Why Translations Need Additional Proofreading

In the age of instantaneous exposure and connectivity, do you know what the cost of silly translation errors is? It can run into millions, say experts. Yes, as per a recent survey, businesses are losing millions of dollars every year as a result of avoidable errors in translation. And not just that! Translation errors can create a lasting impression of carelessness with your customers. And you can well imagine the extent of damage it inflicts on your credibility when it happens with a first-time customer or is flagged often by a regular customer.

How to avoid this costly mistake?

There is no room for errors in translation services. But given that to err is human, the question is how to avoid such costly mistakes. The answer is to opt for additional proofreading services. Yes, almost all third-party translation service providers give you the opportunity of having your translations proofread. The only issue here is that many customers undermine the importance of it and fail to make the most of the available resources.

How proofreading helps to avoid such mistakes?

A translated document is usually proofread by a senior professional with extensive command over the language. The process involves some well-defined steps designed particularly to spot and weed out both glaring and inconspicuous errors.  Armed with a checklist a proofreader carefully scrutinizes the correctness of every sentences in the document. When he comes across any errors in the tone of the sentence or a paragraph he raises a red flag. For instance, if the title falls short of conveying the true meaning or the introductory paragraph is misaligned with the title, the proofreader may instruct the translator to rework on the document. Much of these nitty-gritty gets overlooked during the translation phase, because the translator is more focused in translating rather than spotting the kinks.

Once this is taken care of, the proof reader scans the doc to spot slip-ups in grammar, punctuation, spelling or word usage. At this stage, the proofreader will also cross-check the authenticity of the mentioned facts and figures. Besides this, the proofreader also ensures that the translated document is formatted properly. When done with the steps, the proofreader carries a second round of reading before submitting the document.

All these steps ensure that the final document is accurate, unambiguous and reaches the target audience in the most appropriate manner.

The bottom-line

The availability of additional proofreading service is an indicator of the quality of service provided by your vendor. So the next time you hire a vendor for translation services try to learn more about their proofreading process.