Why is proofreading important?

Proofreading matters. Whether you’re writing emails, website content, blog posts, or even a CV or school essay – this is the first thing people will see. It’s your shop window.

Imagine you’re in a new town and walking down the street. In one street you see shops with peeling paint, signs about to fall down and dirty windows. In the next street you see shops with fresh paint and dazzling displays of the latest merchandise. Which shops would you rather enter?

I hope you chose the smart ones with fresh paint and the dazzling displays – they look more professional and inviting, right? Well, it’s the same with the copy you write.

And just like the shop window above, if it’s untidy, people will make a judgment call on what’s inside: in other words, your content. Typos, incorrect spelling, poor grammar and structure all contribute to that shabby look, and those same people will drop from your website or relegate your CV to the bottom of the pile.

So, if you want to impress your reader, you’re going to have to proofread – or get someone to do it for you. And you’ll be surprised at how many times in your life you’ll come across the need to check your work.

Situations for which you need a proofreader

Think about the following situations:

In school – writing essays
University – completing a dissertation or thesis, academic papers
Work – writing business papers, presentations, press releases, information sheets, web pages or for the non-office based, perhaps writing a quote or invoice for a customer
Home – emails to friends, community members or even the tax office

But what exactly is proofreading. Give me a definition!

Proofreading is all about checking for errors before going to final production or hitting that ‘send’ button. A quick look at thesaurus.com brings up the following synonyms: to correct, edit, check, rephrase, revise, refine, rearrange. Any one of these words could be part of the proofreading process. Note that I said ‘part of’ because proofreading can include any or all of these.

But why not just use online proofreading tools? Or the word processor’s spell checker or grammar checker?

According to Business Dictionary, proofreading is not just about looking for errors in copy but also in headlines and illustrations. And don’t forget the footnotes, references, appendices, and hyperlinks to be checked.

There are many situations where even the most advanced word processing software cannot cope. Take this example: I love dancing, dogs and travel. I love dancing dogs and travel. It needs a human to apply the correct logic.

How do you become a proofreader?

So now that we’ve established the importance of proofreading, how do you become one of these sought-after indispensable people? Do you need to complete specialist courses or qualifications? Actually, no, this is not necessary.

However, a high-level command of your native language is desirable as is an obsessive attention to detail. You can certainly do online or in-person courses, and there are many to choose from, covering the basics of editing, how to proofread on a screen and even the legal aspects of publishing.

Take my own story. I love studying languages, and so I understand language structure and grammar. I also built my career in marketing, which naturally brought me into contact with printers and designers.

In the early days (before everything went digital), we would mark up printing proofs with proof correction marks. Everything had to be checked and rechecked before we went ahead and printed out thousands of brochures or reams of packaging. I still recall having to check packaging ingredients in Finnish (not a language I speak), terrified of costing the company a fortune!

From there we progressed to press releases and emails as the industry gradually moved into the digital age. Today it’s all about websites, social media copy, and blogs.

If proofreading courses are not obligatory, what skills do I really need?

Do you know ‘their’ from ‘they’re’? Or how about ‘complimentary’ and ‘complementary’? Are you fastidious about the use of apostrophes? Do you know the correct plural of ‘mother-in-law’? If so, you’re on the right road. (And in case you wanted to check, it’s ‘mothers-in-law, despite what my word processor tries to tell me).

So, attention to detail is a ‘must’. A love of grammar, spelling, and punctuation to the extent you irritate people is useful, and so is the ability to work to deadlines. I am often given copy to check with just an hour to spare before the email or newsletter is due to go out to many thousands of people.

It also goes without saying that if you’re working freelance then you must also be extremely self-motivated.

Know your audience

Understanding your audience is essential. For example, are you proofreading for British English, US English or something else? Does your audience accept a more informal contracted form such as ‘it’s’ or do you need to use the more formal ‘it is’?

You don’t necessarily need to learn proofreading marks but it’s definitely quicker when annotating your printed version. So, knowing a few basics would be helpful.

Also, be aware of changing language rules. For example, I was brought up to include two spaces after a full stop. That’s because I belong to the group of people who learned to work with typewriters before switching to computers. These days, everyone’s using one space, although there is now an argument to say that two spaces look better. The debate continues.

How to do your own proofreading

1. Check for meaning and flow.

After writing your copy, check it all the way through to ensure it makes sense. This is the perfect opportunity to change the order of sentences and do the first pass of spelling and grammar corrections.

2. Use your computer wisely.

Are there any programs you can use that can help you with your proofreading?

3. Read it through again.

This time, make sure you’re armed with a red, green, purple pen or anything that stands out. Read it for flow and then read it again word by word. Read any names letter by letter.

4. Read your text aloud (including any punctuation).

The reason for doing this is that the human brain is very adept at subconsciously correcting any missing or incorrect letters. Have you ever done any of those quizzes with all the vowels missing to see if you can read the words? If so, then you’ll know what I mean.

5. Take a break.

You’ll need to give your eyes and your brain a rest.

6. Read it aloud again and then do a final check.

If this is your CV, dissertation or essay, then ask a third party to read through it for you. You’ll be surprised at what they may find.

The golden rule is to read when you are mentally fresh: absolutely do not try to proofread when you are tired. And make sure you know what you are reading about; if in doubt, ask an expert in that area.

A few final words to feed your curiosity

Use every opportunity to practise. Whether that’s spotting ‘MOT’s’ on signs (this is one for the UK reader), scrolling through websites or junk mail in the post. My absolute favourite is reading books on my Kindle: there’s a handy feature that allows you to tell the publisher about any mistakes you find. I use it – a lot!

And don’t be like Cathay Pacific with the infamous spelling error on one of their planes. Or the candidate who sent me a CV stating that they had excellent attention to detail. Unfortunately, there were five mistakes in the document which meant that it went straight to the ‘reject’ pile.

They may have been a great candidate for the job but that shop window definitely needed a good clean!

Diane Paternoster

Diane is a professional editor, Marketing expert and Content Writer with 20+ experience. She is happy to share her experience with you.

contact info

Skype

seocontentparadise@gmail.com

Email Adress

contact@seocontentparadise.com