Communication is a general phenomena. Wherever life exists, communication also exists. You cannot have human relation without communication. However, good and effective communication is essential not only for good human relations but also for excellent and successful business. If we talk about the professional world, what professionals do more than anything else is communication—with different types of people and above all with their own staff.

(Dr R. Gupta)

Why are business communication skills important? According to Dr Rashmi Gupta (2019), great communication is important in the workplace for the following reasons:

• It affects a company’s reputation and credibility;
• Enables the creation of strong partnerships with clients, as well as between and within teams;
• Ensures businesses understand client needs and address them;
• And promotes products or services.

Of course, to write professional business documents and other forms of business communications (websites, social media posts, etc.) requires English skills: grammar, spelling, punctuation, and a little flare. One way to improve communication skills to benefit your business is to hire a proofreader or copyeditor on a long-term basis. By doing so you can negotiate a yearly, quarterly or monthly rate, to cover your exact needs.

Interested in communication skills? You might be interested in this blog article.

What skills does a proofreader bring?

Writers know how to talk to people. In other words, how to organize the structure of your communications so that you reveal the information that’s most important to your audience and in an easy-to-read manner.

A fresh set of eyes can challenge assumptions and check any business document communicates what you want it to.

Proofreaders are used to solving language problems. Rather than sweat over those colons and semi-colons, hiring an expert will save you time and ensure correct punctuation and consistency throughout a big report.

Finally, communication separates a good business from a great one like yours, so get in touch today.

Who is Emma?

Emma is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

Reference

GUPTA, Dr Rashmi. Effective Business Communication Skills for Professional Excellence. IJELLH (International Journal of English Language, Literature in Humanities), [S.l.], v. 7, n. 2, p. 10, Feb. 2019. ISSN 2321-7065. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/43478912/Effective_Business_Communication_Skills_for_Professional_Excellence>. Date accessed: 12 Apr. 2019.

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First, drop the filler words.

These are redundant words that take up space, but don’t add additional meaning. The opposite, even; as fillers get in the reader’s way.

Second, use the active voice.

It’s shorter and to the point.

For example, compare the following:

1. The meetings that occurred in quarter four were useful; in that, basically, we learnt that X, Y and Z, needed to be changed in our corporate strategy.
2. From the quarter four meetings, we learnt to change X, Y and Z in our corporate strategy.

Third, proofread sentences well.

Here’s an example of a long and potentially confusing sentence from a legal website.

We are proud to have an exceptional team of Criminal Defence Solicitors with expertise in all of areas Scots Law, committed to representing our clients interests and providing the best defence possible to those who have been accused or charged with a crime.

There are typos: clients’ interests not clients interest, and what does ‘in all of areas’ mean?

There are also missing connecting words which I would place after the comma to make the sentence flow.

What if we rewrote it like this?

We are proud to have an exceptional team of Criminal Defence Solicitors with expertise in all areas of Scots Law, who are committed to representing our clients’ interests and providing the best defence possible to those who have been accused or charged with a crime.

Better?

I would also cut ‘are proud to have’ as it gets in the way of the important part of the sentence: my exceptional team and what they can do for you!

If you’re looking for a proofreader to help polish your final manuscript please get in touch.

Who is Emma?

Emma is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

L’article Be concise: cut the waffle from your business writing est apparu en premier sur Emma Parfitt Proofreading Editing Services.

When to use who

If you can replace the word with ‘he’ or ‘she’ then use who.
Example: It is written by a practicing manager and entrepreneur who knows firsthand how painful it can be to start and manage a business. (She knows firsthand.)

When to use whom

If you can replace the word with “him” or “her,” use whom. Who should be used to refer to the subject of a sentence. There are some more complex situations involving ‘they’ which I’ll address in a moment.
Example: He is the consultant whom we contacted for feedback on the project with the compamy Analytica. (We contacted him.)

The grammar bit

According to strict grammar rules, we use who to replace a subject (he/she) in a sentence, and whom to replace an object, and after a preposition (after, in, to, on, and with)

Example: I’m going with Roger, with whom are you going?

Of course, we no longer speak like this, so ‘Who are you going with?’ will suffice… Unless you are having lunch with the queen.

What about more complex sentences in formal writing? Consider this example:

Philip has strongly berated Paul [who/whom] has enjoyed hurling mud pies in business meetings.

Should it be who or whom?

A simple trick is to think about what the replacement represents. ‘Who/whom’ refers to one of the characters in a business meeting (Paul). A ‘he’, and also ‘the subject’ of the sentence. In those two things (he & subject) we have our clue. The correct sentence is:

Philip has strongly berated Paul who has enjoyed hurling mud pies in business meetings.

Or thinking of it another way (more correctly!). The highlighted word is linking one clause to another: Philip telling Paul off for hurling mud pies.

Which of these is correct?

The man whom you met yesterday is coming to the business conference.

Bob, the man who you met yesterday is coming to the business conference.

Trevor, the man that you met yesterday is coming to the business conference.

Trick question as they are all correct. Wait a minute! I’ve just used both who and whom before you?! Think of it as a quirk of the language: one is correct in formal writing (whom) the other informal situations (who), and the third example works in all cases (that).

Whom and quantities

In one specific context whom seems obligatory: when it is preceded by quantifiers such as all of, both of, few of, many of, several of, etc. For example:

The Millennium Stadium accommodates 72,500 spectators, all of whom are seated.

Although strict grammarians may love this use, it sounds old fashioned to most ears. Better to write it in another way: The Millennium Stadium seats 72,500 spectators.

Sentences can often be re-written to avoid using who/whom.

Any time you get confused and the two simple rules of replacing he/she with who and his/her with whom, then try rewriting the sentence to make it more precise. Business writing should be straight to the point and clear.

Who is Emma?

Emma is a proofreader with 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

Get in touch here for help with your writing.

You can also read more about who/whom here.

L’article Who or Whom? Getting it right for business documents. est apparu en premier sur Emma Parfitt Proofreading Editing Services.

Don’t be like the book or movie lost in translation; instead, anticipate hiring a proofreader for the final polish of your document (known as translation proofreading).

I have proofread film scripts and websites that have been translated via software and via people. The process of translating words or text from one language into another can be tricky. As well as a way to convey basic information, the languages we use are full of hidden and symbolic meanings. Consider how different languages can be structured. Arabic and English and Chinese, for example have their own unique ways of saying things. Which is why I recommend hiring a proofreader to check translations. Language isn’t simply about translating word for word; it also conveys a meaning and a way of thinking.

Here are my 5 reasons why translation and proofreading are well-matched.

ONE

For clarity. Consider this product description: can you understand it?

2. The grinding wheel mounted to the engine shaft, the fixed screw position higher than the engine shaft. The position of the grinding wheel on the axle must be at least 1/8″ diamond part above the operating table.

The above text was translated from Chinese to English. A native-English speaker is going to struggle to understand how to put the glass grinder together from a page of instructions like this. The entire instruction document was full of incorrect terminology. That’s why technical writers exist as specialists in their field. To end up with a coherent and intelligible document consider translation proofreading.

TWO

For flow. ‘Flow’ means checking that the text is easily read by a native-speaker, is unambiguous in meaning, and is structured via manageable paragraphs or connecting words. For instance, when proofreading a business report I look for ways to improve the relationship between ideas: by indicating when a new concept will be discussed; and checking the text’s conjunctions which are small connective words crucial to get right for reader understanding.

THREE

For confusing words. We’ve all done it. Typed a document then noticed an obvious error. Or not noticed until someone points out an embarrassing word misuse. Coop (a cage for chickens) and coup (to overthrow) are easily confused words…

…when someone is translating a document word usage may be, literally, lost in translation. A fresh set of eyes by a native-English speaker trained to proofread makes all the difference.

FOUR

For grammar expertise. Translators are very good at what they do (I couldn’t begin to translate Arabic into English), but they might not know spelling, grammar, syntax and punctuation, inside and out in their second language. Some native-English speakers can’t get the use of the apostrophe right.

FIVE

For the quality of the final piece of work. Editing and translation are not the same: translation produces a document from its original language while proofreading checks and improves the text. So the translation process does not cease after its first interpretation. Proofreaders find inconsistencies in sentences and paragraph structure, key terms, and so on. Very important if multiple people have been working on a single document. Therefore, combining professional translating and proofreading services ensures the quality of the final text for its intended end users.

Who is Emma Parfitt?

Emma has 18 years of writing experience with businesses, academics and creative writers. She obtained a Creative Writing MA (St Andrews University) and a PhD in Storytelling (Warwick University). Then set up her own proofreading business and became a published author of fiction as well as academic literature such as Young People, Learning & Storytelling (Palgrave Macmillan).

Get in touch.

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