Why EFL Students and Academics Need Professional Editors: Empowering EFL Writers in the Global Marketplace

July 19, 2023 | Blog

In a world with more than 7,000 living languages, English holds a privileged position. With universities worldwide conducting more classes in English, it is increasingly becoming the standard language in the academic and professional realms, including education, scientific research, and global business transactions. This dominance puts EFL (English as a foreign language) writers at a disadvantage. In academic settings, the pressure to produce high-quality English content can be intense. That’s where professional academic editors can help.

The Role of Editing in Academic Writing

Even for native English speakers, editing is an indispensable step in the writing process. This is particularly true of academic writing, with its specific requirements for accuracy, coherence, and clarity. By reviewing, revising, and correcting their written work, writers can refine and clarify their arguments, eliminate grammatical errors, and ensure that their work adheres to rigorous academic standards.

For EFL writers, having a good academic editor is especially important. Learning to speak and write a non-native language is challenging on its own; using that language to write formal academic papers adds another layer of difficulty. Academic editors can help EFL writers overcome these obstacles, facilitating effective communication between authors and readers worldwide. A good editor will retain the meaning of the work while elevating the quality of the writing to meet the expectations of native English-speaking audiences.

Academic editing can help EFL writers by:

1. Facilitating Language Mastery: Skilled academic editors don’t just make changes, they provide detailed coaching that can help EFL writers refine their language skills, broaden their vocabulary, and enhance their understanding of both the mechanics of the English language and academic writing conventions. In reviewing the edits to their work, EFL writers can identify areas for improvement and learn how to avoid common problems in their future writing.
2. Enhancing Clarity and Coherence: The primary objective of academic writing is to convey complex ideas and arguments clearly and effectively. This can be challenging for EFL writers, who may struggle to translate their understanding of a given topic into writing due to a limited vocabulary, insufficient proficiency, and a lack of familiarity with idiomatic expressions. A good academic editor will scrutinise every sentence, ensuring that each idea is articulated clearly and flows logically to the next.
3. Boosting Credibility and Professionalism: No matter how groundbreaking an author’s ideas might be, errors in grammar, punctuation, or syntax diminish their credibility. Editing helps ensure an academic manuscript is professional and error-free, making it more likely to earn the respect of its readers, including peers, reviewers, and journal editors, and increasing its chances of being published.
4. Enabling Continuous Improvement: No writer in history has produced their best work in a first draft. Multiple rounds of feedback and revision help the writer polish and improve their work, transforming it into its best possible form. For EFL writers, the input of mentors, colleagues, or professional editors proficient in English can be a huge benefit in this cycle of feedback and revision. Their feedback can provide valuable insights into effective language use, argument development, and academic writing conventions to help EFL writers continuously improve their academic writing skills.
5. Preventing Plagiarism: Plagiarism – even unintentional plagiarism due to flawed paraphrasing or citation – is a serious academic offence that can have severe repercussions. Fortunately, plagiarism is easily avoidable with the help of a professional academic editor. A thorough edit can help ensure that all sources are correctly paraphrased and cited for the highest level of academic integrity.
6. Advancing Global Scholarship: Academic editing is a powerful tool that helps EFL writers bridge the equity gap in global academia. The complexity of academic English often puts EFL writers at a disadvantage, hindering their ability to contribute their unique insights and innovative research to the literature. Professional editing services level the playing field, ensuring that the work of EFL writers is evaluated on its merits rather than their language proficiency. By enhancing clarity, refining vocabulary, and correcting complex grammatical nuances, we help EFL writers communicate their ideas as effectively as native English speakers.

In the English-dominated academic and professional arenas, EFL writers may need help meeting the high standards set by academic institutions and publishers. In this context, professional editing is more than just nice to have – it’s a necessity. The support of a professional academic editor can help EFL writers master the language, increase the clarity and coherence of their work, and boost their credibility and professionalism. Our professional academic editors have experience as well as advanced degrees in a wide range of academic disciplines and specialise in working with EFL writers. If you need editing support from a subject-matter expert to help bridge the gap between your writing skills and those of your native English-speaking colleagues, reach out to us today; our professional academic editors are available 24/7/365.