Marita
(The Business Proofreader)

Our Becoming A Proofreader course is just as useful for those who need editing skills for their job as it is for those planning a career as a freelance editor. We can see how this works in the case of Marita from Germany, a recent graduate of the course.

Hi, Marita. What were you doing before you started the Knowadays course?

I am a proofreader and editor at a software company. I have worked in the Technical Writing department, where we write operation manuals, since 2016. In this role, I check my colleagues’ writing for spelling and consistency, making sure it follows our in-house style guide. At the same time, I check if the software works the way the manual says. I also check the consistency of the strings in the software and their citation in the manual, as well as assisting in making software strings as clear and translatable as possible. And I work on terminology and make basic checks of the translations we receive from external suppliers.

How much is proofreading part of your existing work?

Probably 90% of a normal workday in a 40-hour week, unless I support my colleagues with project management during the holiday season. I mostly work on software manuals in PDF format. However, I’ll sometimes edit text directly within the translation software we use.

What made you consider the Knowadays course?

I wanted to brush up on my knowledge of grammar, punctuation, and general writing style for my work. But I also have an interest in proofreading itself. I was intrigued by the structure and content of an online course that aims to make proofreading accessible to everyone (or at least to encourage everyone to be more reflective about their own writing). The potential opportunity to become a part-time freelancer by doing the course was a bonus, too!

And, finally, how did you find the course?

It took a few modules and assessments to get a sense of the questions I would be asked at the end, but I found that the learning style worked for me. The mid module quizzes were useful for testing whether I had paid enough attention up to that point. The level of detail it covered was quite surprising, too! It was good value in that respect.

“The mid module quizzes were useful for testing whether I had paid enough attention up to that point. The level of detail it covered was quite surprising, too!“

Becoming A Proofreader

Are you considering the Becoming A Proofreader course? You can sign up for a free trial here.