Helen D

North Shields, United Kingdom

“Your second pair of eyes!”

Specialist subjects:

History Hospitality International Relations Language & Literature Leisure Librarianship & Information Management Linguistics Marketing Medieval & Modern Languages Politics Recreation & Tourism Translation Studies

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.

Request This Editor

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.

More editors

Wei J
Selangor, Malaysia
Accounting & Finance, Economics, English
View Profile
Jade S
Melbourne, Australia
Classics & Ancient History, Creative Writing, Education, English, Fiction, History, Theology & Religious Studies
View Profile
Jenny D
Arthur, Canada
Agriculture & Forestry, Consumer Behavior, Counseling, Ethics, Leadership, Public Policy, Risk Management, Theology & Religious Studies, Veterinary Medicine
View Profile
Lyle G
United States
Creative Writing
View Profile
Yomna N
Egypt
Biomedical Sciences, Dentistry, Immunology, Oncology, Pathology
View Profile
Stephen P
United Kingdom
Building, Construction and Development, Earth Sciences, Energy and Power, Environmental Science, Photography, Physical Sciences, Physics, Technology
View Profile
Dimitra G
Kalamaria, Greece
American Studies, Cultural Studies, Dance, Drama & Theater, Education, English, Fiction, Language & Literature, Linguistics, TESOL, Translation Studies
View Profile
Louise M
United States
Accounting & Finance, Creative Writing, English, Hospitality, Journalism, Language & Literature, Leisure, Recreation & Tourism
View Profile