We live in a fallen world. Need proof? Pick up any print publication. A careful read will turn up at least a couple of typos. And words are in worse shape in pixels than they are on paper.
From the editors at Faith Alive Christian Resources come these doozies:
“I know judo, karate, jujitsu and other forms of marital arts.”
“To Whom I May Concern:”
“We proudly feature some-day shipping.”
“Our massage treatments help relive your pain.”
What's a person to do? There are lots of ideas out there. Here's a list of ten we've found to be helpful:
1. Minimize distractions and interruptions. It's easy to lose your place and skip over text when you're interrupted or distracted. Turn off your phone. Close email. Shut yourself in a quiet room.
2. Don't be the sole proofreader of your own writing. You're too close to it; you can't see mistakes others see. No one available? Let your document sit at least overnight before finalizing them.
3. Force yourself to slow down and concentrate. Focus on each word and character — letters, punctuation, special characters, spaces — not on meaning. If you think about meaning, you'll see what you expect to see, especially in your own writing.
4. Break large slabs of copy into small bits to avoid slipping into automatic reading mode.
5. Don't try to find every mistake in one pass. Read through the material several times, looking for different problems each time including:
—Typos and misspellings
—Easily confused words (e.g., "to" for "too" and "your" for "you're")
—Ambiguity
—Inconsistencies
—Formatting problems
—Factual errors
—Missing words
6. Print out the pages for one final read-through. Proofreading on screen and proofreading on paper complement each other well. It's easier to catch some errors on paper and others on screen.
7. Read backwards. Reading backwards can help you focus on the words and not get distracted by meaning. But don't depend on it too much; it doesn't expose things like incorrect homonyms and confusing word order.
8. Proof any text in all caps separately and more painstakingly. Typos and misspellings are much more difficult to see in all caps.
9. Actually dial all phone or fax numbers to make sure you haven't transposed digits or worse. It's common for people to confuse their own phone and fax numbers, for instance. Test URLs in the same way, and carefully examine zip codes and street numbers.
10. Double-check your headlines and any corrections or additional copy inserted at the last minute. Mistakes there are hardest to see.
And then, when you find a mistake, mark it up right. Did you know there is a standard way to indicate corrections? Find our reference here.
. . . . .
 In our last Product Services Newz, we asked for any ideas readers might have for cutting down on information overload. There were a bunch of good ideas. Read them here.
We still have some 2008 Product Services' calendars left. Send us your funniest typo and a calendar is yours. Well, one might be yours. Quantities are limited. |
