Asking college students about their studies is a good way to start a conversation. Maintaining that conversation, however, can be a little tricky. When well-meaning friends and family members asked why I was studying an English degree with a technical writing emphasis, I would feel my eyes light up as I expressed that I was excited to edit and proofread written projects, and to write how-to manuals. Their response was universal: “Ugh. I’m sorry. That sounds so boring!” It was always meant as a good-natured joke, but it always bit a little.
In today’s modern world with spell-check, grammar-check, and even services like Grammarly available, the need for proofreaders and copyeditors is often overlooked and underutilized. Why hire someone to check for spelling errors when Microsoft can do that automatically for you? Why hire someone to look for formatting and subject-verb agreement when software alerts you to awkward word combinations? Why ask for help when you—as a writer!—already have a firm understanding of the written word?
As advanced as computer software has become, spell-check and grammar-check still cannot read your mind. They do not realize that you meant “this” and not “his,” or offer insight in the difference between farther and further, effect and affect, or lie and lay. The words accept, except, excerpt are a total wrench in expecting spell-check and grammar-check to get them right. They cannot predict when a single comma will change the entire meaning of a paragraph, or whether a dash or colon or semi-colon are required. And don’t even get me started on discussing the rules for the order of adjectives and the use of commas therewith: that can feel like learning Latin!
Enter copyeditors and proofreaders.
Both copyeditors and proofreaders have an expert grasp of language mechanics and usage, and are meticulous about grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. These are the people who are personally offended by autocorrect with their own texting foibles (that is not what I typed!), and they are the people who gleefully point out small errors on billboards, restaurant menus, and Christmas letters as if they are playing a high-stakes board game. They are also the people who stand firmly behind their belief—or disbelief—in the necessity of the Oxford comma. And the people who get very nervous about ending sentences with prepositions or using fragmented sentences on purpose.
Copyeditors are the people who look at a document and assist with word choice, formatting, fact-checking, and grammar, among other tasks. They work with writers and editors, and they identify sections of the document that are awkward or unclear as well as offer solutions to make the writing clearer.
A proofreader is commonly enlisted for help with the end product of a document. This means that the writer, the editor, and the copyeditor have all already worked their magic: the proofreader is the last set of fresh eyes to go over the document with a fine-tooth comb, looking for errors such as spelling, grammatical, and punctuation in addition to formatting and spacing errors. Proofreaders are not there to change the document in any way except to make it as technically correct as possible.
So, what kinds of documents need copyeditors or proofreaders?
All of them! There are many forms of writing that benefit from hiring a copyeditor or a proofreader. Blog posts, advertisements, manuals, office communications, academic research, literary analyses, novels, short stories, Christmas letters…the opportunities for a little writing help are as numerous as there are people and companies creating written projects. Generating and publishing a stellar document ensures that your message is communicated clearly and with purpose, and ensures that your audience trusts you and respects you.
The surprising part is that we copyeditors and proofreaders absolutely love this kind of work. Leave the writing to someone else: I want to play with it and make it perfect!
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