Editing ESL text requires special skills.

Need knowledge of syntax, word choice, & grammar.

Editing text written by non-native speakers of English requires a special skill set in addition to the usual editing-proofreading skills of linguistic expertise, grammar knowledge, and superior spelling skills. Language learners make different types of errors than native speakers, and an editor or proofreader of text written by language learners must not just be aware of this, but familiar with the types of errors made by writers from different languages.

An example of the type of background such an editor or proofreader should have would include a higher education degree in teaching English as a second language (TESL), and years of experience as an ESL teacher (in an English-speaking country) or EFL teacher who has taught in multiple countries with different linguistic backgrounds. Additionally, the editor/proofreader should have studied multiple languages themselves, in order to have a more intrinsic idea of what types of mistakes a language learner might make.

Electronic spellcheckers and grammar checkers are available to non-native English speakers/writers as they are available to native speakers, but are often used with poor results. In addition, non-native speakers can “abuse” thesauruses and come up with poor, unintended word choices.

Things to look for in an editor or proofreader of text written by a non-native speaker include:
 native speaker of American, Canadian, British, or Australian English,
 Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in TESL
 at least 5 years of experience teaching English as a Second Language
 experience teaching writing to ESL learners
 proficiency in at least two foreign languages
 knowledge of the basic elements of many world languages
 published author of books, journal articles, or chapters
 computer proficiency and access to a PC and/or Apple computer