Line Editor (Native US English), 32k-Word Nonfiction Book, Remove the "Translated" Feel

I'm the author of a published self-help / psychology book (approx. 32,000 words, 15 short chapters) originally written in Croatian and translated into English. The English edition is live on Amazon. Early reader feedback: the ideas land, but the prose "reads like a mechanical translation." I'm preparing a revised interior and I need a native ear, not a rewrite. What the job is A line edit focused on voice and rhythm. The manuscript has already been through a developmental pass and one structural editing pass, so the content, chapter order, and stories are locked. Your job is to make the prose sound like it was written in English by a person, sentence by sentence. Specifically, you will: Flag and fix anything that still sounds translated: unnatural collocations, calqued constructions, non-native punctuation habits Smooth rhythm where sentence patterns repeat too uniformly (the original rhetorical style leans on short punch sentences; some should stay, most stacking should go) Replace constructions that read as formulaic in current American prose Correct any remaining grammar or usage slips Preserve the author's voice: direct, confrontational, second-person, occasionally provocative. Do not soften it, do not add hedging, do not make it "nicer" What the job is not No developmental editing, no restructuring, no cutting or adding content No changes to client stories, medical disclaimers, or chapter endings beyond sentence-level polish No ghostwriting Hard requirement: no AI tools. The entire point of this pass is a human ear. Use of ChatGPT, Claude, Grammarly's generative features, or similar on this manuscript is grounds for immediate contract termination without payment for the affected milestone. You will be asked to confirm this in writing. Turnaround speed inconsistent with human editing will be treated as a red flag. Deliverables Full manuscript in Word with Track Changes (every edit visible, nothing silently rewritten) A short editorial memo (1 page max): recurring patterns you fixed, anything you'd flag for the author's attention Ideal background Native speaker of American English Line editing experience with published trade nonfiction (self-help, psychology, or big-idea nonfiction preferred) Experience editing translated manuscripts is a strong plus You can show 2–3 published books you line edited To apply Start your proposal with the word LOCOMOTIVE so I know you read this. Then answer, briefly: What's the difference between a line edit and a copyedit, in your own words? Name one published book you line edited and what the manuscript's main weakness was. Confirm you will not use AI tools on this project. Proposals that are generic, AI-written, or skip the questions will be declined without reply.