A Lucrative Sideline: Editing Non-Native English Scientific Writing

“The manuscript is poorly written and has too many grammatical and syntax errors. The results are very interesting from a practical standpoint but the paper needs a thorough revision to make it suitable for publication in The Journal of Astounding Scientific Developments” Enter the native English speaking editor. The measure of success is that the text is accepted after I have worked on it. Even better, the author sends me subsequent manuscripts before submission to avoid the painful step of receiving criticism. I become a trusted partner.

This course will cover two different aspects. First it will describe how to find this type of client, how to price this work, how to justify changes and handle authors’ egos as you return revised texts, and what sets this work apart from translation or from editing texts written by native speakers. The second area is the mechanics of the editing process itself. The speaker will use specific “before” and “after” examples to show a stepwise editing method that produces texts that look as if they have been written by a native speaker, and what is more, a native speaker who writes well.