Three years ago I was inspired to write my very first blog post after a trip to Tarragona in Spain. I’d attended the annual gathering of the Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET) – the so-called MET Meeting (METM, pronounced ‘met-um’) – and this made me think about how international my work had become since I started freelancing.

This year, I decided it was time for a return visit. METM19 was in Split, Croatia, and I decided to combine the event with my annual holiday.

I spent a lovely few days acclimatising myself to Split and enjoying the wonderful weather. It’s a fascinating place with a beautiful seafront and plenty of historical interest (especially Diocletian’s Palace, which was built for the Roman emperor Diocletian in the fourth century AD and is now a maze of narrow streets full of homes, shops and restaurants).

​When it came to METM itself, my first activity was one of the ‘Off-METM’ lunches. These are small groups focused loosely on a theme (ours was ‘Feedback is a two-way street’), aimed at helping delegates to get to know one another before the conference itself. There were also various optional workshops that delegates could pre-book.

After lunch, we headed to the School of Medicine at the University of Split for the start of the official proceedings. To give you a flavour of the conference itself, I’ve briefly summarised the various sessions and presentations that I attended. Because MET is an organisation for both editors and translators, the programme featured some sessions that were relevant to one or other of these different professions, and some that were relevant to everyone.​

Content marketing is a hot topic for editors and proofreaders, and one that has featured on the programme at previous Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) conferences that I’ve attended. Translator Maeva Cifuentes explained the concept and illustrated the benefits using the results of the content marketing activities she has undertaken for a client. She stressed the need to take a strategic approach and to evaluate results regularly.

As well as a review of MET’s activities over the year, the General Assembly included an announcement of the venue for MET20: San Sebastián in the Basque Country. If the applause and the exclamations of delight were anything to go by, this was a very popular choice.

The chair invited questions and comments from the floor. One of these prompted a lively discussion on the need to consider the environmental impact of future events, including everything from travelling to METM to using plastic cups and conference swag bags. Plenty of food for thought.
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And speaking of food, the General Assembly was followed by a buffet lunch, at which we once again enjoyed soparnik (among other tasty dishes).

David Barick used real examples to highlight problems with different types of comparison – both between variables in the results of a single academic study and between the author’s findings and those in the literature (where the tense used will be particularly important in drawing a distinction between current and previous research). 

​In this comprehensive overview of what should be included in a quotation for a client, Jenny Zonneveld gave a detailed run-down of all the tasks involved at every stage of the process. She outlined the various factors to consider when preparing a quote, including the thorny issue of whether a fee per word, per hour or per project is appropriate.

Spanish clinician Jaume Canet has published many papers over several decades, and editor and translator Mary Ellen Kearns has provided editorial support for him throughout that time. In this presentation, Mary Ellen described the various stages of Jaume’s career, highlighting his prolific publication record and the types of support and input required over the years. 

The closing keynote of METM19 was given by linguist Lynne Murphy, author of The Prodigal Tongue. The book’s subtitle is ‘The love–hate relationship between British and American English’, and Lynne described some of the differences in the language on the two sides of the Atlantic. Relating these to the METM19 theme (‘Making it count: communicating with clarity and concision’), and specifically the concision aspect, she explained the process of ‘densification’, in which language becomes more informationally dense over time. I’d heard Lynne speak before (at the SfEP conference and at Leeds Literature Festival), so I was expecting this to be an interesting and entertaining session. I wasn’t disappointed! (I hope Lynne will permit that last piece of punctuation: she allows her students one exclamation mark per year, and advises them to use it wisely…)

​And with that, all that remained was for delegates to make their way to the closing dinner and afterparty. The four-course meal was served at a pace that could best be described as ‘leisurely’ (we were still waiting for dessert at 12.30am). I’m not sure whether this was a Croatian tradition, or whether catering for such a large group had proved challenging for the restaurant. Nevertheless, the food was tasty and I enjoyed the conversations over dinner, with Lynne Murphy on one side and Rebecca Warden from International Correspondents in Education (one of my main clients) on the other. The METM choir also entertained us with a couple of numbers.

Although the disco was just getting going as dessert was being served, I’m afraid I was ready to make my way back to my apartment as 1am approached.

I very much enjoyed my second METM and I hope it won’t be my last. The programme was interesting and varied, the people friendly and approachable, and the setting lovely. I met individuals from all over Europe and beyond, attended informative sessions given by presenters from a range of backgrounds, and came away with a renewed sense of the importance of language professionals in an increasingly globalised world.

Oh – and I sampled soparnik!

​Are you a natural diplomat? Or do you struggle to respond with sensitivity and tact, especially in stressful situations? And what does all this have to do with editing and proofreading?
 
Diplomacy is never far from the headlines, whether it’s the Brexit negotiations, ceasefires in long-running armed conflicts, or international agreements on emissions targets. Even if negotiations don’t take place in the public eye, we know they’re happening and we can see the results (or lack thereof).
 
Although such situations might seem rather remote from our daily lives, I think we probably all use more diplomacy on a day-to-day basis than we imagine. This was brought home to me recently by an incident involving a friend of mine (a fellow editor, although the situation wasn’t related to editing). This friend had managed to resolve a long-standing and seemingly intractable family problem by speaking separately, and with very well-chosen words, to each of the parties involved. The situation was quickly sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction. No one lost face, no one felt aggrieved, and no one was seen as ‘the bad guy’. I was seriously impressed with the way my friend had engineered this solution. It was pure genius!
 
Now, I wouldn’t call myself a natural diplomat. Yorkshire folk have a reputation for plain speaking and bluntness, and that’s often not conducive to approaching situations in a calm, measured way. Add to that my tendency to try to make a joke out of everything and it’s safe to say that I’m not going to be leading international peace talks any time soon.
 
But in the world of editing and proofreading – particularly the freelance variety – there are plenty of scenarios in which a pinch of diplomacy can go a long way.

​Being a freelance editorial professional involves much more than the mechanics of editing and proofreading. As well as all the requirements of running a business – marketing, keeping on top of the accounts, planning and advertising, to name but a few – it involves building relationships. That’s where diplomacy comes in. It’s a question of taking a position, thinking about how rigidly you need to stick to it, considering the ramifications, and communicating effectively with others without causing offence or undermining your own position. Here are some common-sense tips.

Admittedly, these tips are unlikely to secure you a place at an international negotiation table, but you might find them useful in running your editorial business. And although diplomacy – like good editing – often goes unnoticed, your clients, colleagues and family members are still likely to appreciate it, and they’ll certainly notice if it’s absent!

Here are 10 sources of confidence for freelancers.
 
1. Keeping your business going
Whether you have a small number of jobs under your belt or you’ve been freelancing for decades, the fact that you’re running your own business is a real achievement.
 
2. Repeat business
There’s nothing quite like the feeling you get when a client comes back for more. (“Yay! They were happy with my work!”)
 
3. Communication methods
If you’re mainly communicating electronically, rather than on the phone or face to face, it’s less likely you’ll be put on the spot. You have time to plan your marketing messages, your emails and your social media output in a way that demonstrates confidence to your clients.
 
4. Feedback
Comments from clients can give you a boost. And remember, you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for testimonials.

5. Getting paid
There’s nothing quite like the (virtual) sound of cash hitting your bank account for a job you’ve done. It gives you confidence that you really are running a proper business.
 
6. Technical knowledge
Confidence comes from having the right professional skills for editing and proofreading – and from knowing where to find things out if you’re unsure.
 
7. Using tools efficiently
Finding a new software tool or using a new technique can be very satisfying. For a start, you’ve had the confidence to try something different, and it’s even better if you’ve also improved your efficiency.
 
8. Work/life balance
Although in some ways it’s great to be inundated with work, it isn’t sustainable in the long term. And having too little work can be just as much of a problem. If you can find an appropriate balance between work and life – whatever’s right for your situation – you can count that as a success and feel confident that you’re in control.
 
9. Colleagues
Being in touch with fellow professionals – whether online or in person – can help you to gain confidence in your business decisions and technical skills. Whether it’s sharing experiences (positive and negative), asking for advice, or even working together on joint projects, professional colleagues have a lot to offer.
 
10. Win Jar
Some freelancers have embraced the idea of a Win Jar. It’s a place (actually, a jar!) where you can record your successes and positive feedback on pieces of paper and revisit them when you need a pick-me-up. However small the win, write it down and put it in the jar.

So there we have it – 10 things that can give you confidence as a freelance editor and proofreader without you having to step too far outside your comfort zone.

You can help some of them along: for example, joining the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) is a great way to increase your knowledge (No. 5) and develop connections with others in the editing and proofreading sphere (No. 9).

Some of these confidence boosters will evolve over time as you pursue your freelance business (Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 7, for instance). Your task is to notice and appreciate them as successes.

And for No. 10 you’ll need to develop a new, positive habit – that of recording your wins. It’s also an excuse for a shopping trip to buy yourself a funky jar. Retail therapy, anyone? 

Something I heard on the radio recently made me think about how the language we use can signal a positive or negative approach to a particular topic.

Following a programme dealing with new advice on healthy lifestyles, the announcer said, ‘Well, the news seems to be full of doom and gloom about diet and exercise, but let’s find out whether the weather is any more cheerful.’

The announcer’s comments automatically cast the advice on diet and exercise in a negative light. She could have used positive language (‘Well, after that great advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, how’s the weather looking?’), or even left things fairly neutral (‘Well, lots to think about there. Now let’s look at what the weather has in store.’). But the suggestion was that maintaining a healthy lifestyle necessarily involves a level of suffering and privation, rather than being an active choice to follow healthier habits.

Now, I’m not saying it’s always easy to stay in an optimistic frame of mind – I do my fair share of grumbling and catastrophising! But when it comes to editorial freelancing, there are definitely ways of seeing the positive side of situations. Here are a few examples.
 
1. Running a business
To pick up the ‘healthy lifestyle’ theme, as freelancers we often need to take action to keep our businesses in a healthy condition. That sometimes means doing things outside our comfort zone – marketing and networking spring to mind here – or tackling tasks that seem boring or mundane, such as planning or accounts. Other activities might seem expensive or time-consuming (or both!): taking a training course, perhaps, or setting up a website.

But turning this around, running and growing a business can be seen as a challenge, with rewards – both personal and financial – for those who do it successfully. Rather than viewing marketing, networking, planning and training as chores, perhaps we should try to approach them with enthusiasm. After all, just as with diet and exercise, we have a great deal of flexibility in the choices we make and in the way we pursue them. And as with diet and exercise, optimism, imagination and the willingness to put in some effort will usually pay dividends.
 
2. Losing a client
All businesses have their ups and downs, and losing a regular client can feel like a devastating blow. Sometimes it’s out of our control, such as when an organisation takes the work in-house or overseas. Sometimes it’s a matter of money – the client is no longer able or willing to pay our rates – or a mismatch in expectations about scope of work or turnaround times. Whatever the cause, replacing the lost income is likely to be a priority, especially if the shortfall means a struggle to pay bills.

It can be a surprise to realise that losing a client can have a positive side. Sometimes it’s tempting to stick with one type of client, with a particular fee level, or with specific working arrangements. Losing a client can give us the opportunity to reassess our situation and ask some fundamental questions. Is it time for a change of direction? Are there new types of client, or new types of work, that we’d like to pursue? Could this be an opportunity to raise our rates? Depending on the circumstances of the loss, it might also be a chance to assess what went ‘wrong’ (if anything), and whether there are things we can do to protect ourselves against this in the future.
 
3. Lifestyle
Working as a freelance editor or proofreader has its own lifestyle challenges, and it’s important to take heed of the advice that’s available. Maintaining health and wellbeing involves – among other things – taking regular breaks from the screen, making an effort to get some fresh air and exercise, and thinking carefully about food and drink consumption.

Rather than see these as tedious ‘rules’ that have to be followed, we need to see them as an investment in our physical and mental health, and, hence, the health of our business. We can enjoy time away from the screen, whether we’re doing something else that’s useful or taking time out to relax. Laura Ripper has some excellent suggestions on her blog. Fresh air and exercise have obvious physical benefits, and they also offer a chance to think – or to switch off completely if that’s what’s needed. And our choice of food and drink can have an immediate effect on productivity – who can edit efficiently after a carb-heavy lunch?
 
4. A ‘can do’ attitude
Of course, it’s important to be clear – to ourselves as well as to our clients – about how much we’ll charge for a particular piece of work, and when we can complete it. And if a client’s demands seem unreasonable, or they simply can’t be accommodated, there’s nothing wrong with saying ‘no’ to a project.

But if the work looks interesting and there’s some flexibility in what can be done, we can sometimes present a positive alternative. We can discuss with the client what we can do within an agreed budget – for example, edit the language but not format the references. Similarly, clients are sometimes willing to wait until there’s a suitable gap in our schedule: rather than saying ‘No, I definitely can’t do it this week’, try saying ‘I could certainly fit this in next week. Would that work for you?’
 
5. Approaching our work
It’s worth thinking about the ethos of our editing and proofreading services. Is it helpful to tackle our work with a sense of superiority? Should we see ourselves as ‘Grammar Nazis’ who are driven by the desire to find mistakes in other people’s writing? It’s all too easy to become disillusioned when we’re editing and proofreading. Surely everyone should know how to use an apostrophe! And why, oh why do some people still put two spaces after every full stop?

It sometimes helps to think about things from the other side of the fence. An author has put in time and effort to produce a piece of writing (which is not an easy task), and it’s our job to make it the best it can be. Yes, it sometimes seems like an uphill struggle, and we might feel as though our work goes unnoticed. But we should feel confident in our skills and expertise, and take pride in our own contribution to whatever project we’re tackling. There’s a lot to be said for being an unsung hero!

To paraphrase the Grinch (who, you’ll remember, tried to steal Christmas), not everything about Christmas comes from a store. Here are six things that freelance editors and proofreaders appreciate that don’t cost money.

1. Feedback (positive or negative)
It’s valuable to have feedback from a client on a job well done, or to have some suggestions for improvement. It only takes a few moments, but it can really help to make a freelancer feel that someone has actually noticed their work.
 
2. Thanks
Similarly, a quick ‘thank you’ from a client or a colleague acknowledges the effort that the freelancer has put in to meet a deadline, solve a problem, or give some helpful advice. Again, it doesn’t take long, but it’s sure to be appreciated.
 
3. Payment
Of course this costs money, but the speed at which an invoice is settled varies widely! Some clients go the extra mile to pay on time – or even before the required date – and that’s particularly pleasing for the freelancer.
 
4. Understanding
If freelancers are at home during the day, that’s probably because they’re working. Yes, freelancers might take a break to catch up with household chores, go shopping, or go out for lunch. But they really appreciate it when non-freelancing friends and family recognise that ‘being in the house’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘being available for a chat’ or ‘being available…’ for anything else apart from work.
 
5. Support
Many freelancers work alone, so they value the support they receive from colleagues. Sometimes that’s face to face, for example at an SfEP local group, but nowadays it’s just as likely to be online. The SfEP forums and the various Facebook groups for editors all create a sense of camaraderie and offer a place to air problems, share experiences and seek help, 24/7!
 
6. Friendship
As often happens in traditional workplaces, freelancing can lead to long-lasting friendships. Editors and proofreaders who’ve met through local networking, the SfEP conference, or online groups or forums sometimes discover that they have a great deal in common over and above their professional interests. It’s a very supportive profession, with fellow freelancers seen as colleagues rather than competitors, and even clients can become friends! 
 
So whether or not your seasonal gifts have a price tag, I hope you enjoy Christmas, and I wish you all the best for 2018.

Proverbs are a rich source of advice on daily life. Here are six sayings that will resonate with freelance editors and proofreaders.
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1. You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear
Editors and proofreaders might mutter this to themselves as they try to improve a piece of text that’s in a bad way. I’m not sure I agree with the sentiment, though. For a start, it’s not for me to judge that a piece of text is a ‘sow’s ear’. Writing isn’t an easy task, particularly if – as with some of my clients – English isn’t your first language.
 
Also, my view is that improving an author’s written work is what editors and proofreaders are being paid for. Even with limited time or a limited budget, there are almost always things we can do to make improvements. A ‘silk purse’ might not always be achievable, but we can usually manage to create something that’s more presentable than a ‘sow’s ear’.
 
2. Many hands make light work
Although editing and proofreading are often solitary activities, there are times when editorial professionals work together. For example, a couple of years ago I began subcontracting work to a trusted colleague, Laura Ripper, and I wrote about the experience on my blog. I’ve worked on other projects where the work has been shared between a group of editors in order to meet a tight deadline.
 
Communication is the key to success in these situations. Everyone needs to know what’s happening and what’s expected of them. Any issues need to be highlighted and communicated as soon as possible. And an up-to-date house style is worth its weight in gold.
 
3. Too many cooks spoil the broth
Many editors and proofreaders will have experienced this scenario, which is the opposite of the previous one. Perhaps several people working on the same project seem to be doing things in completely different ways. Or a document you’re working on has to incorporate the opinions of various different people who can’t seem to agree (‘editing by committee’). Or there are seven different versions of the same document in circulation.
 
In these situations, the whole job seems to take twice as long and the end result may be far from ideal. There’s a need for some clear ground rules, including a house style, agreed timescales, and effective version control!
 
4. More haste, less speed
As in all walks of life, the more you rush to finish a task, the less progress you will make. If you’re an editor or proofreader, this might mean missing errors that you should have spotted, failing to follow the brief properly, sending the wrong version of a file back to your client, or even sending the right file to the wrong client!
 
It’s important to be realistic when accepting work or negotiating deadlines, and to study the brief you’re given. Using checklists and house styles can also help. It’s worth making every effort to get things right first time. As another familiar saying goes, ‘A stitch in time saves nine’.

​5. A change is as good as a rest
One of the things I enjoy about my work as a freelance editor and proofreader is the variety. I’d go so far as to say it’s the spice of life. Over the course of my freelance career I’ve worked on a whole range of material, from writing web copy and proofreading pet-food packaging to editing academic journal articles and high-profile reports for an EU agency.
 
It’s even better when I have more than one project on the go at the same time. I enjoy using different skills, reading about a variety of topics, and working on material in different formats. A change of task, pace and subject matter keeps me on my toes.
 
6. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks
Now this is one I’d definitely take issue with. It’s certainly the case that the older you get, the harder it is to learn new things. Also, the longer you’ve been doing a job, the greater the danger that you’ll become set in your ways. But our profession is constantly evolving, so as editors and proofreaders we need to keep up with changes in the industry, technological developments and potential new areas of work.
 
Fortunately, there are many different ways of doing this. Being part of a professional organisation such as the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) is a great way to keep up to date with new ideas and technology. This is particularly important for freelancers, many of whom don’t have the same access to professional support, training and skills development as in-house editorial workers do.
 
Joining a professional organisation also offers the chance to develop valuable relationships with others in the field. Remember: birds of a feather flock together!

“So, do you just read novels all day?”
I’m sure that’s a question many editors and proofreaders have been asked. Here, I describe some of the clients I’ve worked for over the years – including how I found them, or how they found me – to illustrate the variety of individuals, companies and other organisations who need editors and proofreaders. And because I work on non-fiction, academic and commercial material, there’s not a novel in sight.
 
The Publisher
Source of work: Speculative enquiries (letters and phone calls); Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) directory
Publishers are probably the first clients that spring to mind when people think about editing and proofreading. And yes, in the early years of my career, all my clients were publishers. For one of them I worked on non-fiction books for the general reader, on topics including real ale, astrology, horse-race betting, wedding planning and feng shui. Another early publishing client introduced me to on-screen work (in the mid-1990s). These were very different experiences, but equally valuable.
 
The EU Agency
Source of work: SfEP directory
Since 2003 I’ve worked for a small company on an editing contract with the European Training Foundation in Turin, Italy. It involves editing reports about vocational education and training – and related topics such as migration and the labour market – in EU partner countries. I love this work, although I’m slightly concerned about how it will be affected by Brexit…
 
The Individual Author
Source of work: Journal publisher’s website; SfEP directory; Colleague referrals
Many of my individual clients are academics, most of whom do not have English as a first language. I help them to improve the language and formatting of their papers before submission to an academic journal. I’ve built up strong long-term relationships with a number of individual clients – both academics and general non-fiction authors – on several different continents.
 
The Marketing Company
Source of work: Local networking; SfEP directory; Colleague referrals
These are often small firms who don’t have the in-house expertise required to edit or proofread their own or their clients’ material, or even to write such material in the first place. I’ve worked on web and brochure copy, as well as straplines and other brand-related text. The jobs can range from just a few words to pages and pages of copy, on pretty much any topic under the sun.
 
The School
Source of work: SfEP directory
It’s important that student reports are well written and free from errors. Throughout the school year, I work on batches of reports for all the year groups at one particular school. I share this task with another proofreader, and wrote about this regular work in a previous blog post. Tight (and immovable) deadlines are the norm, but we both really enjoy working for this client.
 
The Commercial Client
Source of work: SfEP directory; Colleague referrals
From greetings cards and novelty game instructions to product packaging of various types, this category encompasses a whole range of different material. In many cases there is only a small amount of text, but accuracy is of the utmost importance. The jobs I’ve done for these clients have mostly been small, one-off pieces of work, including some for high-street names.
 
I suspect that many of us who have been editing and proofreading for a number of years (or even decades!) will have worked for a range of different clients. Of course, the list above is not exhaustive, but I hope it offers an insight into the range of clients who need the services of editors and proofreaders.

I love working alone. I really do. Yes, I enjoy liaising with clients and colleagues – both online and in person – but most of the time there’s just me, on my own, focusing on a piece of work for a specific client.
 
After many years of solitary toil, though, I’ve rediscovered the joys of working closely with another person on a particular project.  A couple of years ago I began proofreading student reports for a school. The work was enjoyable – and very different from the material I usually work on – but the deadlines were tight (and non-negotiable). The summer report schedule was particularly punishing, and I realised in advance that I wouldn’t be able to fulfil it on my own.
 
Fortunately, fellow SfEP member Laura Ripper was willing to take on some of the school proofreading. And the rest, as they say, is History (plus Geography, French and Computer Studies).
 
I needed someone who was highly competent, and who could grasp the system I’d already set up (including dealing with the slight complication of having the text supplied in Excel). Laura came on board, quickly picked up what was required, and took to it like a duck to water. She also made some excellent suggestions on how we could improve our working methods, something that I really appreciated.
 
Laura and I now share the reports throughout the year, including the busy summer period. We’ve developed a number of clean-up routines that we carry out before and after proofreading, using find and replace, spellcheck and tools such as PerfectIt and macros. We focus on style points such as initial capitals on subject names, punctuation preferences and the names of extra-curricular clubs and activities. We look out for commonly confused words (flare/flair, practice/practise, rigor/rigour). We check the spelling of student names and make sure the full name is used (no nicknames or shortened forms). And during the proofreading itself we check the usual things – spelling, grammar, punctuation – but also query anything that seems amiss.
 
Together we keep the style sheet up to date and customise PerfectIt to meet our proofreading requirements. When working on the reports we email each other throughout the day to discuss style points, and sometimes to alert one another to specific recurring errors in a particular teacher’s reports.
 
Of course, emails sometimes also stray into very important non-work areas. What’s for dinner? Will there be time for a brisk walk today? Any plans for the weekend? It’s all part of working closely with a colleague, albeit at a distance.
 
It’s good to be able to make joint decisions and to keep each other up to date with progress. I retain overall control of the project (I subcontract the work to Laura), mainly to make it easier for the client, who’s very happy with this arrangement.
 
So all in all, it’s been a very positive experience. I’d give it 10 out of 10.

The roof’s leaking, the cat’s at the vet’s, global events are going from bad to worse, and – as if all that wasn’t enough to deal with – you’ve run out of milk for your coffee. You’d think focusing on work would be difficult, and it’s true that this is sometimes the case.
 
But you might actually find that concentrating on work is just what you need when things around you seem difficult or troubling.
 
Following the recent American election, Helen Angove, a US colleague, posted this in an online forum:
 
“…it has been unexpectedly calming and heartening both to work on something that needs real concentration and to work on a document that clearly demonstrates this client’s commitment to honesty, integrity and inclusivity. Proofreading as therapy. Who knew?”
 
I’ve heard this same view expressed on other occasions. Editing and proofreading can calm the mind and create a feeling of well-being, even in the face of worrying situations.
 
Art, writing, music and craft activities have long been known to offer similar benefits. Like editing and proofreading, they require brain power and focus. Sometimes they’re complex, sometimes they’re repetitive, and sometimes they call for creative problem solving. And there’s usually a sense of what the end product will be – ideally, something that will bring a feeling of satisfaction and achievement.
 
As an editor, I need a great deal of focus when I’m editing the work of non-native-English authors, whether it’s a journal article on library search behaviour or a report on vocational education in Central Asia. It can be challenging at times, but there’s nothing quite like getting down to the nitty-gritty of a sentence or paragraph and crafting a clearer version. It’s something I really enjoy, and I find it satisfying to look back at the material I’ve edited and see the results of my efforts.
 
I also enjoy the mechanical aspects of work, such as formatting references. Applying a set of rules to a list of sources requires concentration and attention to detail: a comma here, italics there…you get the picture. Yes, it can be repetitive, and there’s very little creativity involved, but perhaps that’s one of the attractions! And the feeling of satisfaction when I’ve created a lovely neat list is wonderful.
 
Using the right tools for the job – macros, PerfectIt or ‘find and replace’ routines – engages the problem-solving part of the brain. Again, there’s something satisfying about making changes throughout a document and knowing that I’ve achieved order and consistency.
 
These are personal observations, and they relate mainly to the work itself. I haven’t even mentioned the pleasure of building relationships with clients and colleagues, the satisfaction of feeling part of a team or a process, or the thrill of receiving positive feedback. Plus, of course, the tangible benefit of getting paid at the end of it all.
 
And I admit that there are some days when work isn’t such a positive experience – when the technology misbehaves, when deadlines start to press, or when tiredness or illness strikes.
 
On the whole, though, editing is a positive pursuit. First and foremost, it’s my profession, and the way I make my living, but if it can also enhance my well-being, so much the better!

​When I began working as a freelance proofreader 20 years ago, I had no thoughts of expanding my horizons beyond the UK. My first client was based many miles away in the south of England, so I became used to working remotely. Hard-copy proofs arrived and were returned by post, discussions took place over the phone, and payment was made by cheque. But the idea that my work might have an international dimension probably didn’t occur to me, especially in the early days, before most people had internet access.
 
With the arrival of the internet, email made it possible to send and receive documents very quickly between countries. Editors and proofreaders were able to offer their services to clients in far-flung locations, and it was much easier for those clients to find an editorial professional using search engines and online directories. It seemed as though the world had opened up.
 
Fast forward to the present. I edit journal articles for academics all over the world: my main academic client holds professorships on two different continents. I edit reports written in English for an EU agency based in Italy, via a company based in Spain. And I regularly work for clients in the Far East, the Middle East, Australasia, and all over Europe. (I also do still work for UK clients!)
 
As well as having clients from across the globe, I’m now in touch – through social media – with editorial colleagues based in many different countries. I’ve found this to be an enriching experience, and one that has enhanced my perspective and given me a real insight into what’s happening in other countries, editorially speaking.
 
I recently expanded my horizons even further: I attended my first overseas editing conference, the annual meeting of the Mediterranean Editors and Translators in Tarragona, Spain. I met editors and translators of different nationalities who are based in countries around Europe – and further afield.
 
It was a reminder that editing, proofreading and other English language services are in demand across the globe. Long may that continue.

UPDATE: I attended another Mediterranean Editors and Translators conference in September 2019, and wrote a blog post about the event.