Helen D
North Shields, United Kingdom
“Your second pair of eyes!”
Specialist subjects:
Editing formats:
Education:
MA in Modern Languages (French & German)
University of St. Andrews
2000–2005
Favorite referencing style
Chicago – it was the first referencing style I ever used (at university, for my dissertation), so I have a little soft spot for it!
Why I became an editor
I have always been fascinated by languages and studied French and German at university. Studying foreign languages gave me a greater understanding of my native language, too. That, coupled with my natural tendency for perfectionism, has drawn me toward proofreading.
Following a career break to bring up my children, I decided to brush up my skills by taking the 'Becoming A Proofreader' course, and now I am excited by the prospect of helping others polish and perfect their texts.
Background and experience
After graduation, I worked as a proofreader for RWS Translations. This involved checking texts translated from French and German into English, ensuring that the grammar, spelling and punctuation were all correct.
Why I love proofreading and editing
I enjoy the process of proofreading and editing, be that through removing grammatical errors, correcting spelling mistakes or clarifying a point for a non-English speaker. Ultimately, I find it hugely fulfilling to know that I have helped produce a text that is as error-free as possible and reads fluently.
Favorite book:
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank.
Hobbies:
When my three children are not keeping me busy, I love playing tennis, cooking and reading.
Editing tips:
Check your brief to see what dialect, formatting and referencing to use. Start and finish with a read-through of the text as whole; you should be able to spot inconsistencies with the intended tone.
