Proofreading Services for English and German

I’ll give your text the last polish before it gets published – in print or online.

A text without spelling mistakes and punctuation errors is so much more reader friendly and also conveys your professionalism and trustworthiness. I am committed to giving your document or text the best-possible appearance.

With conscientious commitment and attention to detail, I’ll check your text for spelling mistakes and typos, grammatical errors and punctuation flaws. I’ll also examine page numbers, headers and footers, styles of headlines and paragraphs, and will look for general consistency and a steady appearance.

What do I proofread?

Magazines
Newspapers
Calendars
Books
Flyers and Brochures
Reports and Essays
Theses and Dissertations
Blogs, Websites, Posts
Newsletters

This list is not exhaustive. If you have a project you need a proofreader for that I have not listed here, please get in touch and let’s discuss it.

Proofreading ...

... a text is more than checking for spelling mistakes, grammar and wrong commas.

Checking for numberings, for styles, sizes and fonts of headings and paragraphs, and for many more details is quite a technical process. Looking out for consistency in these styles and in spelling is also part of proofreading.

Working on the content of the text and the style of writing, however, is not part of the proofreading process. This is part of the editing process, which takes place before a text is ready for proofreading.

For small projects that don’t need a full editing round, there is the option of ...

I have a question

Proof-editing ...

If you have any questions or want to discuss your project with me, please send me a message.

... which entails everything from the proofreading process and additionally a light edit where necessary for a smooth reading flow.

I offer proofreading and proof-editing for English and for German.

I have a project

About Barbara

Hello, I am Barbara R. Wernicke and I am your proofreader for English and German.

I grew up in Germany, but I lived in English-speaking countries for many years, and I did my proofreading training in the United Kingdom. Now I live in Switzerland, but I work with international customers.

With my conscientious work attitude and my attention to detail I enjoy proofreading different kinds of texts and documents, and it gives a feeling of satisfaction when a piece of writing is polished and ready for publication.

I am an intermediate member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and adhere to their Code of Conduct.

Proofreading Training and Continuous Professional Development

2024 Anglizismen meistern (Mastering anglicisms in the German language; by Dr Annika Lamer)

2023 How to mark up PDF proofs (by Denise Cowle)

2022 Proofreading Theses and Dissertations (by CIEP)

2021 Proofreading 2: Headway (by CIEP; passed with Merit)

2021 Getting to Grips with Grammar and Punctuation (by CIEP)

2021 Proofreading 1: Introduction (by CIEP)

2020–2024 annual CIEP conference

What others are saying ...

Thank you, Barbara. You’ve, again, done a brilliant job proofreading our magazine. Besides correcting the spelling and punctuation, you check the Impulse as a whole with a lot of attention to detail. Not only do you spot wrong numberings in the footers and double spaces with eagle eyes, but you also apply common sense and check the context. Once again, I’ve incorporated all your suggestions. Thanks!

Hauke B. – editor Impulse

Barbara did an excellent job proofreading my website! She accounted for the American English, reconciled spelling and punctuation, checked on links, etc. I have more confidence knowing my website looks professional. Barbara is easy to work with, reliable and thorough, even making some content observations that were vey helpful. I’m good with language, but with my own writing I overlooked a lot. I highly recommend engaging her services if you need your site or text to look professional.

Karin R. – life coach

Barbara did an amazing job on proofreading my final paper. She was a crucial asset in the final steps of getting my paper done. She worked on it with me intensely for roughly a week. Originally I started working with her because of my dyslexia so she could spellcheck ma work, but she improved my paper in many other ways. For example, I wrote my report in German, and because I am a native speaker both in German and English i get everything mixed up a bit, so I’ll use english phrasing in German texts. Barbara caught that immediately and gave me great rephrasing options. Also, I reached out quite close to my deadline and was nervous about getting my paper done on time. But Barbara was extremely efficient, so I had nothing to worry about. All in all, she is very adaptive to all kind of circumstances and she will elevate any text you write. It was a pleasure to work with her.

Emma R. – high-school student

Get in touch

Imprint

Barbara R. Wernicke
Stutz 1
7430 Thusis
Switzerland

brw.proofreading@gmail.com