Proofreading Services

Proofreading Services: South Africa

Proofreading services may not initially sound like something you need. Afterall, it’s easy to put pen to paper, or more accurately; it’s easy enough to create a document, a presentation, or to write a book or a thesis. The difficult part, however, comes with what you say and how you say it. Spelling and grammar apps make it simple to check for grammatical errors, and some can even suggest certain words for you, but these apps do not have the capacity to understand how you want your document to read.

When it comes time to thoroughly improve your work or make it more understandable for a specific audience, these apps and websites tend to fall short. It takes a professional and, most importantly, human proofreader to offer a fresh perspective on your written content, whilst catching and correcting any mistakes along the way. This is where International Language Consultancy (ILC) steps in. We offer affordable and efficient proofreading and editing services to get your content up to standard for your target audience.

We promise timeous and accurate results in a variety of areas where the way a piece of information is received is crucial. If you are in need of quality proofreading services, keep reading to learn more about ILC and the many benefits that come part and parcel with our services.

How Much Do Proofreaders Charge In South Africa?

In general, proofreaders in South Africa will price their services according to the volume of content, the specific type of content, and their own qualifications. Here is a rough estimate of prices you can expect from proofreaders in South Africa:

Proofreading Jobs By Hourly Rate

How Much Does It Cost To Proofread 1, 000 Words?

The price of proofreading, as mentioned above, can heavily depend on the volume of content. Here is a quick estimate of the price of proofreading according to wordcount alone:

How Much Should I Pay Someone To Proofread?

The amount you pay someone to proofread your work should align with their own abilities. In general, it is far better to work with a professional proofreading company like International Language Consultancy rather than having to train your own employees for the task or doing it yourself. While professionals will charge more for their services, you are also guaranteed a higher quality and better results that make the investment worthwhile.

Why Do I Need Proofreading Services?

For many of us, proofreading may seem like an unnecessary expense, but to the person or organisation reading your work, no matter the scale, a well written and formatted document leaves a lasting impression. Errors can be embarrassing and are often frowned upon, making your work look rushed or unprofessional.
Hiring a proofreader improves the overall quality of your work, and allows you to achieve the best results possible – presenting error-free content you can be proud of. Proofreading services cost money, but save you a tremendous amount of time and effort, offering an experienced set of eyes to examine your work with a fresh perspective for a high-quality finished product.The amount you pay someone to proofread your work should align with their own abilities. In general, it is far better to work with a professional proofreading company like International Language Consultancy rather than having to train your own employees for the task or doing it yourself. While professionals will charge more for their services, you are also guaranteed a higher quality and better results that make the investment worthwhile.

Are Grammatical Errors Really That Bad?

Mistakes happen, and we are all guilty of a few spelling errors here and there. Either as a result of working under tight deadlines or simple mental exhaustion, it’s almost impossible to produce error-free work in your first draft. And the last thing any of us want to do after finishing a piece is to go back and check for these errors.
The unfortunate truth, however, is that mistakes make your work look rushed – presenting a lack of effort and a lack of professionalism. It’s a good idea to eliminate the risk of sharing work that looks unprofessional, as this is not simply a reflection of you, but a representation of your brand or business too. Hire a proofreader who will put 100% of their time and energy into ensuring your work is as close to perfect as it can be – a small price to pay for a greater impact in the long term.

What Negative Effects Come With Poor Quality Work?

Lack Of Authority

If you want to be taken seriously, whether as a business, brand, or individual, your work needs to echo this. If you are sharing work that is considered sloppy, lazy or of poor quality, this is a reflection of your work ethic, and something people do not easily forget. Think of how frustrating it is to read something that is poorly written or includes obvious mistakes; this is not how you would want people to perceive your work ethic.

Misinterpretation

Writing is all about using words to get a message across, but with each mistake hidden in your writing, the intended message becomes less and less clear. You could end up being misunderstood because you used the wrong tone or wrong spelling, especially when it comes to documents like business contracts. You cannot expect someone to sign an iron clad contract that is unclear or misspelt, and this extends to most forms of professional written communication.

Unprofessional

As a business, you don’t want to look or be labelled as unprofessional, which is why every communication you have with your clients needs to be of the highest quality. Your written content can directly impact customer perception of your business, whether it is an advert, a store sign, or a simple email. Customers can lose trust in your brand or business if your content is riddled with simple and avoidable mistakes. This could make them question your professionalism in other aspects of your business too.

What Work Requires Proofreading?

There is no job too big or too small for our proofreading services, but there are particular pieces of work where proofreading is considered an essential part of the process. Here are a few of these crucial areas in need of proofreading efforts:

Translated Work

In the ever growing interconnected world we live in, communication has become easier and easier thanks to technology, allowing us an almost instant connection anywhere in the world. However, one barrier still stands and that is the language barrier.
Translation services are key in allowing us to communicate outside of our spoken language, but it is not as simple as copying and pasting into Google Translate. Languages all around the world are different and complex, each with their own rules and unique phrases which are often lost or misinterpreted after translation. Essentially, ‘direct’ translation cannot truly convey the intended message.
After undergoing translation, proofreading services ensure that steps are taken to properly assess and correct the work for it to be understood in the way it was originally written, leaving no room for errors or broken-telephone scenarios.

Academic Work

When it comes to academic papers and proposals, theses and journal articles, there is no room for error. This is one of the most common requests for proofreading services, as the stakes are high with papers like these.
Academic work is complex and unique, with each piece of writing having different guidelines and requirements depending on the subject and the institution. With ILC’s proofreading services, each submission and style is taken into careful consideration to ensure that specific standards or guidelines are met, from citation styles and accurate sources to formatting guidelines.

Print And Digital Media

Another sector that requires proofreading services is the advertising industry. When it comes to online sources like websites, blog posts, and articles, various advertising agencies require the help of a proofreader to ensure that all content is well-written and correct in order to convey a strong and convincing message.
Luckily for those in the digital industry, mistakes are often reversible, editable, or easily deleted and replaced online, but this is not the case for the print industry – where these written pieces are often mass produced in the form of newspapers and magazines, or books and pamphlets, and cannot be edited afterwards.
Apart from running the risk of having spelling or grammatical mistakes printed on paper for all to see, print media also requires a keen eye for layout and formatting, which is provided by proofreading services. The format includes text size, spacing, margin lines and more, which have a substantial impact on the look and feel of the finished written product once it has been printed.

What Other Benefits Come With Proofreading Services?

The core purpose of a proofreader is clear; to work through your written material and pick up on any errors – be it spelling, grammar or otherwise, and ensure an accurate and polished final product.
Having worked on countless documents and written pieces covering a variety of topics, ILC’s proofreaders boast invaluable knowledge and expertise, and this is reflected in the finished product. When paying for proofreading services, you are not just paying for someone to check your work for spelling mistakes, you are investing in success.

Investment In Quality

With ILC, you can rest assured that the completed work will be of the highest quality, ensuring a comprehensive, correct, and readable piece of work. Quality content represents a high level of professionalism, and is more likely to earn you the respect of those reading your work; be it your colleagues, clients, or the general public. Make an impression that lasts for all the right reasons by using proofreading services to ensure a high-quality final piece of work.

Unmatched Expertise

As mentioned earlier, our proofreading services are highly accurate and professional, completed by experienced and knowledgeable proofreaders who have worked with a wide range of topics. We strive for a clear and comprehensive end product that matches your desired tone and reflects the values of your business.

Saving Time And Effort

It can be difficult and time-consuming to go back and read over your work multiple times to check for spelling and grammatical errors. Proofreading services can help you save that precious time and energy and offer a much faster turnaround, along with expert feedback and guidance that can be utilised in the future

Proofreading Services Near Me: International Language Consultancy

Whether you are preparing to submit your academic thesis, creating a comprehensive business pitch for a new client, writing an article for your local newspaper, or coming up with a professional contract for your business, International Language Consultancy is ready to help you out. Let us be your productive partner in producing high-quality work that is professional, readable, and ultimately memorable.

If you are looking for swift turnaround times from experts that understand your topic and industry, who can catch errors of all kinds, and offer you invaluable feedback that will improve your future work, then International Language Consultancy and our proofreading services are here for you.

Proofreading Services Email

Contact us to find out more about our offerings, and get ready to take your content to the next level. For inquiries and more information, drop us an email at: gaby@ilconsultancy.com