Editing and proofreading

In addition to translation, I also specialise in proofreading and editing English texts.

The terms ‘editing’ and ‘proofreading’ can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

To me proofreading involves reading through a text and correcting its spelling, grammar and punctuation. I also check to see whether or not a text is successful in conveying its message; does it contain anything that might lead to confusion or misunderstanding?

While proofreading mainly considers a text at a surface level, editing goes much deeper.

I specialise in editing English texts written by non-native speakers (mostly Dutch) of English. Besides checking a text for spelling, grammar and punctuation, I will also focus on how sentences and paragraphs are structured. Does the text read smoothly, or are the sentences too staccato? Does it immediately become clear what a paragraph is about? Are pronouns used effectively, or are the intratextual references too vague?

Dutch readers are used to having to ‘work’ in order to understand a text and how one part of it relates to another. English-speaking readers are much less forgiving in this respect, and expect writers to do their utmost to convey a message. This difference in reader expectations is something many Dutch (and other non-native) writers of English texts struggle with, which is why I’m here to help.

Whether a text only needs proofreading or requires more extensive editing mostly depends on the amount of work needed to bring it up to the desired standard. This is why I charge an hourly rate of €40 for proofreading and editing rather than a price per word. After you send me your text, I will draw up an estimate of the number of hours I expect I will need to work on it. You never pay more than agreed upon beforehand. And should I need less hours than I thought I would, I will of course subtract the unused hours from the invoice.