My mobile phone rang around 16:00 on Friday afternoon.
“Can you correct 32,000 words by Sunday 18:00?” Proofreading: subject-verb agreement, occasional comma, typos, nothing important.
“Yes.” Two hours later the document arrived in my inbox with a note, “Actually there are 43,000 words. I hope that’s OK.” What? Just a third of the increase?
I opened the attachment and my intuitive reaction was to reach for a bottle of scotch. I thought this might save me from chewing on broken glass. It wasn’t proofreading that was needed, it was a virtual translation. And I agreed to the 48-hour turnaround time.
When I lived in Santiago de Chile and worked on reports for UNESCO and the Pearson Foundation, I put together a team of writers and editors and called ourselves “Ekebo English” – the English team.
So Erica and Peggy put their weekend plans aside and signed on to their latest project. We spent 48 hours banging documents back and forth across three countries – Canada, America, and Chile – and different time zones. The first lane changes felt like road kill. We successfully double edited and the second copies came out much cleaner. Then we divided it for final reading. I hit the submit button for the final document at 17:54 Sunday evening. And it took another 48 hours to recover.
I later learned that the massive proposal had been put together by various committees of Germans in a multinational company in Berlin. No matter how good people are at speaking a second language, they probably won’t be able to write well at all. On a personal note, I study Spanish and can increasingly get stuck. However, I have no doubt that my effective linear communication will never go beyond my grocery list. We use different thought processes and patterns between verbal and written language.
The moral of the story is that if you doubt your English skills, hire a native-speaking editor to proofread your work. It may cost you a little money, but it will save you a lot of face.
But how do you know what level of service to ask for? Send the editor a page from the beginning, middle and end. Armed with a sample, he or she will be able to advise what level of service you need and how much it will cost.
Proofreading. Your document will be checked for subject and pronoun convention, punctuation, and minor style issues. This option is perfect for English-speaking writers who know they need a second pair of eyes to catch details they might have missed. It requires huge corrections for second-language writers that cannot be mitigated by a comma.
Copy Edit – Level One. Native speakers and advanced L2 writers who need an editorial voice will find this level may suit their needs. The general formula is that it’s one editor that does two sets of track changes and a final copy
Copy Edit – Level Two. This twice edited formula includes first track changes by one editor, second track changes from a second reader and final copy. So once it runs through two editors, you’ll know it’s error-free.
default translation. Editing book material in a second language takes a long time and requires careful proofreading. Sometimes the cultural context – as well as the words – need translation. At this level, the material is reviewed by two editors and then checked by a senior editor with an English Second Language (ESL) background. This means three track changes and a final copy. And it will be the quality of the native speaker.
When it comes to public viewing, look for an editor. Nobody cares about your emails, but they will remember how good – or bad – your reports are.
