Editing and proofreading are the final steps in creating an accurate and polished document. They represent last steps to make text as good as it can be.

After we translate or write a document using a word-processing program, we run it through the spelling and grammar checker before beginning to edit and proofread. We do not assume, however, that these features will catch and/or help correct every mistake. We can be sure a document is error-free only if a pair of eyes-someone else's-scans the document for mistakes the program might miss.

Editing

Basic editing primarily requires checking a manuscript for grammar, spelling, punctuation, stylistic consistency, and factual accuracy, and also may involve moving or rewriting entire or partial sentences and paragraphs.

To do a good editing, we are hard on ourselves. We see our document critically, looking for every possible error and scrutinizing even well-crafted phrases and sentences to determine if there are other words that may serve even better.

After first translator or writer reviews the draft, we have it edited by another person.

Checklist for Editing

The checklist below notes the areas in which our editors look for mistakes and weaknesses.

Orgazation: Are the headings subheadings in the right order? Are the sentences and paragraphs adequate and correctly placed? Do the ideas and paragraphs in the document progress in an organized fashion?

Format: Is the document formatted consistently? Do fonts, font sizes, and font styles change for no reason? Are headings, captions, tables, illustrations, page numbers, headers, and footers treated similarly throughout the document?

Audience: Does the document show sufficient awareness of the audience's background, knowledge, interest, and other characteristics?

Word choice: Have words been chosen carefully and used precisely? Is there any jargon that could be replaced by clear, simple words? Are there any cliche that could be rewritten using fresher and more original vocabulary?

Extraneous and repeated words and phrases: Are there any wordy phrases and constructions? Are there words that could be deleted from any sentences without changing their meaning?

Grammar: Are there grammatical errors? Do the subjects and verbs of all sentences agree in number? Do all pronouns have antecedents? Do verb tenses shift logically?

Spelling: Are standard spellings used throughout? If a word, name, or term can be spelled in more than one way, is one spelling used consistently throughout the document?

Clarity: How well do words and sentences convey their intended meanings? Which if any words and sentnces are confusing?

Effectiveness: How well do words and sentences engage and direct readers' attention? Where, if at all, does the writing seem wordy, choppy, or dull?

Correctness: How little or how much do suffice errors interfere with clarity and effectiveness?

Transitions: Are the relationships between adjoining sentences and paragraphs clear? Would adding transitional phrases make any of these relationships more obvious?

Variety: Are the sentences and paragraphs varied in length, phrasing, and structure? Are there any specific words or phrases that are used too often?

Factual accuracy: Have all dates, statistics, and other concrete facts been checked for accuracy against a reliable source?

Proofreading

Nothing can be more distracting to the reader and embarrassing to the client than a text riddled with typographical errors and poor styles. The proofreader is the last defense against serious, even costly errors.

Proofreading is a quick, final review of a document to search out any mistakes that were missed during the edit. Often translators or writers are the worst people to proofread their work. By the proofreading stage, they lived for some time and are sometimes too familiar with the document (or too tired of looking at it) to catch even the most obvious errors.

For this reason, we ask another person to proofread the work. The best approach is to make a second copy and have proofreader entirely new to the material deal with it.

For more information or a quote, please email us now. We reply within 3 hours worldwide 24/7/365.