Editor, translator, word nerd

I am a historian and writer with expertise in Spanish and Latin American history, language and culture. I draw on a decade in academia and fluency in multiple languages to help both academic and non-academic writers make their work more clear, readable and intellectually fulfilling. I especially love working with those for whom English is a second language!

Editing and Translation Work: the Basics and Beyond

  • Basic Copy Editing

    You’re good on structure and ideas but want help eliminating typos, fixing repetitive words and phrasing and improving writing at the sentence level.

  • Structure and Transitions

    You’re good on the ideas but need help with structure—the flow of argument and evidence—or with paragraph-level organization.

  • Developmental Editing

    You’ve got lots of material and ideas but are struggling with the big picture—argument, story and meta-level organization. As a developmental editor I work intensively with you to build a piece of writing from the bottom up.

  • Translation: From Spanish, French, Portuguese

    I am available for translation of original work in any of the above three languages. I also work with pieces written in English by non-native speakers who want their writing to be more idiomatic and fluid.

Read More

  • Teresa is a superb editor and I was lucky to be able to work with her. She helped me rebuild several chapters of my academic monograph by identifying the most productive structure and by improving language, argumentation, and clarity at section, paragraph and even sentence level. She took the time to understand my project at the beginning and then worked very efficiently, responsively, and collaboratively with me. I recommend her work unreservedly to anyone wrestling with their own manuscript.

    Dr. Simon Jackson, History Dept., University of Birmingham, UK

  • Working with Teresa was inspiring, refreshing, and most importantly, extremely helpful. She went beyond simple edits. She made a thorough reading of the text and gave detailed explanations of what worked and what didn't and why. She also offered thoughtful recommendations on structure, transitions, word choices, and rewording of key sentences. My texts dramatically improved after working with Teresa and I am extremely thankful.

    Dr. Margarita Fajardo, History Dept., Sarah Lawrence College

  • Teresa Davis is an amazing editor. A keen reader, she is attuned not only to small details but also to the broader questions and issues that are at stake. I worked with Teresa on two articles in the field of medieval and early modern history and it was an extremely rewarding experience. In addition to her stylistic comments and suggestions, I really appreciate her analytical input. I would highly recommend working with Teresa.

    Dr. Yanai Israeli, Assistant Professor of History and Judaic Studies, University of Michigan