English Finish copy-editing

What is English Finish*? An agency that provides copy-editing and proofreading services to professional writers worldwide. At English Finish we specialise in articles, papers, scripts, film criticism, reports, catalogues, and books written in English by non-native speakers.

Our clients include:

academic writers, management consultants (London School of Economics, UK; Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany; Freie Universität Berlin, Germany; Copenhagen Business School, Denmark; Witten/Herdecke University, Germany; University of Oldenburg, Germany)
scriptwriters, freelance writers (film criticism; literary criticism; history journals; the Greek Film Center, Athens, Greece)
graduate and postgraduate students (film studies; business studies)

To ensure a high standard of service offered to our clients we follow best-practice guidelines as set by the Society for Editors and Proofreaders' (Sfep) Code of Practice.

Why would you need a copy editor or a proofreader? For the same reason why most copy editors and proofreaders won't correct texts written by themselves: most of us write from some sort of 'script' in our heads. When we go back to read what we've written, our brain anticipates the vocabulary we've chosen and the structure we've devised for our text. Because our work is so familiar to us, we normally lack not only the critical distance from which gaps and mistakes become clearly visible, but also the fresh eye that will spot them.

A professional copy editor or proofreader will bring that fresh eye to your written work, plus a professional toolkit for repairing any problems that pop up. A proofreader will scan a text mainly for typos and slip-ups in spelling and punctuation, whereas a copy editor will identify and correct inconsistencies in spelling, style, and layout, smooth away faulty grammar and problematic syntax, and ensure your work has that all-important professional finish. What's more, especially in the case of texts translated from another language, a copy editor will polish awkward phrasing to improve readability.

At English Finish, the copy editor will...

check and amend spelling and punctuation
check grammar and usage
check clarity of expression
check consistency in prose style
check consistency in layout and style features (e.g. italics, headings, lists)
restructure text, where necessary, to eliminate ambiguities and awkward phrasing

In addition, depending on your needs, the copy editor may also check your text for:

factual mistakes (e.g. dates, names, titles cited)
potentially offensive or libellous material

At English Finish, the proofreader will

check and amend spelling and punctuation (including consistency with either British or US spelling)
check consistency in layout and design
check illustrations to ensure they match their captions
compare typeset proofs with the final, edited draft

The rate at which copy editors and proofreaders can work on a text depends on a number of things:

1. Length

This is usually calculated in number of words, number of key-strokes, or number of pages processed per hour. At English Finish we calculate our estimates and fees on an hourly basis.

2. Topic

A text that requires factual checking will take a lot longer to edit than, e.g. a curriculum vitae or a short story. Examples of data that require factual checking are: specialist terminology, tables, references to bibliographic and other sources, technical details, historical dates etc.

3. Level of work needed

If you only want spelling mistakes and punctuation checked, the proofreader will correct just that: logical slip-ups, oversights and stylistic errors will not be taken into account. By contrast, heavy copy-editing may involve substantial rewriting of parts of a text to improve clarity and style, or the reorganization of material to improve layout.

Rates

One page of double-spaced, regular-size text is equivalent to 250 words.

Copy-editing
Light copy-editing:	1250-1500 words per hour
Medium copy-editing:	750-1250 words per hour
Heavy copy-editing:	250-750 words per hour

Proofreading
On average:	2000-2500 words per hour
Technical texts or texts with large amounts of specialist terminology:	up to 2000 words per hour

Fees

All our fees are calculated on an hourly basis and quoted in €.
Copy-editing	€ 18-20
Proofreading	€ 16
Bibliographic research	€ 16-18
Copywriting	€ 35-50

Estimates

For a rough estimate, it is necessary to know:

the length of a project
the topic of the project
any time constraints on your part (i.e. deadlines)
the level of proofreading or copy-editing you would like

For more accurate estimates, in addition to the above, a sample of your text is also required. Quotations in British pounds sterling £ are calculated on the basis of the current exchange rate.

Send us an e-mail at English Finish or simply fill in a form by clicking here. The form is in PDF format, so for that you will need Acrobat Reader or similar software (NB if you have activated the pop-up blocker in your browser, the form will not be launched. You can either deactivate the pop-up blocker or request to have the form e-mailed to you).
You can view our general terms & conditions here. You might also like to consult our list of practical Tips for Clients, which we hope you will find helpful.

Links

About English Finish	Sfep: Society for Editors and Proofreaders (UK)	Sfep Code of Practice
National Union of Journalists (UK)	NUJ Freelance Fees Guides: Print Media	Editorial Freelancers Association (US)
European Association of Science Editors	Federation of European Publishers	Google Search

*Literally? 'English Finish' is a term used in the print industry to describe a 'smooth finish on uncoated book paper; smoother than eggshell, rougher than smooth'.
Source: http://www.printindustry.com/form_glossary.htm#E

printable version (PDF)f

web address: www.englishfinish.co.uk e-mail address: info@englishfinish.co.uk you can also contact us at: englishfinish@gmail.com