Colin Todhunter

Do you have a document that has been translated into English but requires upgrading, or a text written in English that falls short of the mark? Colin can transform average or substandard texts into genuinely eye catching pieces that capture the reader's imagination. Editing ranges from light (baseline) to heavy (substantive) editing, depending on what you, as the client, require. The procedures involved in editing are set out below.

Light Editing

Correcting faulty spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Correcting incorrect usage.

Ensuring consistency in spelling, hyphenation, numerals, fonts, and capitalisation.

Checking for proper sequencing (such as alphabetical order) in lists and other displayed material.

A light copy edit does not involve interventions such as smoothing transitions or changing heads or text to ensure parallel structure. The editor checks content only to detect spots where copy is missing.

Medium Editing

Performing all tasks for light copy editing.

Changing text and headings to achieve parallel structure.

Flagging inappropriate figures of speech.

Ensuring that key terms are handled consistently and that vocabulary lists and the index contain all the terms that meet criteria specified by the client.

Ensuring that previews, summaries, etc, reflect content.

Enforcing consistent style and tone.

Changing passive voice to active voice, if requested.

Flagging ambiguous or incorrect statements.

Heavy editing 

Performing all tasks for medium copy editing.

Eliminating wordiness, triteness, and inappropriate jargon.

Smoothing transitions and moving sentences to improve readability.

Assigning new levels to heads to achieve logical structure.

Suggesting and sometimes implementing additions and deletions, noting them at the sentence and paragraph level.

The key differences between heavy and medium edits are the levels of judgment and rewriting involved. In a heavy copy edit, the flow of text is improved rather than simply ensuring correct usage and grammar. The process may suggest recasts rather than simply flagging problems and may enforce a uniform level, tone, and focus as specified by the client.