What does a proofreader do?
A guide to the wonderful world of proofreading …
I work as a corporate proofreader and I write this from the standpoint of a corporate proofreader. Although I trained to proofread books and documents within the environment of a publishing house, my work is far removed from that. If you are looking to work as a proofreader in the publishing industry I recommend heading over to the Society for Editors and Proofreaders at https://www.sfep.org.uk/ for information, guidance and training.
So, back to business reports. In my experience, people are good at what they enjoy doing. In life, I often find myself magnetically drawn to certain things and those things drawn to me. Never ignore that magnetism! I love proofreading and editing novels too but I will save that for my next post.
Why corporate reports?
Corporate reports interest me on many different levels. First of all, they are influential. The majority of my clients are global companies offering their viewpoint and opinions on the global economy, security & risk, the environment and the ever-changing world of politics. I get to read and influence these reports before they are made public. It’s not something I take lightly as I am often privy to very sensitive information.
Secondly, they test my skills at the highest level. Missing something, however small, could affect a company’s reputation and standing within their industry, as well as potentially lose the trust of their customers. Not only that but I could lose the business and this is how I make my living.
Also, I have an accountancy background so the idea of balance interests me. As any accountant will tell you, there is something incredibly satisfying about successfully balancing a balance sheet! It’s the holy grail of correctness because if just one digit is out, it’s worthless. Proofreading a document has the same end game. Everything has to balance – it must be consistent and error-free.
Why do large corporations need proofreaders?
You may be surprised to learn that corporations use proofreaders at all. Surely, they hire excellent copywriters? Many a copywriter would bristle at the idea of their hard work being checked. Well that may be the case but that original copy (i.e. the written content) will have been read and revised by any number of people within the organisation, particularly in the case of annual reports. Also, different sections may be written by different people. Our job as a proofreader is to ensure that it works as a whole so that Bill and Ted’s sections have the same style preferences as the CEO’s and the overall brand message is coherent. The ability to have an overview is essential.
Consistency is key
You may think proofreading is about spelling and punctuation, which of course is a large part of it, but the most important thing to achieve when reading a document is consistency. This means looking at heading levels, footnote formatting, quotes, captions, tables – the list is a long one. These reports are read blind i.e. they are not compared to an original. However, style or brand guidelines ensure that everything has a consistency baseline. Normal rules of grammar do not always apply! If there is no brand guideline, we find the prevalent style and go with that.
No slow coaches, thanks
This is an industry that works at an exacting pace. Nobody has ever said, ‘Take your time, there’s no rush!’ It’s always last-minute, high-pressure, deadline-heavy work. During the annual report season we have on average two days to read 150 pages. We must read and digest the brand guidelines, apply them to every sentence, mark up the changes using British Standard Institute proof correction marks and brief any areas of concern, if possible.
How is it done?
There is always a digital file – either a PDF or a Word document. The majority are PDFs, which have been designed and artworked by the time they reach the proofreader. Any amendments or suggestions made to the copy are known as markups.
From here there are two routes depending on the requirements of the client (very often a creative agency):
- Print out the file and mark it up manually; or
- Save the file to your computer and mark it up using the annotation tools.
Manual markups
I like to spell check the PDF first (yes, you can spell check a PDF, folks) using the free tools within Libre Office. Download here: https://www.libreoffice.org/. There are other PDF spell checkers available but this works very well and it’s free!
I also use the PDF to find misspellings of job-specific names and inconsistencies including header levels and page numbers.
Then, it’s red and green pen to paper. Red is for definite mistakes and green is for queries. British Standards Institute (BSI 5261) copy preparation and proof correction marks are a set of squiggles and symbols that describe in shorthand which amendments should be made, and where. In my opinion, a good proofreader should be trained to understand and use these symbols so that it becomes an automatic reflex. Practice, practice and practice some more. I have included a link to a course below. This is not an endorsement of the course or trainer but it offers some idea of what may be required.
Digital markups
With a digital markup the same process is followed, i.e. the first procedure is the spell check in Libre Office. I find Adobe Acrobat Pro to be the best PDF editor but there are other free online PDF editors available. As with the proof correction marks, learn how to use the annotation tools correctly so that it becomes second nature. It is not good practice to simply use the comment boxes – they move around and make it harder for the artworker to follow. Always save as you go along in case of a power cut and if possible, especially with a large file, BACK IT UP to a storage pen or email it to yourself in a compressed folder.
I hope this has helped if you are thinking of joining the industry. If you have any questions or just fancy a chat about what I do, please email bridget@livingproofs.co.uk.
by Bridget Wilkins, Owner at Living Proofs.