Background and History With the English Language
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I remember my first editing job as if it were yesterday: I was 11 years old, and my friend offered me 20 South African rands (just over $1) to edit her homework. That was a lot of money to a kid back then, so during recess, I frantically reworked her shoddily written essay while she and the rest of our classmates played in the schoolyard. The minutes trickled away as the deadline drew nearer, but I steadily vanquished my foes one by one: the grisly grammar, the monstrous misspelling, and the pitiful punctuation. Half an hour later, I'd produced a masterpiece (if I do say so myself), and my friend placed a faded 20-rand note into my eagerly outstretched hand. She was relieved, the teacher was none the wiser, and I immediately spent the cash on quite a few chocolate bars. Many years (and homework-related misdemeanors) have since passed, and today I find myself happily proofreading and editing for a living. |
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I've always been obsessed with words: reading, writing, and learning from them. I mean, just look at me as a toddler--pretending to understand a broadsheet newspaper that was almost as big as I was!
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From having my poetry published in school magazines to being selected to report on a UN conference in Germany to winning a travel writing scholarship in Portugal, most of my professional and creative goals have always included the written word.
I'm a citizen of India, was born and educated in South Africa, and spent most of my life in Mozambique. Collectively, these three countries have over 30 official languages (and countless unofficial ones). Despite this background, I'm monolingual; English is the only language I can fluently speak, read, and write in. Why am I mentioning this? Well, even though I'm a verified native English speaker, many people have doubted my English-language skills simply because of where I've lived. But those who've given me a chance have been exceptionally pleased with my work and became repeat clients and/or referred my services to others. |
Career and Qualifications
~ EDUCATION ~
Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
Bachelor of Journalism
(4-year degree) Journalism Courses: New Media (fourth-year specialization) Writing & Editing (third-year specialization) Web Design & Development (intensive) Other Completed Courses: English Literature (major) English Language & Linguistics Modern Fiction French (two years) ( |
~ CERTIFICATIONS ~
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is an English language proficiency exam that reports at all levels from low intermediate to very advanced. There's a general and academic version. I took the British Council's IELTS test (General Training module) and received the following results:
~ Overall band score: 8.5 / 9 ~ Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level: C2 
I took the Duolingo English Test and received a score of 100 / 100. Description of the results:
"Language status: Expert | Can understand virtually anything heard or read, even intellectually demanding material such as an academic lecture or a book on philosophy. Can use the language fluently and spontaneously in a way that can even be more advanced than an average native speaker." |