Johan Emerson Grobler
Johan is an experienced language practitioner. He holds a BA in languages and an Honours in Philosophy from Stellenbosch University (South Africa).
He is fluent in English and Afrikaans, and proficient in Portuguese, French and Dutch.
He has been an associate of Ilse Evertse since March 2007.
Johan started his professional life as a proofreader and technical writer. Then came editing, translation, copywriting, PR, feature articles, SEO, children’s books and screenwriting.
He has had the opportunity to edit a paper by micro-credit pioneer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus (Grameen Bank).
He loves editing because, besides the content, which is generally a privilege to read, this immerses him in the nuts and bolts of English.
Warning! Johan often finishes other people’s coffee, with or without their consent.
Ilse Evertse
After studying languages, Ilse graduated at the University of Stellenbosch (South Africa) and taught English as a second language. These were valuable years, during which she learned the pitfalls faced by those writing in a language that isn’t their mother tongue.
For many years, she wrote novels while raising her twin sons. Gradually, it dawned on her that she was a better editor than a novelist.
She has served as an editor of academic texts and books for approximately 25 years, but has also edited many non-academic books and manuals. To date, she has never advertised, as her client base has grown by word-of-mouth, and stretches across the world.
She has a number of hand-picked native English associates. At a stage when most people are thinking of retirement, she is still involved in exciting projects and books, some of which are for clients whom she first got to know as students.
In 1992, she relocated to The Hague with her Dutch-born husband, Jan. From here, with her laptop on her back, she can travel the world – often visiting clients whom she usually only knows through Skype and emails – editing all the while. This is truly the best job in the world!