Translation review
The translation review is carried out in two stages:
- checking the translation against the source text;
- review of the translation as a separate text.
Let us look at each of them separately.
Checking the translation against the source text
The revision of the translation must be done alongside the original text, to check that there are no errors of interpretation and that no parts have been omitted. This comparative reading of both texts is preferably done in a format aligned by segments, paragraphs or sections.
In addition to verifying the completeness of the translated text, its correspondence with the source text is analysed:
- in formal aspects: general structure, typographic highlights, notes, numbering, and
- in terms of content.
As these are elements of different levels, it’s advisable to perform at least two readings, one focused on formal comparison and the other, more specific, on conceptual comparison. This last reading resembles content editing in original texts.
In the case of scientific or academic editorial texts, the translation reviewer analyses whether the terminological difficulties posed by the text have been resolved correctly, consistent with editorial standards and conventions. If it is a literary translation, the process examines the extent to which not only the conceptual nuances but also the aesthetic, rhetorical, sensory and emotional effects have been captured in the target language.
A good translator will have done their own thorough proofreading and will make the proofreader’s job much easier. As this is the desirable situation, at textinnova we carefully select the professionals who join our team of editorial translators.
Review of the translation as a separate text
Once the translation has been read and compared with its original, the translated text takes on a life of its own and undergoes the same correction processes that any other publication goes through:
- editing and proofreading before layout;
- proofreading on the first and second proofs of the already typeset text.
Editing
Editing is the phase when the translated text is edited more freely to give it the required natural feel and adapt it to the literary conventions of the target language.
A good editorial translator will have already prepared and refined the text by means of a thorough editing process before submitting it to the editor or editorial manager. In such cases, the proofreader will read the text, just as he/she would with a writer’s manuscript, checking for grammatical, lexical and semantic correctness and compliance with the publication’s style standards.
If, on the other hand, the style of the translation is flawed, as is sometimes the case with writers’ work, the editor will have to intervene more deeply in the text.
Proofreading
The next proofreading phases focus mainly on the following processes:
- spelling and typing checks and correction;
- checking typographical elements (highlighting, spellings, spacing, titles, numbering, notes, etc.);
- composition and structure;
- correspondence between citations and bibliographic references;
- checking notes and numbering;
- matching graphics to the body of the text.
In addition, a host of details are corrected to improve the editing.
What happens when there's already a poor quality translation and you ask us to edit it?
This situation can be a nightmare. Generally speaking, if we’re asked to edit a translation that we have not produced, it’s because someone has found serious deficiencies in it. Fixing a poorly done editorial translation is a much harder job than re-translating the text from scratch.
This type of commission is usually accompanied by tight deadlines, because publication is urgent and the translation has been found not to measure up at the last minute.
In these cases, we prefer that the editing be done correctly over a well-executed translation, and we try to offer the shortest possible delivery time within realistic limits.
Professional post-editing of machine translation
We wouldn’t like to close this chapter on translation edition without referring to a service that has been gaining popularity for some time now: post-editing machine translations, in other words, the professional review of translations done with artificial intelligence software.
The emergence of machine translation systems in the field of editorial translation raises a number of questions:
- Are machine translation systems useful, specifically in the editorial, academic and literary fields?
- Is it worth post-editing the machine translation of a novel or a scientific article?
- Does machine translation reduce the total time human resources spend on the project and thus help to lower costs?
In our experience, the answer to the above questions is clearly yes. Advanced machine translation systems, together with other technologies, simplify the most mechanical and tedious tasks in the translation process. In this way, they allow the translator to focus his or her efforts on the more creative and intellectual part of the job.
Indeed, the adoption of these tools is deeply transforming the editorial translation methodology. As a result, post-editing work now consists of processes such as the following:
- ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the translated text;
- refining the text in grammatical, lexical and discursive aspects;
- avoiding clichés in the linguistic formulation, enriching the text with other lexical and phraseological options;
- systematic use of terminology;
- checking references to authors, works, legislation, concepts, dates, names, etc.;
- improving the coherence and cohesion of the text;
- checking structural aspects;
- applying the rules of style of the publication.
Post-editing work does not end there. Once post-edited, the text takes on a life of its own and the translator must edit it freely until a fully publishable text is achieved.