Poll: How many times do you proofread your translations?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jun 29, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many times do you proofread your translations?".

This poll was originally submitted by Irène Guinez. View the poll results »



 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 11:43
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
It depends Jun 29, 2018

Many of my jobs are small, and some of the smallest - a couple of hundred words or less - can be proofread almost at a glance.

I look up specific details before I start translating. I check each sentence as I translate, then check a PDF or printout of the target, away from the CAT, all in one run.
Or catalogue lists - are the units and abbreviations correct, quantities etc. all there and localised? If the client is paying the minimum rate, they may need to check and coordina
... See more
Many of my jobs are small, and some of the smallest - a couple of hundred words or less - can be proofread almost at a glance.

I look up specific details before I start translating. I check each sentence as I translate, then check a PDF or printout of the target, away from the CAT, all in one run.
Or catalogue lists - are the units and abbreviations correct, quantities etc. all there and localised? If the client is paying the minimum rate, they may need to check and coordinate with other languages, but I translate my section, then check again, and deliver.

Larger jobs have to be checked, revised, and preferably revised again the next day. Consistency of terminology and capitalisation etc. throughout the job, references to earlier work for the same client, style, whatever, are more important in larger jobs. I check for different things in several runs. I may not actually read the text all the way through many times, but I search and check or replace first one thing and then another.

I find all that very boring, and lose concentration more easily than I used to! But I have also learned that if I get it right first time, i.e. plan the translation before I start, then there are very few actual errors to correct afterwards, so I can always deliver a usable text when I am tired of proofreading and editing.
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Debora d'Amato (X)
Sheila Wilson
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:43
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Twice Jun 29, 2018

A wise colleague once told me: you can't read for sense and for errors at the same time. It has to be two separate passes. I have followed that advice ever since.

Debora d'Amato (X)
Christine Andersen
Anthony Mazzorana (X)
Marja Härmänmaa
Ventnai
Marta Oliete
neilmac
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 10:43
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It depends... Jun 29, 2018

... from one to three or more. I’ll go over my translation how many times I feel the text needs even for those clients who thoroughly proofread my work and then send the translation back for my input.

Marja Härmänmaa
Sheila Wilson
 
Ricki Farn
Ricki Farn
Germany
Local time: 11:43
English to German
It depends Jun 29, 2018

... on the Service-Level Agreement with the client.

Calling it that is quite IT, but the concept is sort of universal, isn't it?


 
Gudrun Maydorn (X)
Gudrun Maydorn (X)  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 11:43
English to German
+ ...
Twice Jun 29, 2018

Once before clean-up, including spell check. And a second time after clean-up with a detailed comparison against the source text, including any layout issues.

 
Debora d'Amato (X)
Debora d'Amato (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 11:43
English to Italian
+ ...
The necessary Jun 29, 2018

Once if it's a little job; twice, at least, if it's a bigger one. I'd rather take a few minutes more to have a better translation than save time but stay doubtful about some points of the text.

 
Maria Drangel
Maria Drangel  Identity Verified
Sweden
Local time: 11:43
English to Swedish
+ ...
I replied "once" but... Jun 29, 2018

...it depends on how you view it. After finishing a segment, I go over it the segment again before I move on to the next segment. Then I always proofread the whole translation in Trados-mode. After that I save the translation "to target" and then I go over the target file, which quite often is a Word-file in my case again. So come to think of it, I guess I proofread it more than once...

 
Osama Elalwany
Osama Elalwany  Identity Verified
Egypt
Local time: 12:43
English to Arabic
+ ...
twice Jun 29, 2018

It depends on the project's deadline.
But, it is better to let another one proofread it, because after translation you don't have any thing to add or edit. You did your best, so let another one proofread it.


Kaisa I
 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 11:43
Spanish to English
+ ...
It depends on... Jun 29, 2018

The job or the client. For example, I've just finished a short translation of fewer than 200 words, so I proofread it once or twice. The other day I did one which was about 7000 words, and I also proofread it once or twice once I had the initial draft as well; however, I had already proofread most of the segments as I went along, so I didn't think it needed much more checking. It also depends on the complexity of the content - for example, for some translations I also get a trusted colleague to ... See more
The job or the client. For example, I've just finished a short translation of fewer than 200 words, so I proofread it once or twice. The other day I did one which was about 7000 words, and I also proofread it once or twice once I had the initial draft as well; however, I had already proofread most of the segments as I went along, so I didn't think it needed much more checking. It also depends on the complexity of the content - for example, for some translations I also get a trusted colleague to revise my initial draft for me before I prepare the final version for delivery to the client.Collapse


 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 05:43
German to English
+ ...
Generally twice, but... Jun 30, 2018

I check once for language (quality of target language, all aspects), and once for translation (all meaning conveyed etc.). But depending on the nature and complexity of the text it might be more.

 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 07:43
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
It depends... Jun 30, 2018

I re-read all segments immediately after the translation, and make the due changes.
Once the document is completed, I do the regular spelling, grammar and quality checks.
Then I export the document (CAT to original format), and do the spelling/grammar check in Word and Grammarly.
This is routine for ALL translations.

Now proofreading the entire thing again depends on several factors. If it's an "easy" transaltion, in an area I'm comfortable with, and I think the t
... See more
I re-read all segments immediately after the translation, and make the due changes.
Once the document is completed, I do the regular spelling, grammar and quality checks.
Then I export the document (CAT to original format), and do the spelling/grammar check in Word and Grammarly.
This is routine for ALL translations.

Now proofreading the entire thing again depends on several factors. If it's an "easy" transaltion, in an area I'm comfortable with, and I think the translation was good, I won't do the whole proofreading again, for a simple reason: I used to do it in all documents before, with very rare changes. I stopped doing it, and I rarely receive any comments from clients. So it ends up being an unnecessary waste of time.

For documents in other areas, that require a lot of researching and re-reading, then I'll do the full proofreading thing.
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Poll: How many times do you proofread your translations?






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