I Am Mrs. Tee: Importance of Proofreading

As a retired college professor, I'd like to share my thoughts about the importance of proofreading. I know I am not in a classroom to impart any knowledge that I feel worth sharing but dreaming is not forbidden. So, here are my thoughts.

Proofreading is detecting and correcting errors on text by comparing the master copy with the text on the computer monitor or with the printed text. It is a requirement for writers to include proofreading job as part of their writing skills. Though it is twice as hard to detect mistakes in your own work than when proofreading somebody else’s work, a proofreading skill would make the whole task easier and faster.

A proof reader is expected to detect mistakes easier and faster and be consistently accurate because the proofreading job is considered to be the last stage in any article production before publication. A proof reader cannot take things for granted. His job is the spark that keeps publishing houses moving upward and onward.

Proofreading skills contribute to one’s career as it moves upward and onward. Most proofreading jobs are created to help with some pressing need of the organization: better or faster services, lower costs, and fewer problems. A secretarial job, for example, involves a lot of proofreading. Any document which is submitted for signature of the employer requires careful proofreading or review. That means the article is free from spelling errors as well as typographical mistakes.

A document or article may appeal to the readers if it is free of typographical errors or mistakes. The author may not be a professional writer but if the document was prepared carefully and without unconscious mistakes, doing business would emerge. With the advent of computers, cellular phones, fax machines and other technological advances in the workplace, there is no reason why proofreading jobs could not be performed for each document.

Taking time to assess what qualities and abilities one could offer as an employee is a starting point for improving his worth to himself and his employer. Since most employees’ job involves paper works, and most development occurs within their current job responsibilities, mastering a new work procedure, such as a proofreading job, could be initiated and executed willingly. It takes no effort to get somewhere in life or in business.