In other version control systems, you have to get a local working copy of the repository, which is initially read-only. Then you have to explicitly "check out" a file before you can edit it and then you "check in" once you're done.
In SVN terms, however, "check out" is the operation of creating a local working copy of the repository (or a subtree of it). Once you have the working copy, it is already editable; you don't need to do an explicit action before you can edit the file. SVN will track automatically whether the file was modified locally and once that happens, SVN will offer you "commit" option, which will submit your changes to the repository.