More of this Feature • Chapter 1 • Chapter 2 • Chapter 3 • Chapter 4 • Chapter 5 • Chapter 6 • Chapter 7 • Chapter 8 • Chapter 9 • Chapter 10 • Chapter 11 • Chapter 12 • Chapter 13 • Chapter 14

• Join the Discussion Discuss in the Forum

Related Resources •  Want To Work On The Radio? •  Back On The Air - And Now It's Personal •  Radio Morning Man Terminology •  So, You Wanna Work In Radio? •  Confessions of a Morning DJ •  The Radio DJ FAQ •  How Do I Break Into Radio? •  You Don't Have To Be On The Air To Be In Radio •  Be A DJ: Radio Jobs Available

When you plan to use material not written in the U.S., like stories from Ananova.com, a great British site or any other English-written websites, make sure you change their unique use of words and phrases back to ”American.” For example:

A blind student chased after a man who robbed him and helped bring him to justice. Pontus Forrs was robbed in a street in Vienna by a man who snatched his mobile phone and ran off.

We really don't call cell phones “mobile” phones anymore. In 1990, we might have when they were still being installed in cars. But, today our technology has made those early ones irrelevant, and any reference to them irrelevant as well. We carry cell phones. Europeans still call them “mobile” phones.

Here's another easy example from Ananova.com:

A pensioner who was caught drink-driving on his moped stormed into a police station with a shotgun and demanded his driving license back.

First, we don't usually use the word “pensioner” to describe someone who's “retired”, which is what the British writer of this sentence was doing. Obviously, we all know what “drink-driving” probably is, but we call it drunk-driving or DWI in America. That's why you need to rewrite it. And, if you're not going to literally rewrite it, at least underline it or circle it so you'll make the proper change on-the-fly, while you're reading the story.

A retired man, who was caught driving his moped while intoxicated, stormed into a police station with a shotgun and demanded his driving license back.

...or...

A retiree, who was caught drunk-driving on his moped, stormed into a police station with a shotgun and demanded his driving license back.

When you're rewriting content, take out the superfluous, useless facts that nobody cares about and just slows down your read. I would change this:

A pensioner who was caught drink-driving on his moped stormed into a police station with a shotgun and demanded his driving license back. The 71-year-old Austrian man had his license confiscated after he was reported by motorists who had seen him weaving from lane to lane. He was stopped by police and taken to a local police station where they took his license from him. Just two hours later the man, from western Styria in Austria, returned to the station with a shotgun hidden under his coat. As the officer on charge approached him he saw the weapon jutting out and with help from his colleagues was able to confiscate it. A single shot was fired as the policemen attempted to disarm the pensioner but nobody was injured.

To this:

A retired man who was caught drunk-driving on his moped stormed into a police station with a shotgun and demanded his driving license back. The 71-year-old was stopped by police and taken to a local police station where they took his license from him. Just two hours later the man, from western Styria in Austria, returned to the station with a shotgun hidden under his coat. As the officer on charge approached him he saw the weapon jutting out and with help from his colleagues was able to confiscate it. A single shot was fired as the policemen attempted to disarm the pensioner but nobody was injured.

What you want to avoid is having to interrupt the flow of your content to explain word usage.

Look at this story from Reuters and see how I have shortened it, taken out irrelevant information and changed some things around to make it read easier. That should be your goal when preparing material. Your prep should be speak-easy, not read-easy. My changes are in bold:

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - A 28-year-old Panamanian accused of killing a judge was eaten by a crocodile as he swam across a river after escaping from prison, police said on Thursday.
Oswaldo Martinez, accused of murdering judge Harmodio Mariscal on June 5 during a failed robbery in Panama City, was captured last week by police after fleeing to neighboring Costa Rica.

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Police said on Thursday, a 28-year-old Panamanian was eaten by a crocodile as he swam across a river after escaping from prison. Oswaldo Martinez, accused of murdering a judge during a failed robbery, was captured last week by police after fleeing to neighboring Costa Rica.

After being held in custody in Costa Rica, Martinez broke out of jail at the weekend and was aiming to reenter Panama through the dense jungle that divides the two Central American countries.

After being held in custody in Costa Rica, Martinez broke out of jail over the weekend and was aiming to reenter Panama through the dense jungle that divides the two Central American countries.

Martinez was eaten alive by the crocodile on Monday as he tried to swim across the River Terraba in southern Costa Rica, according to eyewitness reports confirmed by police on Thursday.

According to eyewitnesses, Martinez was eaten alive by the crocodile on Monday as he tried to swim across the River Terraba in southern Costa Rica.

Next Page > Chapter 2 - Page 3