Human accuracy, not autocorrect
Spellcheck misses tone, nuance and the wrong-word-that-is-spelled-right. A trained human eye catches what software never will.
ProofXcellent
• Proofreader • Translator • Copy-editing
Words Matter.Excellence is Our Standard.
Professional proofreading and editing services that ensure your writing is clear, correct and compelling.
- Accurate
Proofreading - Detail Oriented
Editing - Constructive
Feedback - Timely &
Reliable
Precision,
Professionalism,
ProofXCellence!
Why ProofXcellent
Three reasons clients keep coming back
Every document is treated as if my own name appears on the cover — because in a sense, it does.
Deadlines that are actually met
You get a firm delivery date up front and a file back on time — with rush turnaround available when the deadline will not move.
Feedback you can learn from
Tracked changes plus a short summary of recurring patterns, so your next draft already starts stronger than the last.
What I Do
Professional proofreading, editing & translation
Clear, correct and compelling — whatever the document, whoever the reader.
Proofreading
The final polish. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency and formatting — so nothing embarrassing survives to print.
See detailsCopy-editing
A deeper pass. Sentence flow, clarity, tone, repetition and structure — keeping your voice while sharpening the message.
See detailsTranslation
Afrikaans ⇆ English translation that reads as though it was written in the target language, not converted into it.
See details
Precision · Professionalism
About ProofXcellent
Language is my craft. Your deadline is my job.
ProofXcellent was built on a simple belief: strong writing opens doors, and small errors quietly close them. A misplaced comma in a proposal, a clumsy sentence in a thesis, an awkward translation on a website — each one costs credibility you worked hard to earn.
- Bilingual expertise in Afrikaans and English, including cultural nuance.
- Every document read twice — once for correctness, once for flow.
- Confidential by default, with an NDA on request.
Client Feedback
Words from the people behind the words
★★★★★“My master’s dissertation came back cleaner than I thought possible, and the notes taught me more about academic writing than a semester of workshops.”
★★★★★“We send every client-facing proposal through ProofXcellent now. Fast, meticulous, and never once late on a deadline.”
★★★★★“The Afrikaans translation of our website actually sounds like a person wrote it. That is rarer than it should be.”
Let’s perfect your message!
Send your document. Get a free quote today.
Tell me what you are working on and I will come back with a firm price and delivery date — usually within a few hours. A free 500-word sample edit is included, so you can see the difference before you commit.
About ProofXcellent
The person behind the red pen
A South African proofreader, copy-editor and translator helping students, academics and businesses say exactly what they mean — in language that earns trust.
Since 2016
My Story
It started with someone else’s thesis
Years ago a friend handed me a dissertation two days before submission and asked, half joking, whether I could “just check it quickly”. Forty hours and a great deal of coffee later, it came back cleaner, clearer and considerably more confident. The work was always hers — my job was to make sure nothing stood between her ideas and her examiner.
That is still the job. Since then ProofXcellent has grown from favours for friends into a professional practice serving postgraduate students, academics, small businesses, consultants and authors across South Africa and beyond.
Language is not decoration. It is the vehicle your credibility travels in. When it wobbles, so does your reader’s confidence in you — and I would rather that never happened.
My mission
To make every client’s writing clear, correct and compelling — without ever flattening the voice that makes it theirs. A good edit should feel like the author on their best day, not like a different author entirely.
My promise
Honest timelines, transparent pricing, complete confidentiality and a document returned exactly when I said it would be. If I cannot do your project justice in the time available, I will tell you rather than take the work.
The Difference
What makes ProofXcellent different
Anyone can run a spellchecker. Here is what you actually get.
Truly bilingual
Afrikaans and English handled with equal care, including idiom, register and the cultural detail that machine translation flattens.
Academic-ready
Comfortable with Harvard, APA and Chicago referencing, university style guides and the conventions of thesis submission.
Feedback included
Tracked changes plus a plain-language summary of what kept recurring — so the editing makes you a better writer, not a dependent one.
Deadline discipline
A firm delivery date confirmed before work begins, progress updates on longer projects, and rush options when time is short.
1 200+Documents polished
9Years in language work
98%On-time delivery
2Languages, fully fluent
Precision, Professionalism, ProofXCellence!
Ready to hand your document to someone who cares about it?
Send it through for a free, no-obligation quote and a sample edit of the first 500 words.
Services
Proofreading, copy-editing & translation services
Whether you need a light final check or a full rewrite of a clumsy chapter, there is a service that fits — and an honest recommendation if you have picked the wrong one.
Proofreading
The last line of defence before your document goes public.
- Spelling, grammar & punctuation
- Typos, doubled words, missing words
- Consistency of dates, names & numbers
- Headings, captions & page formatting
Copy-editing
A deeper pass that improves how the writing actually reads.
- Sentence flow, rhythm & clarity
- Removing repetition and padding
- Tone & register for your audience
- Paragraph and section structure
Translation
Afrikaans ⇆ English translation with meaning intact.
- Websites, brochures & marketing copy
- Reports, policies & correspondence
- Certificates & personal documents
- Editing of existing translations
Academic & thesis editing
Language editing that respects university regulations.
- Dissertations, theses & research proposals
- Journal articles & conference papers
- Harvard, APA & Chicago referencing checks
- Editing certificate supplied on request
Business & marketing copy
Documents that carry your company’s reputation.
- Proposals, tenders & annual reports
- Website copy & landing pages
- Newsletters, brochures & presentations
- Policies, manuals & internal comms
CVs & personal documents
Short documents where every word has to earn its place.
- CVs & cover letters
- LinkedIn profiles & bios
- Personal statements & applications
- Speeches & tributes
How It Works
Four simple steps from draft to done
No jargon, no surprises, no invoice you did not expect.
1
Send your document
Email the file or use the contact form. Tell me your deadline and what you need.
2
Free quote & sample
You receive a fixed price, a delivery date and a free edit of the first 500 words.
3
The work happens
Two full passes — one for correctness, one for flow — using tracked changes throughout.
4
Delivery & review
Your edited file arrives with a summary of changes. One round of follow-up questions is free.
What affects your quote
- Word countPer 1 000 words
- Service levelProofread / Copy-edit
- TurnaroundStandard / Rush
- Document typeAcademic / Business
Every quote is fixed before work begins — the price you approve is the price you pay.
Formats I work in
- Microsoft Word.docx · tracked changes
- Google Docssuggesting mode
- PDFcomment mark-up
- Plain text & web copy.txt · .md · CMS
Prefer something else? Ask — it can almost always be accommodated.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Proofreading is the final check: spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency and formatting. Copy-editing goes further and improves how the writing reads — flow, clarity, tone, repetition and structure. If your draft is solid and simply needs polishing, proofreading is enough. If sentences feel clumsy or the argument wanders, choose copy-editing.
As a guide, a 10 000-word document takes about three working days for proofreading and four to five for copy-editing. Rush turnaround is available for urgent deadlines at a surcharge. You always receive a firm delivery date with your quote, before any work starts.
Pricing is per 1 000 words and depends on the service level, the state of the draft and your deadline. Rather than a generic rate card, send the document through for a free quote — you will get an exact, fixed figure with no hidden extras.
No. The ideas and the voice stay yours. I work in tracked changes so you can see and accept or reject every single edit, and anything that would alter meaning is raised as a comment rather than changed silently.
Yes — language editing is permitted at South African universities, and many require it. I work strictly within accepted guidelines: no writing content for you, no altering data or findings. An editing certificate can be supplied for your submission if your institution asks for one.
Always. Your work is never shared, published or used as a sample without written permission, and files are removed from working storage after the project closes. A non-disclosure agreement is available on request at no charge.
Let’s perfect your message!
Not sure which service you need?
Send the document through. I will tell you honestly what it needs — and quote for that, not for more.
Testimonials
What clients say about working with ProofXcellent
Students, academics, business owners and authors — here is what they had to say once the red pen was back in the drawer.
5.0Average rating
1 200+Documents edited
92%Returning clients
98%Delivered on time
★★★★★“My master’s dissertation came back cleaner than I thought possible, and the notes taught me more about academic writing than a semester of workshops. My supervisor commented on the improvement in the first paragraph.”
★★★★★“We send every client-facing proposal through ProofXcellent now. Fast, meticulous, and never once late on a deadline. It has quietly become part of our quality process.”
★★★★★“The Afrikaans translation of our website actually sounds like a person wrote it. That is rarer than it should be, and our customers noticed immediately.”
★★★★★“I sent a 90 000-word manuscript in a panic three weeks before my publisher’s deadline. It came back early, immaculate, and with comments that made me a better writer.”
★★★★★“Professional, patient and genuinely kind about a first draft that deserved neither. My CV finally reads like the person I am at work.”
★★★★★“Our annual report goes to the board and to regulators, so there is no room for error. Three years running, not one correction has come back to us.”
Sample testimonials shown for layout purposes — replace with your own client quotes before going live.
Who I work with
Client Types
Trusted across very different desks
- Postgraduate students — theses, dissertations and research proposals.
- Academics & researchers — journal articles and conference papers.
- Small businesses & consultants — proposals, reports and websites.
- Authors & bloggers — manuscripts, articles and long-form content.
- Job seekers — CVs, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles.
Precision, Professionalism, ProofXCellence!
Your document deserves the same attention
Free quote, free 500-word sample edit, and a firm delivery date before you commit to anything.
Contact
Let’s perfect your message
Tell me about your document and I will reply with a fixed quote and delivery date — usually within a few working hours.
Request your free quote
Thank you! Your message is ready to send. Your email app should have opened with the details filled in — just press send, and I will reply shortly.
Words Matter.
Prefer to talk it through?
A five-minute call is often quicker than three emails. Ring any weekday between 08:00 and 17:00.