Robert Kidd

Overview

For more than twenty-five years I have edited documents that had to be right: reactor documentation, dam construction specifications, journal submissions, clinical procedures, annual reports. The subjects change constantly — steel metallurgy one week, a novel the next — but the work does not. Read closely enough to understand what the writer meant, then make the page say it.

My background is unusual for an editor. I read English at UBC, then spent a decade in Japan editing engineering documents at one of the world's largest steel producers and running a language consulting department for IBM and Lotus. I hold trades diplomas in industrial electronics, which is why highly technical material has never frightened me. I have edited for governments, for the United Nations, for Google and IBM, and for individual authors with a first manuscript.

I work directly with clients, I answer my own email, and I meet deadlines.

Selected Projects

Work Experience

1. Creator, Project Manager & Editor in Chief — EditFast & TranslationHelp, Toronto, ON (1998–Present)

   Managed and delivered over 10,000 editing, writing and translation projects. Recruited and supervised more than 4,000 freelance editors, writers and proofreaders and over 500 translators across technical, scientific, literary, medical and academic work.

2. Quality Rater & Technical Consultant — Google, contract (2006–2011)

   Wrote and edited technical reports assessing keyword relevance to help verify search algorithm efficacy, and identified web spam techniques used to distort results.

3. Director, Language Consulting Department — IBM Japan / Lotus Japan, Tokyo (1999–2002)

   Daily editing of IT, financial and technical documentation, design specifications, software manuals, presentations and executive speeches. Edited and published the monthly employee newsletter on the internal intranet, and built the department's course materials.

4. Creator & Director — 99 Red Balloons Japan Inc., Tokyo (1997–2000)

   Founded an educational entertainment business supplying teachers, musicians and performers for events and advertising, and produced its curriculum and marketing material. Sold the company at significant profit after three years.

5. English Language Technical & Marketing Consultant — NKK (Nihon Kokan, now JFE Steel), Kawasaki, Japan (1992–1997)

   Sole English specialist in the R&D department, editing engineering documents and specifications for bridges, buildings and steel quality at one of the world's largest steel producers. Wrote and edited technical speeches and conference presentations for general managers.

6. Branch Manager — Household Trust Co. Ltd. (now TD Canada Trust), Richmond, BC

   Ran branch operations: financial record keeping, quarterly and annual reporting, supervision of loan officers, and assessment of loan applications and property values.

7. Surveyor, Dempster Highway — Arctic Canada

   Highway surveying in remote northern terrain, working from dog sleds, snowmobiles, snowshoes, four-wheel drives and Twin Otter aircraft.

Client Testimonials