She has provided clients with structural editing advice, or undertaken that herself, so that manuscripts, brochures, documents and training manuals read logically.
She undertakes copy-editing, reference and fact-checking where required.
If you need an eagle-eyed proof-reader, Barbara scrutinises documents using recognised, up-to-date references to ensure a polished product.
And if you need a freelance indexer to analyse and index the contents of your ‘book’ so that a reader can easily access what he or she wishes to find, Barbara has much experience in creating useful and comprehensive indexes.
Barbara is able to write, or rewrite, copy for your company websites, using the SEOs that your marketing team has identified. Where companies have multiple versions of a corporate website, the copy of each website will be made relevant to the country in which your company operates.
Perhaps you are looking for a freelance writer to create company profiles for your website or brochures? She is more than up to the task.
Looking for someone to write a powerful speech for one of your company executives? Or to co-create a presentation with graphic design or videography professionals? Barbara brings a fresh perspective to the creative process.
Barbara is the author of one of South Africa’s bestselling titles on intercultural interaction and diversity, Clues to Culture, as well as fable, The Wisdom of Hiss.
More than 50 000 copies have been sold in South Africa and the title continues to be the go-to reference for schools, the hospitality industry, hospices, corporate business and the general public. It is published and sold by One Life Media cc.
This quirky Afro-cosmic novella, written as a fable, has been sold to schools in South Africa and the United Kingdom. It has been written for enjoyment by listening audiences, and published, in a limited edition, for those who appreciate high production value. The story can be enjoyed by old and young alike. The title is available from One Life Media cc.
Your editing of our document [annual report] was done meticulously and timeously. I have confidence to approach you in the future knowing that you will render a first-class service when it comes to editorial services.
Thank you
I would just like to say a big thank-you for the great work you did on my doctoral thesis. I am happy to inform you that the thesis passed with no corrections required. It was really nice working with you, and I very much hope we can work together in future.
My heartfelt thanks to Barbara Elion--she is a masterful editor! Her exacting, comprehensive and elegant copy-editing has turned my manuscript into"the best possible book." I look forward to many more projects with her. With warm respect and gratitude
Barbara’s writing and proof-reading services are superb. She has superior verbal, written and communication skills. She helped us get a major presentation or article out the door timeously and accurately. We truly could not have pulled this together without her help and expertise.
Barbara spends hours reading, researching anything and everything from current affairs to blog sites in order to present her best work – capturing our intentions not some of the time but all of the time. She is a strategic planner ensuring she reaches the target audience with speech-writing.
She holds her personal communication skills close to her heart and has the ability to compile our stories of interest and personal cause as well as that of our philanthropy work into a magnificent read whilst always aiming to adapt her style to meet the needs and character of a young, dynamic, fast-paced company as well as their investors’ needs.
I have definitely become very aware of my use of commas and semi-colons – to the extent that I may be over-using the hyphen/dash. The workshop was very interesting – particularly the pure grammar. I rely heavily on my “ear” for things as opposed to strict rules. It was interesting finding out the level of my technical knowledge, and lack thereof, and identifying the bits that I routinely get wrong.
I really enjoyed the session. It has made me more conscious and aware of the manner in which I communicate. I did not realise how much I had forgotten since high school.
Barbara was instrumental in assisting with developing the Diversity Programme at … and I relied heavily on her consulting skills in my endeavour as Programme Manager to build an initiative to address the many challenges that the company faced amongst its 4500 employees … These challenges included race and gender disparity, employment equity, cultural diversity, geographic spread of the company and the challenges that this presented regarding access to resources, inequality and cultural difference. Barbara also assisted with the facilitation of a groundbreaking workshop where some of these sensitive issues were grappled with and an action plan drafted to address these challenges at team, departmental and business unit level.
Speaking from her own considerable experience, Barbara gave a very thorough and authoritative overview of what it entails to present a professional image as a freelancer. She was comfortable with speaking informally about her subject and creating an easy environment for participation by those attending, yet she conveyed her passion and conviction about professional self-realisation.
Barbara worked for me on the index of a book entitled Imagining the Elephant, a biography of Allan Cormack who shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his contributions to the CAT scanner.
She was an excellent and meticulous indexer, going the extra mile to learn how to use LaTeX which I was using the lay the book out. Often the index is an afterthought, including mostly names of people and places, but Barbara added the professional touch to a book which I considered one of the most important publications of my academic career.
Barbara is based in Cape Town.
email: info@barbaraelion.com
LinkedIn: Barbara Elion