Why do people want to be proofreaders?

[loudandskittish]

Proofread is not an easy task. I’m a Spanish proofreader and sometimes I have to do some research because the text is near to the unintelligible, so I have to correct the information itself. I know that English have some rules for its usage, but in Spanish it’s a little bit more complicated since the rules for the usage of the language are settled by an institution (Royal Spanish Academy) so I have to got that in mind when I’m doing a proofread, since a lot of buyers complain to me stating that “They didn’t want me to change the content of the text”, but I have to explain to them that it isn’t just a thing of proofread but also I have put in context what they write and sometimes I even correct the spelling and punctuation marks, then they understand.

English is even more fun, since you have to follow different rules and different dictionaries, depending on which region the client is targeting. There is no one “Royal Academy” for English.

[zeeshan_tirmizi]

The biggest challenge is when the line translated is not accurate and then you find that word doesn’t have proper translation in your language and then you find a similar word which is a little bit longer than previous word and the client be like, “This looks suspicious.”

[estherrandell]

This is so so true. I have gone through a couple of proofreader’s account only to find it rigged with spelling errors. I think some people believe its an easy job but you’ve gotta have an eye for detail and at least a couple of years of experience to really call yourself a proofreader.

[yinrae]

A lot of people talk about how easy it can be with machine proofreaders, but I also think there is another reason.

You do not need anything you do not have.
You do not need a special environment either.
You rarely have to guess what the client wants.
Most of the time you do not need to do much research.
And you learned those skills in school (supposedly.)

As a comparison, to do voiceover, you need to develop that skill by your own initiative, have a quiet sound absorbing environment and buy sound recording equipment.

[haqieqatjawando]

I like to read other people’s work and help them. Plus I kinda enjoy it too.