the final copy? When I worked in advertising everybody's job depended on keeping an account and keeping the paying customer happy. In copy the name of anybody was checked three times and by at least three people.
When I worked as a sub-editor on IPC magazines, every piece of literature was checked with three sources. Ordinary words were checked with two or more dictionaries. Spellings of names were checked with two sources. If the name was unusual, sometimes the chief sub-editor checked by phoning the family.
When I worked as a secretary / PA all my work was checked by my boss. When I typed a letter, if it was posted after he left so that he had not checked it, I signed PP which is Latin per pro, on behalf of, which showed the letter's recipient, also my boss, and myself, that the letter was initialed by the typist and any errors were mine, not his.
On magazines a piece of literature was checked by as many as eight people all of whom initialled changes, typist/sub-editor, chief sub-editor, features editor, production editor, magazine editor, library/cuttings/research department, head of company, head of group.
On a happier note, every day our lives are saved dozens of times by the goodwill of others, and by the foresight of health and safety labels and regulations.
Take care!
Angela Lansbury, BA Hons, author, English teacher and tutor
Mathematical Errors
1 Hospital mistakes have included people killed by nurses who gave as much as ten times the correct dose of medicines.
2 A bill charges an absurd amount for gas or electricity to the owner of a small house.
Typing Errors
1 Mis-spelling of names can cause mistaken identity, such as revenge attacks killing the wrong person, police arresting the wrong person.
2 The department of education sends out to parents a letter containing several spelling errors. The letter is ridiculed by the press.
3 A bill can frighten pensioners.
Space and Position Errors or Carelessness
1 Many road accidents are caused by 'driving without due care and attention'. As the motorway signs in the UK warn, Tiredness Kills. Drivers are told to take a break when feeling tired.
2 Drivers for commercial companies have limits on the numbers of hours they can be behind the wheel after which they must stop for a rest or sleep. (This includes the UK's AA, Automobile Association - the USA version is AAA American Automobile Association.
3 Resting hours are also mandatory for pilots and aircraft crew.
4 Satnav errors have taken people's cars into dangerous situations such as off roads to riverbanks and left cars stranded, wasted time, caused people to miss social events or business meetings and caused accidents.
5 Hospitals have removed the wrong leg and other similar mistakes with other parts of the body.
6 Council workers have demolished the wrong house.
Translation Errors
The effect of mistranslation can be amusing, as in the famous I am a Berliner speech, in which the President of the USA declared himself to be a sausage, rather than an honorary citizen or lover of the city.
Copy Editing
Who checks the final copy? When I worked in advertising everybody's job depended on keeping an account and keeping the paying customer happy. In copy the name of anybody was checked three times and by at least three people.
When I worked as a sub-editor on IPC magazines, every piece of literature was checked with three sources. Ordinary words were checked with two or more dictionaries. Spellings of names were checked with two sources. If the name was unusual, sometimes the chief sub-editor checked by phoning the family.
When I worked as a secretary / PA all my work was checked by my boss. When I typed a letter, if it was posted after he left so that he had not checked it, I signed PP which is Latin per pro, on behalf of, which showed the letter's recipient, also my boss, and myself, that the letter was initialed by the typist and any errors were mine, not his.
On magazines a piece of literature was checked by as many as eight people all of whom initialled changes, typist/sub-editor, chief sub-editor, features editor, production editor, magazine editor, library/cuttings/research department, head of company, head of group.
On a happier note, every day our lives are saved dozens of times by the goodwill of others, and by the foresight of health and safety labels and regulations.
Take care!
Angela Lansbury, BA Hons, author, English teacher and tutor
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