What’s new?
New logo, new Web site, new image
There have been a number of major changes at Services d’édition over the past two or three years—a move to a new location, the setting up of a virtual office in an extranet, the development of an innovative work style.
To reflect these changes, we wanted to give both our Web site and our logo a new look.
You are now on the site, so take a look for yourself. Needless to say, it is designed to be informative and explanatory. It shows just what we do best and provides our contact details, as well as explains how we work: for example, the choices we make in respect to the spelling, style and typography of the texts we translate and revise.
We wanted to make using our site an enjoyable experience. Go ahead, click away. As you’ll see, it uses our new image and logo to the full.
In regard to that logo, we aspired to something simple but evocative, very 21st century. “Our goal was to streamline the look of the previous logo, while at the same time give it a friendly feeling,” explains Ardoise art director Sylvain Lemire, who first designed the logo, and then the Web site. “We thus simplified it by shortening the company’s name to Connolly, and gave it a friendly twist with the elegant capital C, which also happens to resemble the well-known proofreading symbol for ‘delete’ or ‘remove.’ It reflects the very nature of the company: simple, efficient and user-friendly.”
It is, in fact, yet another product of the two companies’ long-term association, which has continued to be consistently stimulating for some twelve years.
So, much is new, but our striving for excellence remains the same!
Guy Connolly is teaching his course again this winter
Guy Connolly is teaching his course in revision again at the Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Continuing Education (FEP) this winter. The course, part of the Certificate in French Composition program, is for those who wish to perfect their French editing skills. It takes place at Longueuil Campus.
Editing is done on-screen (Word), and the course takes full advantage of new information technology, particularly the Internet. Proofs are corrected either on paper or by using Adobe’s Acrobat software. Texts are only available electronically, and all information, course outlines, marks, etc., are posted on-line and updated regularly. Students send their texts directly to the course instructor, complete with on-screen corrections, by uploading them to the course site. The goal of this teaching approach is not only to make all course information and documentation more accessible, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but also to immerse students in today’s technological reality by working with electronic documents and messaging systems. Internet access is therefore a course requirement. The course instructor, however, does not exist only in cyberspace—he spends 45 hours in class with the students.
The FEP will offer this course at its Main Campus during the 2012 fall session. For more information, contact Lise Malo at the Université de Montréal (514 343-6111, ext. 2940), go to link or contact the instructor directly: guy.connolly@umontreal.ca.
Bilbo Cyr and Caroline Scott, passengers in transit
The 21st edition of the Marathon d’écriture intercollégial took place in Montréal over the night of March 4–5 earlier this year, from 1:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. At the end of this unique writing marathon, whose honorary president was Michel Brûlé, each of the participating cegep students contributed their favourite text to a more than 175-page anthology (Passagers en transit) to be published under the supervision of Services d’édition Guy Connolly and available by contacting Gilbert Forest, head of the event.
Michel Brûlé wrote in his introductory note: “[Translation] When I started to read La lettre hurlante by Caroline Scott, I didn’t know what it was about. As I began to understand that the author was taking on the role of a rape victim who was confronting her aggressor, my heart started to beat very fast. I realized that I only had a few minutes to become acquainted with this very moving text in order to do it justice during the public reading. I was then left with only two or three minutes to get to know Bilbo Cyr’s text: Let’s just say that I slammed at times and slogged at others.”
Guy Connolly carried out the text revision and proofreading with the help of three of his students: Monique Béziade, René Flageole and Marie Mousse Léonard. Magalie Morin provided the inspiring graphic design.
As in the past nine years, it has been a pleasure for us to participate in this event and provide the gift of our services to the organizers and, especially, to the young authors.
We are very pleased to make the two winners’ texts available here.
FIRST PRIZE
Gaspésie à vendre pour les pièces
Bilbo Cyr
Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles
La plume en feu me gratte la feuille : « Crier ma rage sur papier. » Ma Gaspésie, au cœur de pierre radioactive, se laisse désirer par le capital, peu scrupuleux du délit et du détail. Haut et fort, je le clame : « Je n’ai jamais rien eu à vendre. Si j’ai l’air d’être contre tout, c’est parce que c’est toujours la même affaire ! »
Cette fois, c’est la mine. C’est con ! C’est con, ta mine ! Les chèques matent et viennent à bout des tabous. L’élue nous use le jus. Sa parole dort parce que son silence est d’argent. Tout le monde danse entre l’évident et l’évidemment. L’avide dément ment. Le prospecteur prospère. La Loi sur les mines mine surtout la crédibilité des vendeurs de pays en vrac, à plat ventre, au plus vite.
Je l’écris et le crie : « De l’uranium au fond de la baie, c’est une mauvaise idée. C’est comme prendre le bois du mât pour se faire du feu dans la cale. »
Est-ce un leurre, un exutoire, un drapeau rouge pour éviter les verts foncés ? Est-ce une façon de détourner l’attention du pétrole sous bâillon de Gaspé ? Est-ce un bouc ou un bélier ? Un coup la porte ouverte, comment faire partir le vendeur de tapis ? Si tout est permis, plus rien n’est sacré !
Je persiste, je persifle et signe. Tel un marteau sur un clou, je frapperai jusqu’au bout. Je n’ai pas dit mon dernier mot : « Bonjour Nathalie, ma députée, si tu me lis ! »
SECOND PRIZE
La lettre hurlante
Caroline Scott
Collège Ahuntsic
Je t’écris parce que je ne sais plus les paroles accusatrices. Parce que ta haine a verrouillé mes mâchoires cette nuit-là. Tu ne le sais peut-être pas, mais tu m’as rendue muette. J’aurais aimé te dire d’arrêter. Dans l’obscurité de la chambre, j’ai voulu trouver les mots, mais ils étaient égarés dans le tremblement de mon corps, dans les dédales obscurs de mon cerveau qui paniquait. Mes lèvres se sont entrouvertes, prêtes à m’extirper n’importe quoi, un murmure, une plainte, un cri. Hélas, tu as bâillonné ma bouche de tes baisers immondes, ta langue insolente ne parlant pas la mienne. Tu m’as serrée trop fort, comme on sert les dents pour ne pas frapper. Et même si tu les as serrées bien fort, tu as frappé. Tu m’as ouverte, comme on écartèle un livre attendu, pressé de connaître mon contenu. Quels mots aurais-je pu t’apprendre à toi qui avais lu la vie avant même que je ne la connaisse ? Quelle histoire aurais-je pu raconter pour que je te fascine à ce point ? Jamais tu n’as eu à subir mon hurlement d’impuissance. Tu as tué ma voix, mais j’ai appris à écrire. Voici donc le cri que j’aurais dû émettre, cette nuit-là. Je te l’écris afin que tu puisses le réentendre une fois ou deux encore. Je veux que les lettres te crachent au visage, je te l’écris afin que toutes les femmes aphones se rappellent comment hurler. Je te l’écris pour que les mots de ton viol ne grandissent pas en moi comme un fœtus méprisable. Je t’écris mon cri pour que jamais il ne s’amenuise, pour que tu entendes, toujours, l’écho de la voix d’enfant que tu m’as dérobée.