Copy editor to lexicographer
A copy editor already meets 40% of what the lexicographer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
57/ 100
1 How much of what a lexicographer is expected to do is already part of a copy editor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the lexicographer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A lexicographer role treats 6 of its required skills as things a copy editor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- consult information sources
- copyright legislation
- follow work schedule
- grammar
- spelling
What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A lexicographer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a copy editor background worth leading with.
- already held use dictionaries information skills
- already held consult with editor communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held spelling arts and humanities
- already held consult information sources information skills
- already held grammar arts and humanities
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules communication, collaboration and creativity
All 8 carried skills, including the 6 the lexicographer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn linguistics required
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- still to learn create definitions required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
- optional, not held translate language concepts optional
- still to learn search databases required
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a lexicographer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 8 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held copyright legislation knowledge
- already held follow work schedule skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held consult with editor skill
- already held use dictionaries skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
15 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held edit dictionary entries optional
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held create semantic trees optional
- optional, not held do historical research optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held manage budgets optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held supervise staff optional
- optional, not held supervise work optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
- optional, not held translate foreign language optional
- optional, not held translate language concepts optional
- optional, not held use word processing software optional
20 held skills the lexicographer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt to artists' creative demands skill
- not needed by the target role apply desktop publishing techniques skill
- not needed by the target role desktop publishing knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital journalism knowledge
- not needed by the target role editorial standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role follow a brief skill
- not needed by the target role follow ethical code of conduct of journalists skill
- not needed by the target role follow newspaper house style skill
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role office software knowledge
- not needed by the target role proofread text skill
- not needed by the target role read manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role review unpublished articles skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite articles skill
- not needed by the target role rewrite manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role suggest revision of manuscripts skill
- not needed by the target role track changes in text editing skill
- not needed by the target role typography knowledge
- not needed by the target role write headlines skill
- not needed by the target role writing techniques knowledge
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn linguistics required
- still to learn practical lexicography required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held typology optional
- optional, not held search engines optional
- optional, not held project management principles optional
- optional, not held theoretical lexicography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a copy editor become a lexicographer?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A copy editor already covers 40% of what a lexicographer is expected to do: 8 skills carry over, 6 of which the lexicographer role treats as required.
What skills does a copy editor need to become a lexicographer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 15 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by arts and humanities. The single most important is create definitions.
How hard is the move from copy editor to lexicographer?
Its learning distance is 57 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.