Copy Editing Services in Toronto
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Welcome to lorneruffell.com

Copy Editing Services Toronto

editorial services + Global language expertise

We’ve seen it all and done it all. If it’s important to you, it’s important to us.

  • Deliver a flawless sales prospectus and marketing materials? Got it.

  • Proofread your pitch deck? Done.

  • Fix up your website copy? Sure thing.

  • Craft a note to investors? Sounds good.

  • Fix up a media release? Sure to strike the right note.

  • Agency pitching a client? Turn ‘not bad’ into ‘WOW!’

  • An important blog post? Let’s have a look.

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide uncompromising writing and editorial services for your most important content.


Our Philosophy:

excellent writing = Credibility = Your Reputation

Your writing IS your reputation.

Leaders understand that excellent writing equals credibility. Clients and other stakeholders just don’t trust sloppy content and they question an organization that puts out content with careless errors.  

We combine our decades of expertise in

  • global languages and cultures,

  • copyediting and copywriting,

  • marketing and branding,

  • PR and reputation management

to deliver the copy your business needs to scale and thrive.

Businesses work hard to establish and maintain their reputations. Quality, error-free copy, edited to the highest standards imaginable, directly supports those reputations, making editing a great investment in your business’s reputation. The word “investment” gets thrown around a lot these days but consider that editing costs a small fraction of what most organizations spend generating content. Don’t skimp on this final, crucial step before going to print.

Contact us for a free consultation.


Global Readership | Unmatched Expertise

At Lorne Ruffell Global Communications, we specialize in copy editing services for global markets where, often, there will be subtle translation and cross-cultural issues, for example, content written by Asian subject experts for an international readership.

A global communications agency based in Toronto, Canada, our editors and proofreaders have lived and worked around the world so we have deep expertise in the nuances of language across cultures.


Quality Control: Second Read

You already have a first-rate, in-house individual or communications team but, in our experience, all copy can benefit from a second set of eyes before publication.

We are often retained as "outside counsel" to provide a second opinion on important communications materials. We make sure your copy is the best it can be.


About Copy Editing

Editing takes your copy from an 8 out of 10 to a 10 out of 10. We’re behind the scenes and you never notice us but anytime you read flawless copy, you can bet it has been meticulously scrutinized by a copy editor.

Most editing falls somewhere on the spectrum from a “light proofread”—for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation—to a “full edit” for meaning, clarity and readability, logic, word choice, style and nuance.  

People tend to underestimate how much editing they need, and people outside the publishing industry may refer to everything as "proofreading" or "editing" without distinction.

For example, a legal filing is a document that might require a straightforward mechanical edit and proofread, albeit to a high standard.

Towards the other end of the spectrum, most projects involve some degree of cutting, rewriting, and consultation with the author to ensure any edits preserve the author’s meaning. At this stage, we are considering more deeply how the copy will be received - and acted upon - by its target readership.

We may suggest rewrites and then confirm the intended meaning and message with the author. Of course, the final say is yours but our typical client will say,

That’s exactly what I meant!
— a typical client reaction

So you fix mistakes?

It's about a lot more than fixing mistakes, although we think we're rather spectacular at this. It's about retaining your brand's voice while finessing the copy to make sure it's the best it can be to reach — and move — its target reader.


Choosing an Editor

Choosing an editor for your copy is a crucial decision. Editing is an unregulated profession. Anyone can call himself or herself an editor. Having said this, most editors are extremely diligent and conscientious, dedicated to making their clients look good. At a minimum, whatever the project, insist that your editor has degrees and experience. These are your must-haves.

Most editors will review or edit a short sample of your text, either free or for a nominal fee. This is a good chance to make sure there’s a strong match between their skills and your requirements.

In addition, a working knowledge of your content area can be helpful. Our founder once edited a book about Chinese philosophy that had been written by a Korean professor. It had been written in excellent English but still contained complex concepts that were hard to express and translate to English:

[The Chinese philosophy book] was one project early in my editing career I probably should have turned down. I was used to translation issues but on top of that, the subject matter was so esoteric . . . at times, it was difficult to understand what [the author] was saying. Whereas with something like investment research, not only can I polish up the copy but I can’t help thinking like an investor as I’m reading: ‘is the author’s analysis persuasive and would I act on his or her recommendations?’
— Lorne G. Ruffell, founder

Contact us for a free consultation.