The marketing team produces the College’s study guide for the following academic year. Collating and creating the guide is a huge job, and it’s a challenge maintaining uniformity with the number of contributors involved. The marketing manager asked for my support with fixing any errors that had slipped through and in achieving consistency with the East Kent College Group brand.
Using the Adobe commenting tools and pop-up notes, I marked up the guide in its final design. With departments supplying text and images at different stages, it is more efficient for the marketing team to establish the layout and send the guide to me as a PDF.
This method brings enormous visual benefit. It allows me to compare pages and ensure the headings follow the same format for capitalisation and font size. I can check that the contents page marries with the page titles and numbering, and it’s easier to spot any images that might be duplicated or missing captions.
The marketing manager says that the number one reason for having their materials proofread is peace of mind: “We would undoubtedly make mistakes, which has the potential to damage our reputation, especially as an education provider.”
“If we didn’t use a proofreader, we would struggle to find the time to review our large printed materials and the website.”
A meticulous quality check means that the study guide reaches its prospective students and their families in the best condition possible and that the College upholds its standing.
I have proofread for Canterbury College and other Colleges in the EKC Group since 2012.
Nike was producing a training handbook for a coaching programme. She knew how risky it is checking your own work but had never worked with a professional proofreader before. She told me that, for her, sending your work off to a proofreader can be a bit like tidying your house before the cleaner comes…
Nike was expecting the usual things from the proofread – spelling, punctuation and grammar issues – so it was a nice surprise for her to know I’d considered style consistency and formatting, too. She said my “eyes of a hawk” spotted a whole host of things that had slipped through, which she would never have picked up herself.
Nike valued the personable side to my service. “Yasmin takes the time to get to know you, what you do, to understand the project you are working on, your style, your audience, the timescales, and then communicates with you promptly.”
The communication was clear and prompt and the project was completed on time despite working to a very tight schedule. Nike was able to deliver her workshop with a handbook that reflected her professionalism and level of care. I helped give her peace of mind. Moving forward, Nike would like me to support her with her written content so it is “never diminished by text errors”.
Sylwia translates business, psychology and legal documents from English into Polish. She wanted her Doing Business in Poland ebook reviewed by a native English-speaking proofreader as she knows how risky it is checking your own work, no matter how fluent you are.
Sylwia was keen for me to look at the overall clarity of her document. I did some light editing to tighten up the text, which she found made it “much more user-friendly”. I removed any repetition and suggested amending the sentence structure in places for conciseness, which she appreciated.
Sylwia graduated from an American college but writes her communications materials in British English. The American usage of different than rather than different to/from had slipped in. Easily done! I helped ensure the language and spelling was consistent throughout.
Sylwia found me “patient, meticulous and courteous and great to work with”. I proof-edited her ebook in February 2020 and since then have supported her with her monthly blogs. Sylwia is now confident that her English materials are being published accurately and with a native turn of phrase. We have developed a friendly working relationship and agree we are a really good fit!
Tabby Kerwin knew she needed someone she could trust to proofread her first book, The Three Ps: Possibility, Productivity & Performance. She not only wanted a proofreader to fix any typographical and grammatical errors but someone who would be passionate about the project, by questioning her meaning and addressing the book from the perspective of her readers.
Tabby wanted more than a traditional proofread but had no plans to hire an editor. She wanted control of the edit but was open to suggestions for improving the text, if needed. We agreed a proof-edit was the best fit – a proofread and a light edit done at the same time.
The deeply personal narrative, crossing from past to present, presented the reader with anecdotes and questions, but the conversational tone needed tightening. With the author’s permission, I broke down any long sentences and offered alternatives for repeated words and phrases. I cross-referenced names of buildings and places and ensured capitals were used accurately for illnesses and diseases.
“Yasmin was absolutely superb in the way she delivered her professional opinion and helped me mould my writing process and thoughts. The quality and timescale she worked to were superb. Yasmin will be my go-to person for every written publication project I come up with!”
Tabby chose Meticulous Proofreading to proof-edit her second self-help book, The Three Taboos: Cancer, Grief and Mental Health, in May 2020, and a third is planned!
“Yasmin was wonderful in her outlook, empathy and support. Without her, I would not have two #1 best-selling books.”