I just got back from a long road trip. While traveling, I noticed a few proofreading errors in marketing materials that were worthy of a Jay Leno spot.
1. A truck stop billboard ad said. “EAT HERE! (Get Gas Later).”
2. A road service billboard ad: “24-HOUR TOE SERVICE!”
3. A menu at a major hotel chain restaurant offered “A side of fires“. The embarrassed server reported that it was the 2nd printing with the error–when they changed the menu they missed it again!
The moral of this post: Remember to take the extra time to proofread your marketing copy to make sure you mean what you say and say what you mean.
Anyone else have any funny proofreading errors? Feel free to comment.
As a professional proofreader, I’m always on the lookout for spelling and word usage errors. It’s just a way of life.
Here’s one of my favorites, seen on a hand-lettered sign in front of a bait shop:
“Shinners and bait for strippers”
Makes you wonder what that bait might be…
I often tell my clients that proofreading your own work is like removing your own tonsils–possible, but not recommended. Especially if you’ve had a hand in the creation of something, you really need an objective pair of eyes to give it a final look.
Myself included–I misspelled “proofreading” in the above sentence, and was lucky to catch it just before submitting my comment!