Lost in review? or proofreading or editing or .......

Lost in review? or proofreading or editing or ....

In the Localization industry there’s some confusion about editing, proofreading (or proofing), reviewing and copywriting.

Even the roles of freelancers or language vendors seem confusing. 

Is it the same the role of a copywriter vs copyeditor? Editor or reviewer or even proofreader? In the following post I’ll summarize my view based on what I have seen in my career in the Localization industry.

·      Copywriting phase is where the content is created. Someone will create the specific texts of your game, software or any other media. A copywriter is an expert in using language in different ways for different reasons. The texts of a videogame where you have to fight are totally different from the content of a puzzle game. The text you need to create for a traveling web site is also different from a web site providing you cooking recipes. A copywriter will ensure your message comes across the way you want. In this phase the goal is to produce content.

·      Editing put the focus on the review and flow of the language. The focus is getting the best possible quality of the written text. Editors will ensure the expressions are clear, they will remove errors and inconsistencies, and they will give feedback about the tone & style. Suggestions are made concerning words, sentence grammar, spelling and punctuation. Content during editing is also reviewed to change active passive sentences, if there are too many it might be a good option to swap to more active verbs. In this phase the goal is to produce a good style

·      Proofreading we go deeper in the review process, we use our “magnifying glass” and we review the final draft. We ensure there are no errors at all. Proofreading goes beyond the spelling checks we have in Word where the mistakes are highlighted. For example a typical mistake reported in this proofreading phase is the correct use of there, their or they’re. In proofreading we will ensure that our content is ready to be published, and usually, proofreading will be a cheaper service than editing. No content or style changes are done in proofreading. In this phase the goal is to produce mistake free output material

In summary:

·      A copywriter will create the texts you need for your target audience

·      An editor will rewrite sentences (if needed) so the text is more understandable. They will use their know-how to take the content to the next level

·      A proofreader will catch any typo in your texts

I hope this summary helps to clarify the different roles in this specific aspect of our industry and do not hesitate to contact me at @yolocalizo in my Twitter account in case you have any questions or comments.

Have a nice editing/copywriting/proofing week!!