What sort of work do you do?
We can help with virtually anything that needs to finish up as a polished final document. Whether it’s editing an early draft, proofreading or formatting a final version, or transcribing from audio, we can probably help you. For example:
- Essays, theses and dissertations;
- Transcriptions from audio of all sorts;
- Reports, newsletters and other documents that need to be just right;
- Email newsletters, menus, posters, marketing material, social media, you name it.
Where are you based?
We’re based in Melbourne, Australia but well connected to the world.
What languages do you work in?
We speak English (with British or US spelling), Spanish, French, German, Mandarin and Latin; we speak the language of university tutors and lecturers; we speak the language of sustainable business; we speak the language of the person in the street who calls a spade a bloody shovel; we speak Chicago, Harvard, APA and Turabian; and we speak the language of the harried student or business person who needs it done yesterday.
What platforms, applications and file types do you work with?
We work on Mac and PC and we’re experienced with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Keynote, Express Scribe, EndNote, Acrobat Pro, Audacity etc. It’s easiest to send us your text in doc/docx, pdf, html or ppt/pptx format and your audio in wav, mp3, wma, m4a, 3gp, dct format etc. Spreadsheets—usually in xls/xlsx. But we’ll have a go at anything and see if we can’t make it work.
How quickly can you respond to my request?
Often yesterday, but no guarantee. Normally we can get your work back to you quickly and you’ll always get a prompt response to an enquiry (yes, that’s ‘inquiry’ in the US of A), so you’ll know where you stand.
What don’t you do?
We work with words on paper, text on the screen and audio in our ears. We don’t do sky-writing or web design. But we highly recommend getting your online words thoroughly checked; your public sentences should be proofread by someone apart from your web designer or your favourite uncle who likes to read. As for sky-writing, if your pilot has trouble with spelling, send her to us.
Will you write my essay or thesis for me?
No. But within ethical limits we can help you with grammar and proofing, and even other suggestions for improvement; that is, we are happy to do all the things a tutor or teaching assistant or supervisor might do.
What size jobs do you do?
We’re happy to do small jobs or The Encyclopedia Britannica but our minimum charge for a one-off job is AUD45. The per job cost would decrease with regular work.
Speaking of money…
Did someone say money? Unfortunately, yes. We are not dirt cheap but nor are we exorbitant for a high-quality and personal service. If economy is your highest priority then you are better searching the web for off-shore services. That way, you save money while you help someone in greater need.
As a guide, for professional work, normally you can expect to pay $50-$180 per hour for copywriting/editing/proofing or $2-$4 per audio minute for transcripts. We charge at the lower end of that and we work faster than lightning. We’re also open to negotiation. Contact us now for a chat or a quote. More details about transcripts can be found here and about academic services here.
How can I pay you?
The Public Sentence will invoice you (including our Australian Business Number—ABN) and payment can be made by direct bank transfer, by cheque (that’s Aussie for check) or by PayPal.
Do you have any give-aways?
Yes, if you noticed one of the two typos on this website we’ll give you a free sample of our work: just send us your document or audio and tell us where a typo is found. If you found them both we might offer you a job.
Finally, the ‘small print’
If you use our services please remember that our guarantee can only extend to not charging a fee if you are not satisfied with our work. But we can’t take responsibility for what you do with your public sentences. The final responsibility for the use and publication of your thesis or transcript or report or whatever else we might help you with, is yours alone. Also, remember that even we at The Public Sentence are only human; while we have extensive experience, we are not full-time professional editors. (Although: have you noticed that proofreading standards are falling? What do professional editors get up to these days?)