22 November 2022
Copyediting, copywriting and proofreading: Putting pen to paper
Companies and brands are defined by the words that they use to communicate with their clients and employees. That’s why it is so important to craft messages carefully, taking local cultural sensitivities into account. If the message isn’t clear, or if it reads awkwardly, potential customers will lose interest and, ultimately, take their business elsewhere.
There are a number of writing services available to ensure that content is produced to a high standard. These include copyediting, copywriting, proofreading, reviewing, and many more. But what is reviewing? What is proofreading? What is the difference between copywriting and copyediting?
Copywriting (copy creation) – The creation of completely original copy from a brief which details the desired word count, tone, style, format and target audience, while also specifying a deadline. Copywriting is the creation of content from scratch, and needs to allow for dedicated research time in order to ensure the highest quality product.
Copyediting – This is a process involving working on a provided source text. While the source text is typically of a reasonable standard, it requires sizable amendments and additions in order to improve aspects of the copy such as content, grammar, tone of voice and style. This can often require additional research time.
Reviewing – This is also a process involving working on a provided source text. This source text is of a high standard, but requires close reading to ensure that it fulfils the client’s brief and that there is consistency in terms of tone and style.
Proofreading – This is a process working on a document that has been produced to a high standard. These texts generally only need reading to ensure that it is grammatically correct and that there are no spelling mistakes or typographical errors.
While the difference between copywriting and copyediting might be relatively clear (one involves the creation of new content from scratch, the other is an edit of pre-existing content), the differences between copyediting and proofreading can be more difficult to understand.
Perhaps the simplest way to think about it, is to put these services on a scale. Copyediting is at the far end, where text needs to be heavily reworked in order to match a brief, or ensure the correct tone of voice and style for the brand. Meanwhile, reviewing and proofreading are generally lighter processes that work with texts of higher quality. Proofreading is a process that typically ensures that content is grammatically and typographically accurate, rather than making large changes to alter style and tone.
At Enterprise Localization company Alpha CRC, the Alpha Creative team leads all multilingual copywriting, copyediting, and proofreading tasks. It ensures tone of voice and brand consistency across markets, while ensuring that each piece of content is perfectly pitched to resonate with local audiences and contribute to strong business performance in target locales.
