Hi, Do you have any suggestions where to get my copies proof readed by some native english speaking person? Is there any online resources for that? Naturally, there are many translating agencies in my country offering proof rading services but usually they won't even sit down for less than about 100e. How do you get your copies proof readed?
Most folks won't do much, if any, proofreading for free. It's work, just like writing. So your best bet is to hire someone. Another option though would be to join a writing group where you all help each other out (they may proofread for you, but you would also read what they're writing to give feedback).
I have same issue: i'm not a native english and everytime i write for sites or Ezinearticles i need someone to re-check everything. 2 problems: - guys that proofread but keep the content for them and resell it - guys that don't do nothing, in fact they're awful writers. Besides i don't have time to join groups etc, i need someone i can trust and that is available. I have had some great experiences here at DP but the good writers all go away and don't come back (well, not all ^^ jhmattern's still here ).
Well, that's understandable. The problem has been getting some real value out of professional translating/proofreading services. If I write an article and go to local translating office they might correct a comma mistake or two, but that's it. Unfortunately they rarely have any knowledge on copywriting. What do you think about freelance services like elance.com? P.S. jhmattern, Looked at the Probusinesswriter website. Not bad
Anttila, are you needing Finnish to English translation and proofing or just proofing? Many companies would consider the translation and proofing as two separate billable items and that might be driving the price up. Based on your posts here, it would seem your English is quite good and it would seem that proofing your writing would not be that hard. I can't help but wonder if the comma correction was more to justify their price than a truly necessary correction. My other thought is that the people you hired in the past were only doing what they thought you hired them to do. Some see proofreading as little more than a grammar check. You might want to ask for editing services and explain what you wish to accomplish. For 100 Euros, it would seem you should easily be able to find a writer who will do more than simply correct your grammar; many top writers charge that price or less for writing an entire piece from scratch. Happy New Year and Good Luck with your search.
PM me about what you need, and what sort of price range you have in mind. I am American, I write every day, and my proofreading skills are exemplary (to be frank). I have some time; maybe we could come to an agreement. You could check wagefreedom.com for writing samples. ---T
I would look around (maybe search Google) for professional proofreaders. I would not go through GetAFreelancer or Elance. That's not to say you can't get good work from providers there....but on those websites, everyone says they can do everything. If you aren't an expert in English, you may not even know that you're getting the short-shrift. So, I would suggest searching Google for proofreaders. You may want to consider looking for editing services as well. Depending on the level of English used in the text, a proofreader may not be enough. Good luck!
I was about to say something very similar. I actually do far more proofreading and editing than writing. The difficulty is that until I have a good look through something, I never quite know if it needs to be proofread or edited. (Most of my own work in this context is through a university, not online at all). Your own English looks pretty good, from your posts. If you're talking about the occasional page or two and you're not in a great hurry for them, you're welcome to ask me by private message for an unpaid proofreading favour now and again, provided you appreciate that I'll say so openly if it's really inconvenient for me to do it.
May i ask how much you guys charge per 1000 words, both writing and proofreading? I'll tell you why: the good writers i know at DP are always full of work/offline and i need someone to write/proofread/edit some articles every week. So let me know!
I never quote for a job until I've actually seen it myself and know what it needs and where/how it's going to be used. Sorry if this sounds really cagey, but long experience has taught me that people (perfectly reasonably and not unexpectedly) have hugely varying standards of their initial drafts of writing, and it's therefore simply not possible to quote "per thousand words". Having seen them, I work things out from how long I expect them to take me. I occasionally do the odd page, if it really is just proofreading and not needed urgently, free of charge as a favour for "forum friends", but I don't "take on work on a commercial basis" for less than £30 (about $45 at the moment) per hour. I think it's fair to say most people here will be unwilling to pay this for what they see as "proofreading", because they feel (and perhaps often rightly) that they can get it done for considerably less than that. Please excuse an obviously not-too-helpful answer!
Thanks in advance for feedback I really need to develop some form of getting more unique and strong content without losing my wallet Proofreading might be a solution in short term. Cheers!
@YMC & Y.L. Prinzel: You're right, I have been looking these services from wrong places before. As you said, it often is more about copy editing than just proofreading. Next time I'll try writing a raw copy by myself (in english) and sending it to some professional writer for editing and/or proofreading. @alexa: Thanks for your willingnes to help, that's very kind from you! Maybe I will contact you next time I need proofreading for some brochure or website. I'm not expecting anyone to proofread my texts for free if they have other things to do Like you said, it's hard to say what kind of work does the text need before actually seeing it.
Anttila: I'm not sure if I got it right but I think you're looking for someone to proofread text that you've already written. Anyway, I suggest that you completely outsource your project to a capable writer next time. That would save you a lot of time from writing and professional writers often edit their work before giving it to you. All you're left to do is suggest improvements and such.