There are accountants and math whizzes whose eyes are automatically drawn to a small inaccuracy in a dense jumble of numbers. It seems I’m blessed — or cursed — with the linguistic equivalent. For as long as I can remember, no text has been safe from my scrutiny. Magazine articles, billboards, book pages, flyers, web stories, even bags of frozen peas…I can’t help but scan them for errors. Is it any wonder I became a Copy Editor?
At Galavante, I fix bad spelling and janky grammar. I also improve narrative flow and structure, and factcheck everything that goes through my hands.
Favorite Destination
I was born, raised, and educated in the Netherlands, where I got my journalism degree. For pleasure and work, I traveled to most European countries in my early adulthood. Belgium remains a favorite to this day: craft beers, excellent chocolate, the best fries in the world, lovely nature, and the Belgian devil-may-care attitude…what’s not to love? France makes the top of my list for food and culture, and I can’t wait to go back for what must be the 13th or 14th time. Meanwhile, Québec City isn’t a bad substitute, and it’s in driving distance from my home in Maine. I’ve even learned to love poutine! Farther afield, I’ve traveled to China on multiple occasions and have a deep and enduring fascination for the place. (It’s also the country all three of my daughters hail from.)
Most Exotic Destination Traveled
My most exotic adventure was probably the one in Kalimantan, a part of Indonesia, where I visited a Dayak tribal village and was invited to drinks and food in a traditional longhouse. Headhunting was common in the area until the 1950s (it actually resumed for a spell earlier this century), but my memories are of a kind people whose hospitality was touching, and who were amazing wood-carvers and metalworkers.
On My Bucket List
Cambodia, especially Angkor Wat. Also, St. Petersburg and the Hermitage — post-Putin. I’m dying to revisit the Portuguese coast. And I can’t believe I never made it to Denmark, especially because I’ve frequently been mistaken for a Dane (probably because to American ears, the words “Danish” and “Dutch” sound somewhat alike). So, Copenhagen and beyond? Sign me up!
Travel Philosophy
I’m not a fan of the hassle that is commercial flying, so I try to make it as painless as possible. That means I travel light: one carry-on and that’s it. If the trip is longer than three or four days, I bring some detergent and wash my clothes as needed. Beats the oversized suitcases I see people schlepping at airports.
About Rogier van Bakel
My feature articles have been published on four continents and in eleven languages. In the United States, before I took up editing, I wrote often for Wired, Rolling Stone, the New York Times, and other fine publications. I still write: based on my love of both music and high-quality music reproduction, I pen reviews of exotic audio gear for Stereophile, as well as columns and interviews.
Odd tidbit: English isn’t my first language — Dutch is — so it’s always amusing to think that I somehow rolled into a career where I edit the prose of native speakers!
