Editing / Proofreading

This is taking a text that has either already been translated into English or was originally written in English, and ensuring that the language is perfect, the terminology is correct, and the style flows naturally.

Editing / proofreading pricing

This ranges from €0.0375 to €0.05 per word. Please request a quote.
We do not currently offer machine translation post-editing.

This includes checking the following:

Spelling: Spell-checkers don’t catch every kind of mistake.

We once received an academic journal article for editing and every “assess” was actually “asses”. This is why proofreading by a professional is so important! Spell checkers don’t catch wrong words that are spelled correctly (such as to/too, their/they’re/there, etc.).

Vocabulary / word choice: Not every synonym works in any given sentence. Careful attention must be paid to collocations (words that go together, such as “take a risk”, you wouldn’t say “make a risk”), connotation (“childish” has a negative connotation, while “childlike” has a positive one), register (is this word too formal/informal for the context?), and overall style (does it sound like it was written by a native?). Texts must also be checked for false friends (words that are exactly alike in the two languages but mean different things, such as “sensible” in English/Spanish).

One little mistake in word choice can completely distort the meaning of your sentence and render it unintelligible. Leave it to us to convey EXACTLY what you want to say. We are experts in recognizing the common errors made by native Spanish and Catalan speakers (what we affectionately call “españoladas” and “catalanismos”, respectively).

Cohesion / clarity: This is especially important in academic writing. We work closely with our clients to ensure that their message is accurately conveyed. Often, we find confusing or ambiguous sentences that don’t accurately reflect what the writer intended to say, or we find that what they say in one part of the text contradicts what they say in another. We will work with you to understand what you meant to say and put our linguistic skills to work to accurately convey that.

Style: Lastly, we will check to make sure the text reads just like it was written in English originally by a native, with a readable, concise, and impactful style that matches the intended tone, register, and appeals to the target audience.