A business is never meant to succeed without providing proper content! When presented at high quality and in appealing display, content adds higher value to the businesses and draws them into the right path. This could be a general rule, except that in some industries, applying strict quality checks for every single document is not an option, especially as a teeny-tiny error might cause severe harms or lead to unfavorable consequences. Highly specialized sectors like medical, legal, financial, and technical fields have no room for error and are very sensitive to mistakes.
Since English is the world’s top and most common language, English editing services are highly demanded all around the world. However, when creating original English content from scratch, editing sounds a bit easy, but when the content is translated, editing requires doubled efforts and becomes way more challenging.
In translation services, editors and proofreaders juggle a considerable number of tasks to make certain a written text abides by the English linguistics; the principles that govern syntax, word formation, pronunciation, and other features of the English language, while maintaining the original meaning of the source language.
In any case, English editing is a long and multi-step process that aims at refining a text so it conveys coherent and comprehensible meanings. Content editing tackles the full range of language conveniences, extending from the document’s concept and intended use, all the way to the overall formatting, organization, design, and writing style.
The following are three steps a professional english editing service shall go through to come out with a “publishable” content, along with several considerations editors should take into account:
The Process of English Editing Services
Initial Revision:
This step is focusing on the bigger picture and it is usually done by an experienced reviewer where he/she reads the whole content and tries to get a general overview. The purpose of this initial revision practice is usually looking at a text with a fresh eye to check the validity of the overall ideas and body coherence in the light of a broader cultural and linguistic context.
This revision usually comes right after the translation or content development steps, and it is important for stuff like letters, news stories, and internal company write-ups, yet it is not enough for medical records, legal indentures, financial reports, and technical documents, which need much more profound editing and proofreading.
Proofreading:
Proofreading is basically used as a synonym to checking for mistakes, and it can be broken down into multiple practices, all aimed at detecting linguistic and stylistic errors and rectifying them. The process of proofreading includes a detailed spell, grammar, punctuation, and syntax checks. It also addresses the issue of uniformity and consistency, which means the paragraphs should follow a specific style and abide by the language orthography, while terms are consistent all over the text.
In some cases, the proofreaders’ responsibilities might extend to fact-checking and verifying names, titles, dates, numbers, and references. This step complements and usually precedes, yet sometimes follows, the third step of copyediting.
Copyediting:
At its core, copyediting is concerned with decorating the content and putting it in display. Carried out by professional and detail-oriented editors, this step begins with refining the tonality and style and excluding the linguistic misuses, and ends up with adapting the content to the cultural context and target readers’ requirements.
Copyediting also focuses on the vocabulary choice and standard word order. From simple grammatical details like sentence structures and verb tenses all the way to the usage of formal tones or rhetorical expressions, copyediting is a very important step of any competent content creation or translation project. The quality of copyediting depends on many variables, including the editor’s experience and the duration of work.
General Notes
All three steps of editing should be consistent and aligned with each other. In this regard, here is some general English language editing service tips both proofreaders and editors shall take into account:
- Avoid circumlocution and opt for brevity as short and concise sentences are more powerful in most of the cases.
- Use an active voice and try to avoid the passive tone, especially if the text has an informative purpose.
- Watch for redundancies and unintentional duplications as precise and direct content is much easier to read.
- Replace stuffy words and sophisticated terms with simple ones that are easy to understand.
- Do not overuse idioms, quotes, and rhetorical expressions.
- Omit extra punctuation.
The Importance of Partnering With English Editing Specialist
There are many reasons why partnering with a specialized professional English editing service provider is essential and can not be replaced by internal or unprofessional editing, especially in sensitive industries like healthcare and financials. These are the top three benefits of getting your English editing services done by an accredited service provider in your region:
- Extensive expertise: the more years of experience your English language editing service provider has, the higher quality you will get.
- Rich pool of editors: A veteran English editing specialized company would definitely boast a wide angle of editing experts who are specialized in your field of interest.
- Guaranteed confidentiality: Acknowledged language service providers (LSPs) would have you signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) so you can rest assured the privacy of your documents is intact.
Although a very small number of Africans speak English as their native language, nearly half a billion have good command of English and use it in professional environments. AfroLingo is proud to present professional English editing services as part of its world-class translation and localization services. For over a decade, Johannesburg- and Nairobi-based leading language service provider has been chosen by many multinational giants for its ultimate editing and proofreading solutions. Partner with us now and have a dedicated team of adept editors and proofreaders at your service.
Contact us now and get a free quote!
