Localiser to proofreader
A localiser already meets 39% of what the proofreader role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
56.5/ 100
1 How much of what a proofreader is expected to do is already part of a localiser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the proofreader role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A proofreader role treats 6 of its required skills as things a localiser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- grammar
- master language rules
- proofread text
- spelling
- use dictionaries
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A proofreader role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a localiser background worth leading with.
- already held master language rules communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held use dictionaries information skills
- already held spelling arts and humanities
- already held proofread text communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held consult information sources information skills
- already held grammar arts and humanities
All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the proofreader role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn rewrite manuscripts required
- still to learn suggest revision of manuscripts required
- still to learn track changes in text editing required
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held read books optional
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held proofing methods optional
- still to learn follow newspaper house style required
- still to learn follow work schedule required
- still to learn reproduce documents required
- optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
- optional, not held lay out digital written content optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a proofreader role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 follow newspaper house style practise this
- 02 reproduce documents practise this
- 03 rewrite manuscripts practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 7 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held master language rules skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held use dictionaries skill
- already held consult information sources skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held typography optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held proofing methods optional
- optional, not held review unpublished articles optional
- optional, not held rewrite articles optional
- optional, not held apply desktop publishing techniques optional
- optional, not held consult with editor optional
- optional, not held lay out digital written content optional
- optional, not held read books optional
- optional, not held typography optional
43 held skills the proofreader role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt developed game to the market skill
- not needed by the target role adapt text culturally skill
- not needed by the target role analyse cultural trends skill
- not needed by the target role analyse text before translation skill
- not needed by the target role anthropology knowledge
- not needed by the target role attend gaming tests skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with local residents skill
- not needed by the target role comprehend the material to be translated skill
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role contextualise artistic work skill
- not needed by the target role develop a translation strategy skill
- not needed by the target role develop terminology databases skill
- not needed by the target role develop the product catalogue skill
- not needed by the target role employ assessment techniques to anticipate translation efforts skill
- not needed by the target role employ translation techniques skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate translation technologies skill
- not needed by the target role follow translation quality standards skill
- not needed by the target role improve translated texts skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with advertising agencies skill
- not needed by the target role linguistics knowledge
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role observe confidentiality skill
- not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
- not needed by the target role postediting knowledge
- not needed by the target role preserve original text skill
- not needed by the target role provide written content skill
- not needed by the target role read pre-drafted texts skill
- not needed by the target role review translation works skill
- not needed by the target role revise translation works skill
- not needed by the target role semantics knowledge
- not needed by the target role speak different languages skill
- not needed by the target role study cultures skill
- not needed by the target role terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role transcreation knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate language concepts skill
- not needed by the target role translate tags skill
- not needed by the target role translate texts skill
- not needed by the target role types of literature genres knowledge
- not needed by the target role unseen translation knowledge
- not needed by the target role update language skills skill
3 further entries not listed here
3 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn copyright legislation required
- optional, not held proofing methods optional
- optional, not held typography optional
Common questions about this move
Can a localiser become a proofreader?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A localiser already covers 39% of what a proofreader is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the proofreader role treats as required.
What skills does a localiser need to become a proofreader?
7 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is follow newspaper house style.
How hard is the move from localiser to proofreader?
Its learning distance is 56.5 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.