How Editing & Proofreading Support Quality Control

At Mission Translate, we recognise the impact of our translation services, appreciating that we are responsible for ensuring your communication with other global markets is effective and that the standard of our work potentially affects your reputation with your clients, suppliers or stakeholders and, ultimately, your growth. Taking this responsibility seriously, we go the extra mile to ensure our quality control processes are failsafe.

Two steps of quality control within our translation process are editing and proofreading. Below, we share what these steps involve and how they support quality control so that your translation is first-rate.

What is editing?

Editing is stage two of the translation process that is carried out by an independent linguist after the translation. That linguist should be in-country and native to the target language and have proven subject-specialist knowledge.

Editing involves the comparison of the entire translated text against the source text and supporting terminology glossaries. The editor will check for stylistic accuracy and consistency, the correct translation of specific terminology, acronyms and abbreviations and appropriate use of market-specific references. They will also review the text’s spelling, grammar and punctuation, ensure that any tables, charts and figures have been completed accurately and that menus, buttons, or messages are correctly referenced.

The editor will also judge if a translation has been completed in line with the project brief. Have the objectives been fulfilled? For example, are the tone and style appropriate for the demographic of the target audiences?

Editors will often work with the support of CAT (computer-assisted translation) tools, such as our translation memory system in MTHub. These tools allow them to track and flag changes for the original translator to access easily.

How does proofreading differ from editing?

Proofreading is the final check of the entire post-edited, translated file for accuracy and adherence to the brief. Typically, it does not refer to the source text unless clarification on a query is needed.

Proofreaders must also be in-country, native linguists and have subject-specialist knowledge to offer the best evaluation of the translation and its effectiveness.

Proofreading involves checking spelling, grammar and punctuation for accuracy. The proofreader must be meticulous in their work, as even the smallest misplaced punctuation mark can alter the whole meaning of a sentence or a phrase.

Consider these examples widely used when teaching children the importance of punctuation in schools:

Let’s eat, Grandma! (Enjoying a tasty meal together)

Let’s eat Grandma! (Someone likely not to be so tasty!!)

I’m sorry; I love you. (Making up)

I’m sorry I love you. (Not so happy to be in love!)

Subtle inaccuracies, such as these, could falsely affect crucial decisions and have a much wider impact, for example, when translating witness statements for a court decision or medical notes for the diagnosis and treatment of a condition. Examples such as these really highlight the importance of the proofreading role.

Proofreading also ensures that no text has been missed in the translation process, for example, bullet points in a list, heading for tables or graphs or image descriptions. The proofreader will also test that any embedded links work correctly.

All feedback provided by the editor and the proofreader is passed back to the translator for approval before implementation.

The benefits of editing and proofreading

Editing and proofreading are crucial stages in the quality control process of translation. Exceptional quality control creates a high-quality output, which delivers a whole range of benefits, including:

• Improved understanding and reduction of errors

A high-quality translation will ensure complete understanding when information is conveyed across the language barrier.

As mentioned above, the impact of misunderstandings can be life-altering in industries such as health and pharmaceutical, legal or financial sectors. A high-quality translation for businesses training global teams supports improved compliance and reduced operational errors within their company. Meanwhile, for brands seeking to communicate with global consumers, it means a better rate of engagement and increased sales.

• A valid understanding of your market

When conducting market research, the data collected will only be valid if the participants clearly understand the questions. Complete confidence in this understanding is achieved by completing the research in the participant’s native language, using resources that have been accurately and appropriately translated.

• Strengthened client and employee relationships

Effective communication is the foundation of any relationship. For companies working with clients or teams worldwide, high-quality translation enables this successful communication, improving mutual understanding and appreciation, and strengthening relations.

Mission Translate is ISO-accredited for quality control. We care about getting it right for our clients because we appreciate how our service affects your success.

Please follow the link to learn more about our translation, editing and proofreading services. Or to discuss your specific project needs, please get in touch with our team.