Home study courses you can study anywhereProofreading requires certain editorial skills, techniques and a keen eye for detail. But do not think it can only be done by native English speakers. We have students on our proofreading course who have English as their second language.

With hard work and commitment, a non-native speaker can too learn how to mould a text into perfect shape. So, if you are passionate about the English language and want to take the route of proofreading, there are some things which you can do to avoid basic proofreading mistakes.

1. Read the text out loud

Proofreading courses always mention this fact, but it is even more important for non-native speakers. You may not always spot mistakes when staring at a document, but your hearing will definitely discover the things that don’t sound quite right. This is because it’s easier to remember how a word sounds than how it is written.

2. Make sure you really understand English expressions

Sometimes you will want to make a text special, by inserting specific expressions or metaphors. But before doing that, you have to make sure that readers will be able to understand exactly what you are trying to say; knowing what words mean, both figuratively and literally is vital. For example, mention that something is ‘not your cup of tea’ only when talking about your preferences; understand that ‘to be out of the woods’ doesn’t refer to a trip to the forest.

3. Switch off your native language

You may believe that it is easier to think in your own language and then translate everything in English, but that is not helpful, at all. Languages have different grammar and different sentence structures; you won’t be able to build a meaningful sentence in English if you don’t think it in English in the first place. Things that make sense in your native language will mean a completely different thing in English.

4. Invest in your skills

Wanting to work with the written word in another language is not something impossible to achieve, but it requires a lot of patience. Try to be an active reader every time you read a piece of copy. Make sure you understand how that copy is structured, how words are used and which are the bits that create difficulties for you.

Furthermore, you can always invest in a proofreading course. This can teach you the editorial skills you need to proofread and edit copy, and help you to understand the use of language.

With this in mind, you can see that not only native English speakers can become professional proofreaders. Discover what your weaknesses are when it comes to language.

Research some distance learning proofreading courses which can fit into your daily routine, and you will soon be proofreading the next bestseller.

See our proofreading courses