Proofreading I have proofread on a freelance basis for over fifty years during which time I have become adept at catching errors, both spelling and grammatical. With each company for which I have worked, I have invariably handled proofreading needs. During a four year period, I proofread each edition of Freedom magazine for the Church of Scientology national offices. My experience in proofreading also includes legal documents (thank goodness for Latin studies!) Later, while working for Hugo House Publishing in Colorado, I proofread the book, Shadows over Baku The Armenian Massacre in Azerbaijan, authored by Karina Yesayeva Khachatorian. My philosophy, with regard to both proofreading and copy editing is to enhance the voice of the writer, and to ensure that what is written will be well comprehended by the reader. In more recent years I have spent more time copy-editing books, primarily non-fiction, technical, business in nature. A number of these have been translated works from Russian, or French. Given that I was educated in Russian, French and German (despite a lack of fluency in these after so many years), I have a sensitivity for the nuances of those tongues and how to ensure they read well in translation.
I’ve been working with Diana on a long business book and we’re nearly finished. I am translating the book into English and Diana has been the editor, mainly, but also the proofreader. I should say this much: born abroad, but having grown up mainly in the US, I am a native of English. I don’t “need” to have an editor and often I edit other texts. I write poetry, translate songs, write stories and articles – in 3 languages, including English. Still, I like having an editor when it helps rather than hinders. So far, I have only been able to work with 2 editors in the whole wide world when going into English. As one of 70 or so people in the world certified by the American Translators Association to translate the Russian into English language pair, I get very choosy and picky about how people work with me. Most editors have a compulsion to “edit” an already perfect text, thus making it worse. Some miss crucial editing elements. Others find “mistakes” that are not mistakes or enter their own style instead of just polishing up the text. But Diana is spot-on. Her edits are very light yet very right. Her vocabulary and command of English is superb (which is a rarity today, because I often end up correcting many Americans). Overall, she’s a pleasure to work with and talk to. V.R.
Diana Watson has ably assisted me on many projects. She is a pro both at editing and in dealing with the requirements of her clients. She is a veteran Scientologist and a close friend for decades. She helped me considerably to bring my book The Natural Laws of Management: The Admin Scale to fruition. Her experience and expertise were very valuable. I recommend her highly for any project involving editing as well as those with the purpose of marketing philosophical truths, for which she has a passion. AJM