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Poll: Do you proofread the emails you send?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Oct 23, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you proofread the emails you send?".

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neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 09:20
Spanish to English
+ ...
Almost always Oct 23, 2018

Although how thoroughly I do so will depend on the purpose of the e-mail and the degree of formality required.
For example, yesterday I had to respond to an email from a client who was asking me to change the date on an invoice that he had asked me to submit last week. As I had already explained the billing procedure to him before issuing the invoice, I was annoyed at this request to change it, because it upsets my rudimentary accounting system (I tried to keep everything consecutive in t
... See more
Although how thoroughly I do so will depend on the purpose of the e-mail and the degree of formality required.
For example, yesterday I had to respond to an email from a client who was asking me to change the date on an invoice that he had asked me to submit last week. As I had already explained the billing procedure to him before issuing the invoice, I was annoyed at this request to change it, because it upsets my rudimentary accounting system (I tried to keep everything consecutive in terms of dates and reference numbers, etc.). However, I didn't want to come across as rude or impatient, so not only did I proofread the e-mail carefully myself, but asked a native speaker colleague to check it for me as well.
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Debora d'Amato (X)
Debora d'Amato (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 09:20
English to Italian
+ ...
Yes, always Oct 23, 2018

Whether it comes with work email or just a confirmation one, I'm used to proofreading them.

To me, possible mistakes even in a mail are not allowed.


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:20
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Yes, always Oct 23, 2018

but still a typo can slip in once in a while, and I just hate to see that (during the subsequent communication)

Julio Madrid
JaneTranslates
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Of course Oct 23, 2018

I check everythng I write

Maria Simmen
 
Jennifer Forbes
Jennifer Forbes  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:20
French to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Yes Oct 23, 2018

I certainly do check my emails before sending them but the occasional typo slips past my eagle eye when great haste is involved.
Oops, I must now check this post ultra-meticulously ...


Julio Madrid
Ricki Farn
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:20
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
I'd like to say always... Oct 23, 2018

I am glad I am not the only one who finds that typos and incomplete corrections slip by all the same!

Noni Gilbert Riley
Julio Madrid
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:20
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Always Oct 23, 2018

I didn't used to, with embarrassing results. Now I am very careful.

 
Marjolein Snippe
Marjolein Snippe  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:20
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Always... Oct 23, 2018

... or at least I try to remember.
When I start up my computer in the morning, the keyboard is automatically set to an incorrect setting, so when I intend to type (xyz), instead )xyz' will appear. Very annoying. More annoying still is the fact that I still do not seem to be used to this, although this glitch has been present for months now, ever since some update caused it. I don't know how to change the default keyboard setting (haven't searched well enough as I'm sure the solution is ou
... See more
... or at least I try to remember.
When I start up my computer in the morning, the keyboard is automatically set to an incorrect setting, so when I intend to type (xyz), instead )xyz' will appear. Very annoying. More annoying still is the fact that I still do not seem to be used to this, although this glitch has been present for months now, ever since some update caused it. I don't know how to change the default keyboard setting (haven't searched well enough as I'm sure the solution is out there) so every now and then an unchecked email with typos and odd symbols wings its way out before I have pressed ctrl+shift to get my normal keyboard layout back.
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Julio Madrid
 
Noni Gilbert Riley
Noni Gilbert Riley
Spain
Local time: 09:20
Spanish to English
+ ...
The idea is that yes, the reality is.... Oct 23, 2018

We've all experienced that moment of spotting a typo a nano-second after pressing the send button.

In hotmail they do offer a delay function which means you can set a pause between pressing that button and the message actually leaving. It seemed a good idea so I put this in place, only to discover that I was leaving a significant number of my messages in the draft file without their being sent. This was because I was pressing the send button and then leaving the page without waiting
... See more
We've all experienced that moment of spotting a typo a nano-second after pressing the send button.

In hotmail they do offer a delay function which means you can set a pause between pressing that button and the message actually leaving. It seemed a good idea so I put this in place, only to discover that I was leaving a significant number of my messages in the draft file without their being sent. This was because I was pressing the send button and then leaving the page without waiting for the operation to complete itself.

So now I'm back to speaking sternly to myself about not rushing, and taking the time to proof read properly.
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Robert Forstag
 
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Kay-Viktor Stegemann
Germany
Local time: 09:20
English to German
In memoriam
No Oct 23, 2018

"Proofread" would be the wrong word. Most of my emails to clients are written in English, and English is not my first language, so I cannot do professional proofreading in English. In most cases I do read the email once more before I send it, yes. But even then my English will not be perfect. On the other hand, many of my clients and project managers are no native English speakers either. When I write to them, my focus is to make it clear that I have understood what they want and will deliver it... See more
"Proofread" would be the wrong word. Most of my emails to clients are written in English, and English is not my first language, so I cannot do professional proofreading in English. In most cases I do read the email once more before I send it, yes. But even then my English will not be perfect. On the other hand, many of my clients and project managers are no native English speakers either. When I write to them, my focus is to make it clear that I have understood what they want and will deliver it, or to ask for clarifications if needed.

The product that I sell is perfect German, not perfect English. And of course I am more critical about my own writing when I write in German, be it an email or anything else.
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Ricki Farn
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:20
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes, always! Oct 23, 2018

I’m very careful and I do check everything I write! Sometimes I start by writing the text first on Word and then I copy/paste to my email.

Tatiana Antoniciello
Julio Madrid
 
Kay Denney
Kay Denney  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 09:20
French to English
Of course! Oct 23, 2018

But this poll just sent me into a blind panic and I had to go back and check the email I had just sent prior to coming here for a little break!

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:20
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Oct 23, 2018

I use Outlook for all my accounts. It uses the Word spell/grammar check, and underlines the errors in red or blue, so I go there and fix them. I'm not sure this would be called proofreading.

I don't ever write long emails. If the text has more than two paragraphs, I turn it into an attachment (fully proofread, of course).


 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 04:20
Spanish to English
+ ...
Not as compulsive when writing in Spanish Oct 23, 2018

neilmac wrote:

Although how thoroughly I do so will depend on the purpose of the e-mail and the degree of formality required.
For example, yesterday I had to respond to an email from a client who was asking me to change the date on an invoice that he had asked me to submit last week. As I had already explained the billing procedure to him before issuing the invoice, I was annoyed at this request to change it, because it upsets my rudimentary accounting system (I tried to keep everything consecutive in terms of dates and reference numbers, etc.). However, I didn't want to come across as rude or impatient, so not only did I proofread the e-mail carefully myself, but asked a native speaker colleague to check it for me as well.


I only have my (non-native) Spanish proofread in rare cases, for it is simply not practical to do this all the time. Anyway, since I nearly always translate into English, I do not consider it fatal if my Spanish usage (in a typically hurried email responding to a request for a quote) is less than flawless.


 
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Poll: Do you proofread the emails you send?






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