Testimonials

Martin Sayers

Bless you, thanks Sylvia!

All good – great suggestions and corrections, have implemented almost all of them.

I was going a bit word-blind with it, so this has been a massive help.

Invoice paid.

Martin SayersCopywriterCambridge, UK

Sarah Shaw

If you are wondering whether to hire a copy-editor, my answer is yes; and if you are wondering whether Ms Foolproof is the one for you, my answer is double-yes.
Sylvia has worked through the text of my family history/memoir with great care and attention.  Not only is she truly professional, she is a joy to work with.

Sarah ShawWriterUnited Kingdom

Ariadna Tagliorette

I hired Sylvia to proofread and edit a project that I had to translate from Spanish into English. Her work was outstanding! She was easy to work with, fast and (importantly) met our agreed deadline. I would recommend Sylvia to anyone who has proofreading or copy-editing needs!
Thank you for the amazing job, Sylvia!

Ariadna TaglioretteTranslator and Content WriterDenmark

Martijn Linssen

I loved your comments.
I immediately discarded them as whining nonsense – which made me realise that I’m really too far into this shit and that the audience is always right.

You had great improvements on the lingo in general and some subtleties as well.

You wasted your time on the paragraphs, I ignored that as promised.

And your title was great.

Martijn LinssenThe Netherlands

Denise MacDonald-Kiernan

Sylvia helped produce my Open University Psychology project in 2010.

She produced work to an exceptionally high standard and always met mutually agreed deadlines.

As I am blind, I needed the information copied from an audio file and put into a layout and format that met my needs while following my instructions, e.g. using certain letters to maintain confidentiality and retaining the spoken grammar and spelling for pronunciation.

This would have been extremely challenging, particularly as she obviously has very high language skills, so replicating the authentic speech rather than writing in grammatical English is hard.

Sylvia was also a speedy worker and kept very clear time records to meet my charging requirements.

I would recommend Sylvia’s work to anyone.

Denise MacDonald-Kiernan

Tom Le Bas

I met Sylvia at Insight Guides when I started there in 1997 – when she’d only been in publishing for 16 years and was still learning the trade… She was very friendly and one of the few normal people in a slightly strange office. She was also a very thorough and reliable proofreader – the kind of person who is somehow able to concentrate on fiddly work while simultaneously engaging in an in-depth conversation about the pros and cons of tequila slammers. 

Tom Le BasCommissioning EditorHodder Education

Mike Tweddle

This book [The Secret of Feedback] would not have been completed without the care and attention of my dear old friend Sylvia ‘Tetley’ Suddes. Her patience with my general ineptitude towards the English language is something to behold. So a huge thanks Tets, your help was truly appreciated.

Mike TweddleAuthor and filmmakerBroken Scar Productions

María Scheibengraf

We hired Sylvia to copy-edit a very large website in a very short time, and the quality of her work was outstanding. She’s got great people skills, too, and communication with her is always smooth and clear. She’s definitely one of the best editors we’ve worked with over the five years we’ve been in business.

María ScheibengrafOwnerCrisol TranslationsLondon

Tony Stowers

‘I love how you use different adjectives and verbs that mean what I intended to say but add vigour and variety to the scenes they describe.’

‘You’ve done some outstanding work adding new nouns from the Regency and Victorian periods. Those places where you marked serious plot problems after I’d moved sections around left me helpless as I realised with horror I’d lost plot thread but luckily you noticed.’

‘I think of us as collaborating: this project has become a joint one.’

Tony StowersWriterNantes, France

Md Shams E. Tabriz

Sylvia has done an amazing job copy-editing my thesis.
As English is my second language, I sometimes struggle with the use of articles and prepositions.
She has an amazing attention to detail and picked up all the issues with the use of both in my highly technical and complex PhD thesis.
She always provided feedback on time.
Overall, I had a great experience working with her.

Md Shams E TabrizApplied Mechanics EngineerCummins Inc.

Paul Fenton

As a first time author, working with Sylvia has been an incredibly positive experience. Her love and passion for language and the written word has given my book a clarity and a flow that it really needed.
Sylvia’s professionalism and detail to this project has given me renewed belief and confidence in the work that I have done.
I started out with an editor and ended up with a friend – and a damn funny one at that.

Paul FentonWriterCork, Ireland

Emily Webber

Thanks for getting all the amends back to us so quickly.

You’re a star!

As soon as they came in, they went to the studio to update the artwork in time for our deadline.

Thanks again.

Emily WebberAccount ManagerFluid

Chris Senior

Sylvia is quite simply an exceptional proofreader and copy-editor.
I’ve called on her a number of times over the past four years, and she has always done a fantastic job whatever the project.
Her attention to detail is second to none and even when deadlines have been tight, the quality of her work has never dropped.
I’d recommend Sylvia to anyone looking for a dedicated proofreader or copy-editor.

Chris SeniorJaywing Studio Manager

Savaş Bulduk

Sylvia has helped me develop my CV massive amounts. Her attention to detail and ability to read between the lines is outstanding; I will certainly be coming back for her help in the future.

Savaş BuldukSavaş Bulduk, Building Surveying student at Sheffield Hallam University

Halil Hacıalioğlu

Thank you for your great work; the English version is now much better that the Turkish one!

Halil HacıalioğluSenior Translator/InterpreterAS TranslationIstanbul

Lindsey Sandland

I have worked with Sylvia for several years now and I can honestly say I’ve never met an individual so enthusiastic about the correct use of the English language and its application in terms of spelling, grammar or typography.
Not only does she approach every job, big or small, with the utmost professionalism, but I am always confident that she’ll do a first-rate job.
She is such fun to work with and is extremely dedicated to her craft.

Lindsey SandlandCreative ArtworkerBritish Council

Charlotte Bourke

You’re editing skills are tip top and if you hadn’t picked up the colour issue we would seriously be in a whole world of horror.

Charlotte BourkeCharlotte Bourke, Project ManagerFluid and the British Council

Jennifer Senior

Sylvia’s attention to detail is second to none. We regularly ask for a final review of work and on many occasions Sylvia has spotted things we’d missed ourselves – saving us from [what could have been] a very sticky situation.

The hard work and flexibility she puts in is always appreciated by both Fluid and our clients.

We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sylvia to anyone.

Jennifer SeniorSenior Account ManagerFluid

Tony Bains

Sylvia has worked regularly with the studio for over five years, handling large, complex jobs to more bespoke, smaller commissions. Her work has always been exemplary. She is fastidious and speedy.
She is an asset to the team and great fun to work with.

Tony BainsHead of Creative | Brand and MarketingBritish Council

Dr Mary Stiasny & Tim Gore

…And thank you from Tim and me too. You really have done a wonderful job.

Dr Mary Stiasny & Tim GorePro Vice-Chancellor (International) & Chief Executive | Tim Gore, DirectorGlobal Networks and Communities for the University of London International Programmes

Aimée Watson

Thank you again for doing such a fantastic job on the copy editing.

Aimée WatsonGoing Global Content and Communications Manager, Education and SocietyBritish Council

Huw Hennessy

Quite simply, Sylvia is the best proofreader I have ever known. Meticulous, thorough, conscientious, and sharp-eyed, I thoroughly recommend her.

Huw HennessyJournalist

Brian Bell

I have commissioned Sylvia to proofread many travel guidebooks. She became my proofreader of choice because of her meticulous attention to detail and her sharp eye for inconsistencies.

Brian BellEditorial DirectorAPA Publications

David Wright

Greatest credit must go to Sylvia Suddes for her painstaking proofreading and numerous suggestions for bringing the writing to life.

David WrightAuthorZimbabwe

Dorothy Stannard

Sylvia is an eagle-eyed proofreader with an excellent knowledge of grammar and punctuation, plus good communication skills. She is reliable and flexible, and can be trusted to meet tight deadlines.

Dorothy StannardExecutive EditorInsight Guides (APA Publications)

Jeremy Westwood

Throughout the 10-plus years that I was Managing Director of Apa Publications, Sylvia was our most thorough and reliable proofreader. She was the one that our Editorial Director chose for the most complex or important books.

Jeremy WestwoodManaging DirectorApa Publications

Throughout the 10-plus years that I was Managing Director of Apa Publications, Sylvia was our most thorough and reliable proofreader. She was the one that our Editorial Director chose for the most complex or important books.
Jeremy Westwood
Ex-Managing Director, Apa Publications

 

Sylvia has worked regularly with the studio for over four years, handling large, complex jobs to more bespoke, smaller commissions. Her work has always been exemplary. She is fastidious and speedy. She is an asset to the team and great fun to work with.
Tony Bains
Head of Creative, Brand and Marketing, British Council

 

Sylvia helped produce my Open University Psychology project in 2010. She produced work to an exceptionally high standard and always met mutually agreed deadlines.

As I am blind, I needed the information copied from an audio file and put into a layout and format that met my needs whilst following my instructions e.g. using certain letters to maintain confidentiality and retaining the spoken grammar and spelling for pronunciation. This would have been extremely challenging, particularly as she obviously has very high language skills, so replicating the authentic speech rather than writing in grammatical English is hard.

Sylvia was also a speedy worker and kept very clear time records to meet my charging requirements. I would recommend Sylvia’s work to anyone.
Denise MacDonald-Kiernan
Foolproof Client

 

Sylvia’s attention to detail is second to none. We regularly ask for a final review of work and on many occasions Sylvia has spotted things we’d missed ourselves – saving us from [what could have been] a very sticky situation. The hard work and flexibility she puts in is always appreciated by both Fluid and our clients. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sylvia to anyone.
Jennifer Senior
Account Director, Fluid

 

My grades have improved dramatically after I started using Foolproof’s services.
David Houghton
Second-year Arboriculture Student, Askham Bryan College, York

 

Sylvia’s acute eye for detail and grammatical know-how has been invaluable to me in my quest for employment. Her proofreading skills and her advice on wording has helped me secure many interviews in these straitened times since leaving college.
Simon Harris
Greenspace Maintenance Technician, Calderdale School Services

 

Foolproof worked wonders on my CV, turning an average CV into a sleek, professional document that I’m proud to send to prospective employers.
Rachel Burnett
Workshop Facilitator, Holme Valley Gardening Network, and Trainee Tutor in Countryside Management, Kirklees College

 

I would never consider using anyone else for my proofreading and I recommend Foolproof to all my friends.
Fred Webster
Foolproof Customer

 

Hi Sylvia, just had a read through and couldn’t of asked for more, really impressed. I will defiantly do all future assignments with you.
Ciaran Glyde
Second-year Arboriculture Student, Askham Bryan College, York

 

Greatest credit must go to Sylvia Suddes for her painstaking proofreading and numerous suggestions for bringing the writing to life.
David Wright
Author, Footpaths of Africa Never Run Straight

 

I have commissioned Sylvia to proofread many travel guidebooks. She became my proofreader of choice because of her meticulous attention to detail and her sharp eye for inconsistencies.
Brian Bell
Editorial Director, APA Publications

 

Quite simply, Sylvia is the best proofreader with whom I collaborated. Meticulous, thorough, conscientious, and sharp-eyed, I thoroughly recommend her.
Huw Hennessy
Journalist

 

Sylvia is an eagle-eyed proofreader with an excellent knowledge of grammar and punctuation, plus good communication skills. She is reliable and flexible, and can be trusted to meet tight deadlines.
Dorothy Stannard
Executive Editor, Insight Guides

 

Thank you again for doing such a fantastic job on the copy editing.
Aimée Watson
Going Global Content and Communications Manager, Education and Society, British Council

 

And thank you from Tim and me too. You really have done a wonderful job.
Dr Mary Stiasny, Pro Vice-Chancellor (International) and Chief Executive, University of London International Programmes | Tim Gore, Director, Global Networks and Communities for the University of London International Programmes