From Functional to Fancy: Proofreading Technical English in a Trilingual Environment (Accepted)

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Abstract (max. 250 words):
English is the primary language of technology. Thus, researchers are required to be proficient not only in their relevant fields of science, but also in using English to report their findings. Therefore, the correct use of academic English should by definition be included in the engineering education curriculum. Nevertheless, researchers must often rely on the skills of a proofreader/editor to ensure the accuracy of reporting their findings in professional journals or other publications. Subsequently, the proofreader is expected to have multiple talents in multiple fields: fine-tuning skills to improve texts, vocabulary knowledge in the given technical field, and, especially in a bilingual environment, linguistic competences in the first language of the text writer. Subotica Tech - College of Applied Sciences, located in the area of Vojvodina (Vajdaság), finds itself in a unique setting in terms of the linguistic composition of both staff and students. While education is carried out in two languages, Serbian and Hungarian, with many first-language Hungarian speakers there is also language transfer from the majority language, Serbian. Additionally, the functional use of English is required in technical writing, resulting in functional trilingualism (Serbian, Hungarian, English), but not without language transfers. Errors or non-native patterns in language are often mirrored in academic writing, showing peculiar linguistic error patterns detected during proofreading. This paper will explore the strong first-language influence (either Serbian, Hungarian, or both) in English academic technical texts. It will also explore the often-bewildering questions with which proofreaders are faced: “Mit akart pontosan az iró mondani” – what exactly is the original writer attempting to say?


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Livia Szedmina, PhD in American Studies (2015), Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. Teaches technical English language at Subotica Tech – College of Applied Science in Subotica, Serbia, holds posts of International Relations Coordinator and Erasmus+ coordinator. Skills include translating, proofreading, conference organizing. Interested in Irish history, specifically 19th-century Irish-American history. Speaks Hungarian, English, German, Serbian. Has given lectures and presentations in Irish culture and history at universities in Belfast, Boston, Cluj, Dublin, Graz, Košice, Ljubljana.