Title of Learning: Copyediting and Proofreading

Credit Requested: 4

The knowledge and skill-set that I acquired in grammar skills and proofreading is the result of life experiences and working at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (“Bank”) for the past 20 years. This essay will depict my proficiency in proofreading and grammar skills at the college level of learning.

I have worked at the Bank for 20 years in the business environment within diverse functions. I have held various positions such as an Assistant, Executive Assistant and Team Leader, Contract Analyst and my current role as Assistant Contract Manager - Business Support Analyst. Such positions required me to prepare, compose, and proofread innumerable legal documents, e-mail, professional letters and contracts.

Since working at the Bank, I have acquired an abundance of knowledge by attending classes to enhance my proofreading skills that positively impacted my career. I have learned that you must edit your document first to ensure it is well-organized and has clarity. In addition, proofreading, especially focusing on grammar, punctuation, and misspelled words. Writing is a form of communication. Therefore, when creating a document, it is essential that the document be error free. Documents that are not effectively proofread can be an embarrassment to an organization. In addition, a document that has errors can damage a person’s creditability and reputation. I learned that proofreading is a learning aspect that requires focus as well as paying close attention to detail, including reading carefully.

The Bank afforded me the opportunity to attend training classes within the organization and at outside venues that were conducted by trained professional instructors. I attended the following training classes: Mistake-Free Grammar and Proofreading (7), Elements of English (7), Effective Business Writing (14), Effective Language Skills I and II (14), Grammar Basics and Proofamatics (7). I received a total of 49hours of training in these training classes.

By attending these training classes, I have learned many proofreading techniques and have improved my ability to recognize errors more quickly and accurately. In order to ensure a document is concise and professional, I follow the following strategy:

When time is not critical, I leave ample time to proofread;
Put the document away for a few hours and work on something else;
Print the document;
Read the document at a different time when I can concentrate and focus;
Try to proofread with someone or have them proofread the document;
Proofread at loud;
Read backward (right to left) or use a ruler or anything with a straight-edge;
Examine the text and its organization;
Analyze the mechanism such as sentence structure, punctuation, and subject-verb; and
Utilize electronic and manual resources such as grammar, spell checker and Gregg Manual.

The training that I received taught me how to assimilate information promptly and how to employ my knowledge of editing and proofreading professional memorandums, letters, e-mail messages, and contracts. In addition, I have learned how to be proficient in producing error-free documents. I also learned how to accurately be prepared by having readily resources available such as a dictionary and writer’s resource “Keys for Writers”by Ann Raimes and “Writer’s Resources” by Julie Robitaille and Robert Conelly.

I have attached my certificates for the training classes that I have attended.