Making a more inclusive America's Test Kitchen.
Here are the basics.
My role for this project was a copy editor. The problem involved going through ATK's database of over 400 online recipes and identifying instances of culturally insensitive language. The team of interns and I, led by an ATK copywriter, were charged with removing this kind of language while sticking to ATK's brand and voice. The solution was to rewrite copy to remove words such as exotic and hard-to-find. We also removed non-specific descriptors like Asian or Middle Eastern in favor of giving credit to a dish's country of origin. This process involved a lot of research, team communication, and a willingness to discuss and learn.
Other things we had to watch out for and remove: any italicized words in another language (this others the language to the reader) and references to ATK's version of the dish being "easier to make" or "removing unneccesary steps."
Here are some examples.
These examples highlight the changes to the copy that were made; the changes we made are live ongit americastestkitchen.com.
