Innovation in Translation, Quality of Translation

The quality of a translation is an important part of the translation process. This means a good translator won’t just carry out a translation and then close down his or her computer. The best ones will double-check their translations. This means checking for accuracy in grammar and spelling and this doesn’t mean using a computerised tool to do the job but actually carrying out a check manually is necessary to ensure every aspect of the translation is correct. As well as checking the basic accuracy facts need to be verified too. After this the translator has to carefully read the translated text and make sure it fits the targeted audience. Due to the importance of quality of translation a translator usually takes every translation through several draft stages before submitting it to the project’s manager who will approve the translation before it’s sent onto the client. 

The process of ensuring a quality translation.

The proof reader comes first and checks for typos, problematic layouts and mistakes in grammar and spelling. The editor is next in line and he or she concentrates on the fluency and style of the translation ensuring it feels just right when read. An editor also needs considerable knowledge of the subject matter to ensure there are no serious blunders in the translated text. If it’s a legal or medical text sometimes the translator or project manager will call upon a subject matter specialist to go over the text and alter anything that’s either incorrect or ambiguous.

Back translation is sometimes used so that the client is quite sure that the translation is correct. This is when a new translator is asked to engage with the text and will convert it back into its source language from the new translation. The 2 source-language texts can be compared which ensures that the translation has been accurate. This is more likely to take place when the document is high value and any mistranslation could lead to losing an order or even result in a lawsuit if the info was wrong and someone got hurt due to instructions in the translation being ambiguous or wrong. 

Translation services are always on the look-out for innovation in translation so that time can be cut down on certain parts of the translation task. Online tools can simplify some of the tasks but they can’t be relied upon completely so a human translator needs to present to ensure that the quality of translation meets the requirements set by the targeted audience.