Editorial policy for the Our Languages blog

So you’d like to write for the Our Languages blog? Great! Before you get started, read our editorial policy to learn about our objectives and our readers. You’ll also get some ideas on blog post topics and find out how we’ll guide you throughout the blogging process.

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On this page

• Objectives of our blog
• Who reads our blog
• What to write about and how
• Support provided
• Copyright rules
• Blogging guidelines
• Related links

Objectives of our blog

With the Our Languages blog, we want to:

• promote the official languages of Canada
• highlight the value of linguistic knowledge and proficiency
• provide our readers with opportunities for learning and discovery

Who reads our blog

The Our Languages blog is not just for translators and other language professionals. Canadians from all walks of life can benefit from the content we have to offer. While writing your blog post, remember that it could be read by anyone, including:

• teachers
• students
• parents
• administrative personnel
• public servants

What to write about and how

Okay, so now you know whom you’re writing for, but a few questions still remain: What are you going to write about? And what format will your post take?

Here are a few examples of blog topics and formats to inspire you:

Language Portal showcases

Posts that showcase Language Portal of Canada content, such as quizzes, writing tips and resources from the Collection of Canadian language resources, that can be grouped together around a given topic to create a post.

Examples

• The best quizzes for learning French expressions
• Plain language: 4 articles to help you say what you mean
• Resources to help you learn the Inuktitut dialect

Infographics

Posts that feature a visual representation (such as a chart or diagram) of steps, processes, comparisons, reminders or statistics. Infographics are very shareable on social media.

Examples

• How to clearly communicate with your clients
• Verb moods: A comparison
• The ups and downs of capitalization

How-to lists

Posts that tell our readers how to do something, usually a very specific task. The information can be presented in the form of step-by-step instructions or checklists.

Examples

• 8 simple steps for an error-free email
• How to format your business’s blog posts to increase readability
• A checklist for effective headlines

Listicles

Posts that feature content organized in a list.

Examples

• Top 10 apps for learning a foreign language
• 15 tips to help you improve your business writing
• 8 English words you might be misusing

Case studies

Posts that feature content on how other organizations or people dealt with an issue to highlight different approaches or lessons learned.

Examples

• How to launch a plain language program in your organization
• The advantages of gamification in language learning
• Before and after: How an email style guide changed the way we communicate

Reviews

Posts that feature reviews of language-related tools, publications, websites and events.

Examples

• My day at the Trois-Rivières International Poetry Festival
• A review of three terminology databases
• A review of Look WAY Up, an online dictionary and thesaurus

Interviews

Posts that feature interviews with:

• Language Portal ambassadors:
  • blog champions, guest bloggers, partners or networkers
• other people working in the field of language:
  • authors, writers, editors, second language teachers or learners, interpreters, translators and fellow bloggers

These posts can be written in a question-and-answer format.

Examples

• A chat with guest blogger Mary Jane
• A conference interpreter’s typical work day
• A lexicographer explains how new words make it into the dictionary

Support provided

If you’re interested in writing a language-related blog post, complete the guest blogger registration form!

We’ll send you a welcome email with all the information you’ll need to get started. We’ll also be there to guide you from beginning to end by answering your questions and revising your draft post to ensure that it meets our criteria for publication and the guidelines in the Canada.ca Content Style Guide.

So no need to worry! You’ll be well supported as you become a guest blogger for the Our Languages blog!

Copyright rules

Copyright on your post and on the comments you write on the Our Languages blog belongs to you. However, by agreeing to have your post and your comments published on the Our Languages blog, you agree to waive your moral rights, which means you give the Government of Canada permission to use, reproduce, edit and share your post and your comments, royalty-free, in whole or in part, in any manner it chooses. You also confirm that nothing in your post or your comments infringes third party rights (for example, the unauthorized use of text belonging to a third party).

The author’s name is displayed in a post when it is published on the Our Languages blog. By submitting a post for publication, you agree to have your name displayed with your post.

For information about the privacy of your personal information, refer to the privacy notice statement.

Blogging guidelines

Avoid political or critical content

We will not publish any content that is, or could be interpreted as being, political in nature.

We also will not publish any content that is, or may be perceived as being, critical of people, organizations or administrations.

Avoid endorsements

The Language Portal must avoid any real or perceived appearance of endorsing or providing an unfair competitive advantage to any individual, organization or private-sector enterprise. However, we’re happy to promote tools, services or products offered free of charge by a government department or agency, a non-profit organization or a public educational institution.

Consult the Directive on the Management of Communications, section 6.9.

Link to Language Portal content

As you’re drafting your post, if you find content related to your topic on the Portal (such as quizzes, resources or writing tips), feel free to include the links to this content in your post. You can also include links to other related Our Languages blog posts.

Engage your readers

To encourage discussion, we recommend that you add a few lines to the end of your post inviting readers to:

• comment on your post
• ask questions
• share related resources

Share your posts

Once your post is up on the Our Languages blog, we’ll send you an email to let you know. We’ll also share your post:

• on Twitter @Our_languages
• on Facebook at Ourlanguages.ca

You can share your post with your own network, too. Simply tag the Language Portal of Canada if you do.

Be respectful

Feel free to respond to comments about your blog post, but keep your responses respectful, relevant and non-discriminatory.

Consult the guidelines in the Canada.ca Terms and conditions page.

Privacy notice statement

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