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DON DEWSNAP
Proofreading Correctly - Part I
Having trained hundreds of proofreaders, I can assure you that proofreading
correctly is not easy.
Granted, I was training to an extremely high standard, but these were pre-
qualified trainees, and only three or four ever attained to full expertise.
On the bright side, proofreading correctly does not have to be difficult.
You can be competent, and increase your competence, without becoming
a professional top-drawer proofreader. As with any other skill, proofreading
takes study and practice and intention. Of these requirements, intention is
the most important.
No matter why or what you are proofreading, you had better be doing it
willingly, and with the intention to do it correctly, or you will not succeed.
No one can force you to proofread well; you have to want to.
Since you are reading this article, we can assume you want to proofread
correctly. The major hurdle is surmounted. So how do you go about it?
Step One: ASSUME THERE ARE ERRORS
Errors are sneaky. They hide in obvious places, where you would never
think to look for them. Or they group themselves, so you find one and your
guard goes down for a line or two. Sometimes they disguise themselves,
so they look perfectly honest and aboveboard, until you look more closely.
The battle against errors is not a metaphor. They are fighting for survival,
and you are fighting to eradicate them from the face of the earth. And they
have the advantage of numbers.
You might respect the writer highly and make the mistake of thinking he
(or she, but I will use “he” to mean either) is so capable that he would
almost never make an error. You may even be right. When you proof-
read his work, though, you had better approach it with the certainty deep
down in your gut that an error lurks within. Then when you have found
that error, and you will, you have to maintain your certainty that there
is another error waiting.
How long do you keep this up? Until you run out of time, or have proofread
the piece twice or even three times without finding an error. (It is pointless
to proofread something more than once unless you can keep that certainty
in your mind that there is an error trying to escape detection, so keep that
viewpoint every time you read it.)
Step Two: DOUBLE-CHECK
The mind has a mind of its own, sometimes. You may be trying your best
to direct it to what you are doing, yet a stray thought will pop in. Maybe
something you are reading will make you think of something else, even
if only for a second. A loud noise or someone calling you may distract
you. Don’t you know it, an error was just waiting for that moment to slide
itself in while your attention was elsewhere. They really are sneaky little
devils.
The other danger is boredom rising either from monotony or disinterest.
Long lists of numbers, for instance, can become very tiresome to proofread.
A technical manual on how to shuffle paper from office to office can be so
dry you have to sneeze. The mind can begin to wander without your even
knowing it at first.
The successful approach to proofreading correctly is to double-check
yourself, AS YOU READ. In effect, read everything twice. No, it doesn’t
take twice as long to do this. In fact, it will end up saving time, because
of the number of errors you will find this way. This does not seem logical,
I know, but you will find it is true.
Numbers are especially likely to contain errors. You will not be amiss to
triple-check numbers. You might be remiss if you don’t.
Step Three: USE A DICTIONARY
If your attention snags on a word, look it up. I have a very large vocabulary
and excellent spelling skills, and still use a dictionary more than most people.
Feel free to use other resources as well: an atlas, the telephone book, a Zip
Code book, the Internet, and even the telephone. When I saw a town spelled
two different ways, I called the town clerk to get the actual spelling. Do NOT
assume the author of whatever you are proofreading has checked the spelling
of every proper noun. As for scientific or technical material, you had better
assume the opposite. Do you know if “thiotimoline” is spelled correctly?
Chances are the author isn’t positive either.
Step Four: CHECK FOR CONSISTENCY
I’ll get into this more deeply in Part II of this article, but briefly, make sure
the spacing is consistent between lines, words, sentences, bullets and text,
and paragraphs. Check that capitalization and punctuation are consistent.
If the piece is formatted for printing, make sure the type sizes and fonts are
correct. Inconsistencies can lead to confusion and disdain. (I told you errors
are sneaky!)
Part of this step is TAKE NOTES.
If you are proofreading a long piece, how can you expect to remember if
a name was spelled the same way on page three as on page thirty-seven?
Yes, a professional, top-notch proofreader will, but it is not a normal expectation.
Make notes of which words are capitalized if they are not obvious; which foreign
words are italicized; anything that is out of the ordinary. Maybe you will never
need most of the notes, but better to have them and not need them than the
opposite.
Step Five: TAKE YOUR TIME
As with any other skill, proofreading speed comes with practice. Concentrate
on accuracy and excellence, and speed will come. Concentrate on speed,
and excellence will never arrive. I understand the pressures of work and
the demands on your time. But there is a time-worn question in the printing
industry: Why is there never enough time to do it right, but always enough
time to do it over? One of the best proofreaders I ever trained was slow, slow,
slow, but she never missed anything. You don’t have to go to that extreme,
but do make sure your pace is comfortable. If you are not confident in your
proofreading, you are going too fast.
SUMMARY
Based on experience, only a small percentage of people are cut out to be
professional proofreaders, probably one to two percent. Of these, only
another small percent will master the skill. However, also based on
experience, almost everyone can improve his proofreading skills, and
a fairly high percentage can become downright competent if they want to.
While at the highest level proofreading is an art, like any art there are many
mechanical skills to learn on the way to mastery. One can be a competent
painter or musician to great effect. So can one be a competent proofreader.
The painter smears an occasional detail, the musician misses an occasional
note, and the proofreader misses an occasional typo. None of them like it, and
they all strive to improve, but it doesn’t mean they are not competent.
If you are going to proofread, you might as well proofread correctly.
Part II of this article to learn more about how.
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