Proofreading
Proofreading is a type of editing that is important to the editorial process. When a manuscript is about ready to be published, it needs to go to the proofreaders. Basically there are several different stages to the editing process. By the time the manuscript gets to the proofreading stage, it would have gone through multiple revisions and edits. You may think that it would mean that proofreaders do not have a lot to do. It is surprising how many things still need to be corrected when it gets to that stage.
A lot of people make the mistake of relying on the spelling and grammar checks on their computers. This is a bad move because the programs not only do not pick up on everything but they also make their own mistakes. Sometimes the grammar check will alert you to ‘problems’ that actually do not exists. But this does not mean that the grammar check and spell checkers are not useful. They are. But an automated program cannot determine if something makes sense in the context. It also is not helpful in a situation where the wrong word was used but that it is a correct word.
If you want to be a proofreader there are several ways you can do it and you will need to make some decisions. First you will need to determine if you are going to be a freelance proofreader or work for a company, publication, or news outlet. Next, you will need to decide what kind of work you want to proofread. Some people love reading novels. Others love being part of the busy news media outlets. All the different things require a different type of thing to be proofread.
One thing that all proofreaders have in common is that they have an excellent command for the English language. This means that they are very detailed oriented and probably good spellers. They also need to have a head for memorizing a lot of facts and words. When you decide that you want to be a proofreader you also need to make sure that you develop the proper skills. You can either learn this at school or teach yourself. Some places provide on the job training as well.
