It's Not Just About Deleting Characters: A Deeper Look at Red-Ink Corrections

"Toru-tsume" and "Toru-mama" are two representative proofreading marks.
Proofreading marks"Toru-tsume" and "Toru-mama".
Did you know that this difference is actually a key point that influences teamwork?

The difference between Toru-tsume and Toru-mama

"Toru-tsume" means to delete a character and close the empty space.
"Toru-mama" means to delete a character and leave the space as it is.

Some of you might be wondering, what about when the instruction is just "Toru" (delete)?
In the case of "Toru," it means "Toru-tsume."
Many people may not know this, but since "Toru-tsume" is used overwhelmingly more often, I don't think it causes much confusion.

However, if you just write "Toru," some people will ask back, "What should I do after deleting it?"
Therefore,
I make it a point to write "Toru-tsume"so that the other person doesn't get confused.

When is "Toru-mama" used?

One of the main occasions iswhen you don't want to break the layout.
If you close the space, it might leave an awkward gap, or if characters are shifted and line breaks change, the layout might break and cause text overflow.

Another main occasion isconsideration for "kin-soku" (prohibited line-start characters) and readability.
Although the rules for prohibited line-start characters have become much more relaxed these days, it still looks awkward to have a closing bracket or punctuation mark at the beginning of a line.

While word processing software handles these rules automatically, you may need to handle them yourself when using design-oriented software.

Also, there are cases where it is difficult to understand if certain words are not connected, or where it becomes hard to read if a line break occurs, so it is useful in these situations as well.

Strategic usage

I have talked about the main occasions, but recently I have been using them differently based ondesign and impact. This is mainly seen in advertisements and catalogs.

Thinking about design is not the exclusive privilege of the production side or creators.
The proofreading and copy-editing side should also make suggestions, such as "Wouldn't it be easier to convey if we did this?" or "Let's dare to break the line here."

Many people on the production side and creators enjoy discussing design (in my experience). Even those who usually seem difficult or rarely speak will talk about their areas of expertise. Sometimes I even think, "Wow, they talk a lot."

By continuing that kind of communication, they have recognized me, and there have been several times when it made working together feel very pleasant.

The important thing about proofreading marks is to be considerate of others

Not just for "Toru-tsume" and "Toru-mama" this time, butwhat can be said about proofreading marks as a whole is to be considerate of others.
Proofreading marks can be said to be the ultimate form of pursuing clarity and efficiency.

For that reason, they can sometimes appear to be somewhat inorganic symbols.
I plan to write about this in more detail in another article, but by adding a little bit of consideration for the other person, it leads to smoother work in practice.

What kind of interactions do you have with the production side?

Postscript: I think many people use "Toru-aki" instead of "Toru-mama." Since "Toru-mama" and "Toru-aki" are defined as having the exact same meaning in the JIS proofreading marks, I have written this article using "Toru-mama."