Learn French: Je suis sur le point de finir la relecture de cette thèse. - I am about to finish the proofreading of this thesis.

Être sur le point de followed by an infinitive means "to be about to" or "to be on the verge of." It expresses a highly immediate future, even closer than je vais finir (I am going to finish). It emphasizes that the action is mere moments away from happening.

How does this immediate future expression compare to using d'ici peu?

While both express things happening soon, sur le point de finir means you are literally moments away from being done. If you used the time limit phrase from this lesson and said Je vais finir d'ici peu (I will finish shortly), the timeframe is still close, but slightly less immediate.

Why is "proofreading" translated as relecture?

Relecture literally translates to "re-reading" (combining the prefix re- with lecture, meaning "reading"). In academic and professional contexts, it is the standard French term for "proofreading" or "copy-editing."

Does thèse mean "thesis" in the sense of a main argument in an essay?

It can refer to a theoretical argument, but in an academic context like this sentence, a thèse specifically means a doctoral dissertation (a PhD thesis). If you want to talk about an undergraduate or master's thesis, you would typically use the word mémoire.