Can you proofread transcripts in Canada?

At least once a week, I receive an email from someone wondering if they can take my intensive Transcript Proofreading course and proofread transcripts in Canada.

Good news! We not only have successful PA grads working as proofreaders in Kenya, the UK, the Philippines, Ecuador, and Costa Rica (just to name a few!), we have a handful in Canada as well. Ari is one of them.

I asked Ari my most frequently asked questions from our Canadian proofreading friends!

Tell us a little about you, Ari! And how’d you get into proofreading transcripts?

I love reading. I read a lot of nonfiction just to relax. I always like to be learning something new. I’ve always noticed errors in print and online, and for many years I wished that I could make a living proofreading, but in my eyes, all the general proofreading I was seeing on the internet wasn’t enough to make a living on. So I was glad when I found out about Caitlin and proofreading for court reporters. I know that the legal or medical fields are good to get into because they are industries that are always busy. With proofreading for court reporters, you can cover both! I often get transcripts with expert testimony from doctors and other health professionals. So now in my job I get to learn legal terminology and use my knowledge of medical terminology from the medical terminology classes I’ve taken. It’s a good mix. I’m always learning something while reading transcripts.

So you CAN proofread anywhere! You’re doing it in Canada. Do you have Canadian clients, too?

I have both American and Canadian clients. I hope to go global, though! It’s all online, so technically I could work anywhere with anyone, as long as we both speak either English or French. Although, I have not proofread a French transcript yet.

What are some differences between Canadian transcripts and American ones? How is court reporting different in Canada?

Transcript formats vary by agency and province. Some agencies in Canada use the exact same format as the American transcripts I proofread. In my research I’ve seen that some provinces and agencies can use completely single-spaced transcripts, but I haven’t run into it yet in my business. The Canadian transcripts I proofread look mostly like the American transcripts except for the Canadian spellings or different margins. That’s very important. You have to have a good working knowledge of British/Canadian English if you want to proofread for Canadians.

How does it work with payment?

I use FreshBooks (a Canadian company!) and receive payments via PayPal. I bill American clients in US dollars, and Canadian clients in Canadian dollars. With every US transaction, there’s a currency conversion fee with PayPal on top of the credit card fees. That’s the cost of doing business. Services like Dwolla, which offer lesser or no fees for American businesses, currently aren’t available in Canada.

Need more proof there’s work available in Canada? Check out this quality control supervisor job posting at an agency in Vancouver. Ari worked her way up to become a quality control coordinator at this agency, so it just goes to show how proofreading transcripts can be the beginning of a super successful career! Onward and upward 😉

Do you have questions for Ari? Leave a comment below!

AND — feel free to visit Ari’s website.

New here? Our free 7-day intro course will help you learn more about proofreading for court reporters.