PROOFREADING ~ COURT TRANSCRIPTS

The final check of your transcript before delivery is as important as the document content itself because your transcript represents the face of your business. The proofreading process is an important and necessary step. It is the final opportunity to present the best of who you are.

What I Do

As a court transcript proofreader I concentrate on catching any errors in your transcript to be corrected before submission to a client or court.

As a general proofreader I concentrate on catching any errors in your documents or (book) manuscripts to be corrected before submission to a client or publisher.

I proofread physical printed documents delivered in PDF and also proofread via Word Track Changes.

What is Proofreading?

Proofreading is

  • the last step in the editorial process
  • the final quality check of a document before its delivery
  • done after a transcript has been edited by a court reporter or scopist
  • the process of catching errors in spelling, grammar, layout and formatting and bringing them to the attention of the court reporter or document author for correction

Hiring a proofreader assures your transcripts have been scrutinized by experienced industry eyes.

My Proofreading Process Consists of:

  • You contacting me to inquire whether my schedule can accommodate adding your transcript to my proofreading queue, including your transcript page length and due date

Once I have accepted your transcript for proofreading:

For Proofreading via PDF:

  • You email your transcript to me in PDF format (I confirm receipt by email)
  • I proofread, making suggested corrections in red and highlighting them in yellow
  • I email back to you in PDF format only pages to be corrected along with my invoice (I request you confirm receipt of your corrected transcript by email)
  • Payment is due within 14 days of the date of invoice

For Proofreading via Word Track Changes:

  • You email your document or manuscript to me in Word format (I confirm receipt by email)
  • I proofread, making suggested corrections in Word Track Changes
  • I email the entire document or manuscript back to you in Word format along with my invoice (I request you confirm receipt of your corrected document or manuscript by email)
  • Payment is due within 14 days of the date of invoice

The proofreading “process” is the same, whether I am providing general proofreading of documents or manuscripts – or providing the unique and specialized skills of proofreading court transcripts. Same process – different rates

(See PDF below for court transcript proofreading rates)

(General Proofreading projects will be sent a proposal once we have discussed your job requirements )

Who am I

I am Christine McDonald, a former Court Reporter turned court transcript proofreader after a repetitive strain injury outweighed my recuperative abilities to return to live court reporting.

I have enjoyed 20+ years as a live Court Reporter covering cases and judges’ sessions in a myriad of Massachusetts courts (Probate & Family, Superior, Federal, District, Boston Municipal) and taking depositions, hearings and arbitrations.

As a court transcript proofreader I have 10+ years’ experience proofreading for federal and freelance court reporters in Boston and across the country.

QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Associate Degree / Court and Conference Reporting (Mass Bay Community College)
  • Massachusetts Certified Shorthand Reporter (CSR)
  • Massachusetts Approved Court Transcriber
  • Member NSNC (National Society Newspaper Columnists)
  • Member Ghostwriter’s Growth

TESTIMONIALS:  

I would highly recommend Christine for proofreading services. She is extremely qualified, professional, prompt, and accommodating.

Being a former Court Reporter, she understands the nuances in how people speak; i.e., incomplete sentences, interrupting their own thoughts, run-ons.

She appreciates how, as Court Reporters, we need to properly punctuate those situations to keep the integrity of what was actually said.

By Lisa McDonald, McDonald Court Reporting, CSR, RPR, RMR, CR

“I have been using Christine for several years now, and she is very conscientious and particular about her work.  Being a former court reporter adds to her expertise and knowledge.   She is reliable, always gets your work back on time, or even before deadline, and is willing to support me in ways I never imagined a proofreader would.   I highly recommend her!! ”  

By Jill E. Shepherd, RPR, CA-CSR, NV-CSR, MA-CSR, UT-CSR

my PROOFREADING RATES and resume

Your time is precious. Your curiosity is piqued. Sometimes you just gotta know. So, I’ve included a PDF of my proofreading resume and my proofreading rates for your convenience. Hopefully they answer all your questions and you can then contact me to get your proofreading project completed.

RATES: for you – a pDF of my court transcript proofreading rates

For “General Proofreading” rates of your documents and/or manuscripts – please contact me – as those type projects are charged on a per project basis, and is quoted to you once your project is discussed.

RESUME: for you – a PDF of mY proofreading resume