Looking for production errors is an important part of quality assurance proofreading. These mistakes are always accidental and result from time pressures, tiredness, inexperience, and other constraints.

I can’t show you real examples from my client work, so I have made some up. The scenarios below are completely fictional, but also not uncommon.

A rogue writer

A chocolate teapot company hires hundreds of freelancers to write long letters to shops that sell kitchenware made of chocolate. An idealistic freelancer disagrees with the company’s sourcing policies. Buried in the letter, this freelancer writes, “The company chooses to call itself ethical.” The QA proofreader wonders if the management would be happy with this phrase, so raises a query. The phrase is removed and no harm is done to the company’s reputation.

A plentiful supply of loos

A reporter writes a feature article about the new towns on the Moon. They share details about some of the new houses, including one which has three bathrooms and one bedroom. The QA proofreader thinks this sounds unusual and queries whether it should be three bedrooms and one bathroom. The reporter checks their notes and makes the correction.

Unexpected content

A park authority wants visitors to learn about its native plant species. It commissions a series of display boards. The QA proofreader notices that one board briefly mentions ancient Egypt. The QA proofreader wonders if this is in tune with the exhibition and raises a query. It turns out that the line was left over from a previous exhibition about medicinal plants in history.

Mixed-up words

A company produces a booklet about a 1950s celebrity known for her fierce opposition to alcohol. In the foreword, she is described as “a bibulous personality.” The QA proofreader points out that bibulous can mean fond of drinking alcohol. The word is replaced with vivacious.

I’m here to help

In my marketing copy, I often say that I’m here to “support busy teams.” I genuinely mean it. I’m here to pick up problems that could embarrass individual team members if they were noticed by readers or more senior colleagues.

By nature, I’m definitely not someone who enjoys pointing out people’s mistakes. However, I appreciate that being a quality assurance proofreader allows me to make a constructive contribution to modern workplaces. By flagging errors, I save individual team members from frustration and embarrassment later on.