Why is proofreading important in business communication?
The success and prestige of a business can frequently depend on sophisticated wording. A thorough review and correction of a text is crucial when concluding an important contract, but it can make a huge difference for websites, publications, articles, books and marketing materials as well.
Whatever your line of business, communication is everything, and well-composed texts, besides impacting on clients, can immediately form and convey an image of the company itself.
Proofreading may seem simple at first sight, but not everyone is cut out for the job. Professional expertise is not necessarily enough though, as minor errors, typing mistakes and missed words need to be spotted too. The fact the human mind automatically corrects errors that it detects while reading a text makes the task even more difficult. Generally speaking, after writing a long text it is worth having it read by someone else, who can read it with a fresh mind and spot the mistakes that the author simply overlooked.
A minor typo or an inappropriately used word may lend a totally different meaning to a sentence or even the entire text, which may cause misunderstandings.
Not to mention that overlooking such errors suggests that the author did not pay enough attention to the task, making it less appealing for existing or potential clients. Grammar and spelling mistakes divert attention from the content of the text, making it difficult to read and thus casting doubt on the authenticity and expertise of the author.
For business texts it is important to think ahead not only with regard to the content but also in terms of the format, so it is worth sending a contract to a proofreader for example to avoid possible financial losses in the future. With accurate and correct wording you can ensure your prospective client will consider your newly established partnership to be professional and focused, but also reliable
There are several types of proofreading, for example native or professional proofreading.
With native proofreading the reviewer corrects both the style and the language of the text. Sometimes there is a specific requirement to have a target text that is not a word-by-word translation of the original. Such is the case, for example, with slogans, marketing texts, literary texts, or texts that mediate between two different cultures.
Professional proofreading is carried out by a recognised professional, for instance a doctor, an engineer or a programmer, who is well-versed in the specialist field but is also a qualified translator. With documentation, tenders, professional publications, information leaflets, user manuals, financial, legal, medical and technical texts, it is extremely important to involve a proofreader.
Alongside grammar errors, style is of paramount importance too since you need to meet the requirements of the target audience and the communication context as well.
