Proofreading Services for English and German

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

Whenever you’re writing a text, it is very likely that there will be a typo or two. And the longer you’re working on your text, the more likely you will overlook some mistakes and inconsistencies.

But publishing a text with mistakes is embarrassing and looks unprofessional. And besides – a text without mistakes is easier to read and better to understand.

Therefore, it is worth having an ‘outsider’ looking at your piece of writing with fresh eyes and correcting it.

That’s where I come in. With an open-minded and unbiased approach, I can read your text and check it for spelling, punctuation and other mistakes – and help you to present it in the best-possible way.

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 page and chapter numbering, styles of headings and paragraphs, cross references, headers and footers and 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 typeset and ready for proofreading.

For small projects that could do with a bit more than just proofreading but don’t need a full editing round, there is the option of ...

Proof-editing ...

If you have any question or want to discuss your project with me, please send me a message. I look forward to hearing from you.

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

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

About me

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.

I enjoy reading texts that are clear and precise and without mistakes. Therefore I am happy to help you get your text ready for publishing – that it appeares in the best-possible light, and that your readers enjoy reading it.

My customers appreciate my diligence and my attention to detail and our easy and reliable collaboration.

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)

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