Editors - advice pls

[MirandaGoshawk]

I'm a proofreader & I'm working on a foreign person's thesis that he's written in English. The people he interviewed for his research answered in their own language and have been translated into English. He has quoted one of them as saying "Mentioning the word 'exam' was more arousing to the students than any other thing".

Now I know what he means in the context of exam pressure. But I can't let this be published like that, can I?

I've never met him, dealt with him solely online. Help!!

made the students more nervous?

agitated?

Italians often use nervous/agitated in a kind of "aroused" way.

I agree with Bucharest - rephrase to "Mentioning the word 'exam' made the students more agitated than any other thing"

Or possibly "made the students react more than any other thing"

Good luck.

"caused more anxiety" than any other thing?
Several languages have false friends for Anglophones over anxious/nervous/excited and other semi-synonyms.

Yes, agitated is good but the problem is that he is quoting whjat someone has said, so I can't change it!

At least, in theory. Not sure if I could get away with it here because it's a translation. And not tell him - I don't want to have to explain!

He's already put something about someone's 'orientation' when he meant 'preference'. Luckily I could change that!

If he's already mis-translated I presume you re-translating would be OK?

Or people are going to worry about exam fetishists!

Put it into reported speech instead of a direct quote?

Yes, I'm going to risk it. If he wants to know why I've changed it hopefully he'll ask a friend. At this rate I'll come across (oo-er) as someone who sees sexual references in the most innocent writing.

It depends what the subject is surely? In psychology it is possible to talk about levels of arousal in a completely non-sexual way. If it is in relation to levels of autonomic arousal (i.e. increased heart-rate etc.) in an experiment then it has to be right. However, if it is not being used in a technical way then it would be appropriate to change it I think.