Imagine this scenario. You have an important marketing collateral to be translated from English into 3 different languages. This collateral needs to be presented to a potential client. You find a professional translation agency that has promised to deliver quick results at an attractive rate.
You sign up with them and they deliver as promised. Later you send these translated presentations to the prospect; unfortunately, the prospect is not impressed with your offering. What might have contributed to the business relationship not going forward? You review the translated documents with a proofreader only to realize that the document is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors.
Though the situation above might sound farfetched, many professional translation service providers fail to deliver accurate translations because of inefficient / non-existing proofreading.
Proofreading involves analyzing the translated (finished) text for spelling errors, grammar, punctuation, capitalization, formatting, etc. Proofreading is as important as the process of translation itself. A well proofread translation ensures that the text is free of any error and adheres to the writing and reading conventions of the target language.
It is important to ensure beforehand that a translation service provider has a strong translation process in place, which also includes proofreading. It is desirable that they have qualified proofreaders in their team.
A proofreader usually checks for the following factors in a document:
One can follow these general tips for proofreading successfully:
A badly proofread document can only harm an otherwise great translation. It might even lead to sour business relationships. Though several software exist in the market to ensure accuracy in a document, human intervention ensures that all aspects of a translation are covered without any errors.
Back to ArticlesRemember to proofread your translation work always.
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