Background
I have worked with Bernard Allen for well over a decade, as he was my line manager when we both worked at Cornwall Council (until 2015). He taught me all I know about proofreading, and has subsequently passed a significant amount of proofreading, editing and other communications work my way.
Bernard is a communications and engagement consultant, and works extensively with the Health Innovation network, formerly the Academic Health Science Network, and allied health bodies, promoting scientific developments and innovations. He regularly writes or contributes to reports, and knows the value of an external pair of eyes to proofread such documents.
Process
I often receive emails from Bernard asking if I have capacity to proofread a certain document by a given deadline, usually a PDF of a report laid out prior to printing. I can almost always fit the work in, as these documents are usually between 10k and 25k words long. I read carefully through, marking changes as comments on the document, and occasionally asking Bernard for clarification – for example on house style, or the ‘official’ version of an organisation’s name. There are often tiny errors caused by repeated copy-pastes or rewrites, or layout hiccups, which those involved in writing the report won’t see, as they are too close to it. I will also check all inks in the document.
Bernard ahs also occasionally asked me to produce articles or documents from supplied sources, where he hasn’t got time, and I don’t need his level of knowledge to complete the task. For example, creating a 500 word piece of text from 2x 2-page documents, or writing case studies using templates, websites and separate press materials.
Results
Bernard regularly uses me as his go-to proof reader, and I have extensive knowledge now, in the sector in which he works, and can spot some technical errors, as well as English and grammar errors.