“Accuracy is the twin brother of honesty; inaccuracy, of dishonesty.”
Whatever your texts are, proper editing and proofreading are vital to making them accurate, flaw-free, appealing and readable. Readers are more pedantic about spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors than they’re often given credit for. And most people value consistency. Hiring an experienced professional editor can make sure you don’t alienate your audience.
People and businesses the world over use words to sell themselves. But words are only as good as the order in which they’re assembled and only as creative as the writer who pens them. Even editors need editors.
As a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders (CIEP, formerly the Society for Editors and Proofreaders), you can be assured that all editing work is carried out to the highest of industry standards.
TRANSLATED TEXTS
Richer Texts specialises in working with translated material (especially from French, Finnish and Spanish) and texts written by inexperienced writers or those for whom English is not their first language. A lot can be lost in translation. Translations of foreign-language texts into English, especially done by translators whose first language is not English, can often miss the mark in terms of fluency and style. First, the original text may not be of the best quality to start with. Second, an added layer of literal translation may increase its lack of clarity or cloud the message – the quality of translations varies enormously. And third, many translations never even reach the eyes of a dedicated editor.
Before you know it, the language of your target material is dense, complicated, clumsy or inaccurate, and your message risks losing its target audience. Can you always trust commercial translation agencies working to high turnovers to present English with style and natural flair? And what author can say their writing would never benefit from an extra pair of fresh, experienced eyes?
With an expert, the text can come alive again. Editing and rewriting will not only iron out all the simple technical mistakes that can reduce a text’s credibility, but will improve phrasing and expressions to make them more appealing and add continuity. A third application further improves the language by applying common sense, avoiding jargon and using plain but attractive language – language polishing, if you like.
This process launders, irons and buffs up the most inaccessible of texts and makes sure you don’t lose potential customers or clients at the home page.
BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS
I have wide experience of working on lengthy and specialist publications that make use of extensive referencing systems, footnotes and endnotes, and bibliographies. So, however long your manuscript may be, you can be assured of a comprehensive and detailed examination of not just the text but the narrative, the cross-referencing and any material that needs to maintain accuracy, credibility and legal integrity.
I work to several different international house styles and can even compose an English house style for your organisation’s global material.
With experience of working on hard-copy proofs and a keen eye for layout, I can also help any publication in the post-manuscript phase, or aid the compilation and indexing of reference material.
SAY WHAT YOU MEAN
After many years of writing for many different audiences and developing an expertise in telling long stories using few words, I can help your English texts stand out, sing and perform for their readers. In addition, my experience in editing and proofing texts for the most discerning international organisations will make sure your texts retain their integrity and remain accurate and trustworthy.
If you’ve invested time and money in creating a website or writing text, make sure it says what you mean and doesn’t turn people off after the first sentence. They may not come back and visit you again…
Please get in touch via the contact page to discuss your needs and find out about my rates.
Richer Texts 