Editing: An Essential Part of Translation

Translators are often dealing with potential customers who are hoping to solve their translation needs in the quickest possible time. When a translator is faced with this situation, they must explain to the customer that translators don’t work alone; they actually work together with other experienced translators. It can be difficult to explain this to a client and have them comprehend why translators don’t work alone, and also why there’s more than one stage to a translation project.

Editing Is a Vitally Important Part of Translation

It should be explained to the client that, regardless of the translator’s experience and the high-quality of the translation, there is still an editing process that must be followed.

Quality Control and Translations

Of course, today, all businesses understand the concept of Quality Control, and this has been readily accepted in most industries; all without unnecessary and lengthy discussions about the obvious benefits. In the translation industry, it’s obvious that translations must be comprehensively re-read in relation to previous projects for the same client, and consideration must be given to the work of technicians and designers who prepare the content of websites

It’s not possible these days to even consider using a single translator to handle an entire translation project that demands high levels of quality. Certainly a translator can add a degree of excellence to a translation project, but they must still work together with their own colleagues, and other professionals in the specific field of the subject of the translation.

These Extras Are Not Optional – They’re Essential

The added costs and time that must be allowed for other professionals are not optional, but are essential when requesting quotations for a translation project because, if a client tries to save money in these areas, they may eventually be forced back to the same translation project in order to correct errors that may have been missed by the translator when she or he attempted to take on too much alone.

We have all seen and read numerous examples of advertising magazines or posters that are annoying and frustrating with incorrect details and issues, both small and large; and one wonders - how on earth could these mistakes not have been noticed? Well, the answer is easy – no editing was carried out on the translation, and there was no Quality Control!