Translation guide
The English word "editor" covers several distinct roles. In Japanese, different words are used depending on whether you mean a person who edits text, a newspaper section head, a film/video editor, or a software tool.
A person who revises, corrects, or prepares written material for publication.
General term for an editor of books, magazines, or other publications. Can refer to both the person who edits content and the person in charge of the editorial process.
彼は雑誌の編集者として働いています。
He works as an editor for a magazine.
Loanword from English, often used in job titles or when the context is clearly about editing text, especially in creative or technical fields. Can sound slightly more modern or casual.
彼女はフリーランスのエディターです。
She is a freelance editor.
Specifically a proofreader or copy editor who checks for errors in grammar, spelling, and facts. More technical and less common in everyday conversation.
校閲者が原稿の誤りを指摘した。
The proofreader pointed out errors in the manuscript.
The person in charge of a particular section of a newspaper (e.g., sports editor, city editor).
Used in newspaper contexts to mean the head of a department or section. Often combined with the section name, e.g., 社会部長 (city editor).
彼は政治部長に昇進した。
He was promoted to political editor.
Editor-in-chief or managing editor, overseeing the entire editorial content. Can be used for magazines as well.
A person who selects and arranges shots to create a finished film or video.
Also used for film/video editors, though context is needed to distinguish from text editors. Often specified as 映像編集者 (えいぞうへんしゅうしゃ) for clarity.
彼は映画の編集者として有名だ。
He is famous as a film editor.
Commonly used in creative industries for video editors, especially in job titles like ビデオエディター.
A computer program used to edit text, images, video, etc.
The standard term for software editors, e.g., テキストエディター (text editor), イメージエディター (image editor).
このテキストエディターは使いやすい。
This text editor is easy to use.
General term for editing software. Often used in compound words like 動画編集ソフト (video editing software).
動画編集ソフトを探しています。
I'm looking for video editing software.
編集者 is the native Japanese term and is widely used for human editors in publishing. エディター is a loanword that feels more modern and is often used for software or in creative job titles. For film/video editors, both are used, but 編集者 may need clarification (e.g., 映像編集者).
編集長が最終決定を下す。
The editor-in-chief makes the final decision.
ビデオエディターを募集しています。
We are hiring a video editor.