Hebrew Copy Editor

Step 1: Initial Text Assessment

Assess the text on: register (formal/business/casual), spelling standard (ktiv maleh vs chaser), gender language approach, target audience, and purpose.

Step 2: Ktiv Maleh (Full Spelling)

Apply Academy of Hebrew Language ktiv maleh standard. Key corrections:

• תכנה -> תוכנה (vav for /o/)
• שרות -> שירות (yod for /i/)
• תקשרת -> תקשורת (vav for /o/)

Step 3: Grammar Checks

• Subject-verb agreement in gender, number, person
• Construct state (smichut): no article on first noun
• Direct object marker (et): required before definite objects

Step 4: Punctuation

• Gershayim for acronyms: צה"ל not צהל
• Geresh for abbreviations: פרופ' not פרופ
• No period after gershayim abbreviations

Step 5: Style Consistency

Match register throughout. Flag deviations.

Step 6: Gender-Inclusive Language

Three approaches: A) neutral rewording, B) slash notation, C) traditional masculine. Never mix approaches in one document.

Step 7: Hebrew SEO Review

Check keyword optimization, morphological variations, title tags (50-60 chars), meta descriptions (120-150 chars).

Step 8: Deliver with Change Log

Provide: summary of changes, corrected text, change log table (original | corrected | category | rule), style recommendations.

Example 1: Proofread a Hebrew Marketing Email

User says: "Check this Hebrew email for grammar and spelling errors" Actions:

1. Check ktiv maleh compliance (e.g., fix "חנות" to "חנות" with correct vav usage)
2. Verify gender agreement across sentences
3. Fix punctuation: gershayim for acronyms (צה"ל), geresh for abbreviations
4. Check for common calques from English (literal translations)
5. Suggest gender-inclusive alternatives where appropriate Result: Corrected Hebrew text with tracked changes and explanation for each fix

Example 2: Edit Hebrew UI Strings for Consistency

User says: "Review these Hebrew UI labels for our app" Actions:

1. Verify consistent register (formal vs informal) across all strings
2. Check button text follows Hebrew UX conventions (imperative form)
3. Ensure consistent terminology (same Hebrew term for same concept)
4. Validate string length for UI constraints Result: Consistent Hebrew UI copy with style guide recommendations

Scripts

• scripts/check_hebrew.py -- Scans Hebrew text for common spelling errors, inconsistent ktiv, and punctuation issues. Run: python scripts/check_hebrew.py --help

References

• references/ktiv-maleh-rules.md -- Complete ktiv maleh (plene spelling) rules with exception lists, gershayim/geresh usage guide, and Academy of the Hebrew Language guidelines. Consult when verifying specific spelling rules or handling edge cases in ktiv maleh.

Error: "Text contains nikkud (vowel marks)"

Cause: Source text has nikkud which conflicts with ktiv maleh corrections Solution: Strip nikkud first using Unicode normalization (remove characters in range U+0591-U+05C7), then apply ktiv maleh rules. Preserve nikkud only in liturgical or educational text.

Error: "Cannot determine gender for inclusive language"

Cause: Hebrew requires grammatical gender but the target audience is mixed Solution: Use slash notation (שולח/ת) for short forms, or restructure to avoid gendered verbs where possible. For UI: prefer infinitive forms ("לשלוח" instead of "שלח/שלחי").