Although I have studied French and German and translation studies formally in a university
setting, it’s definitely not the case that all the work I do is translation tasks, and this is
including for clients who identify as translation agencies. Sometimes it’s just proofreading.
And, in all frankness: I’ve worked for numerous translation agencies in foreign countries
whose native language I couldn’t communicate in at all – when this happens, it is often the
case that my contact partner for the work they assign to me clearly comes from that country
and most of the time we communicate in English, in which case the English they use in their
emails with me is often of a far higher standard than just passable, like what you would
typically expect from a foreign tourist in your country. There really is little to nothing to
distinguish it from the written English of an educated native English speaker (without
wishing to sound boastful: like myself. Such is the point I am trying to make here.).
So… what have I done here? I’ve written a 200-word account of what my Christmas last year
was like – with as many deliberate spelling mistakes as possible. That said, it’s not just
blatant ones, the likes of which only really belong in the poem “Gust Becos I Cud Not Spel”
(at least, that’s what I hoped for). No, these were supposed to be, for the most part, words
which do actually exist in English but are used in a wholly wrong way (“I should of” and
“Your stupid” [sic] being very common examples of this). Or examples like this: the time a
customer told me she was very “greatful” for the work I did for her – that is, of course, the
word “grateful” spelled incorrectly, but I can still understand it in that “great” and “grateful”
both generally hint at something positive.
Can you read this once and pick out all the (deliberate) typos in one go? (How many do you
think there are?)
Well, maybe Im geting ould but I found larst Crismas surprysingly boaring. Shore, we gott
ourselfs a trea and decoraited it, inclooding with our usuol string of fancie flashing lites, but
that was oanly to bee expected, realy. Personully, I realy should of added sum paiper
snowflaikes, which are soa easy to maike: start by cuting out a paiper circul, then foald it into
a semi-circul, then a quorter one, then an aith of one; arfter witch you cut out tieny littel bits
along the edges with a pare of sizzers, and then unfoald it all again. The result is orlways
bewtiful. On of the presunts I got was a hare trimmor. Thats grate. Soa now I no longer nead
to keap borowing Dads wenever I wont to trimm my beird or my mustash. I baught Mum a
back scracher, witch is like a littel extendoble fawk – I thaught she cauld do with on at her
aige, and from wat I’ve scean she agreas that it was an excellant gift. I sertainly carnt foult
the magnifissent Crismas dinnor we had. I wotched the kings speach as well – Im shore his
deer ould muther would of bean verry prowd of him.
The answers can be found on my business Facebook page, under “Public Proofreading
Challenge – Misspellings Explained”.