Most of the time, when clients requiring a translation first contact an independent translator or translation company, they do not expect to be offered various steps for the requested service.
All they know is that they have a text to be translated into a set of languages or particular language. So, let’s take a closer look at every stage of the translation process and their importance.
Translation
Translation means communication of the meaning of a text from one particular language to the targeted language. It’s the transference of information in order to represent the source language document to the target language document. The accuracy, on the other hand, is what make the difference.
Some companies use computer assisted translation tools such as Trados or Wordfast to translate the text, but the problem this method has is that the targeted document doesn’t have a clear vision. In today’s world, it is essential that the transference of the information is accurate and keeps the meaning intact to communicate the exact sense of the original. This perfection can be achieved with the help of linguists as they follow all finer nuances of the language. The linguists generally divide the original text into segments and translate the content segment by segment to exactly mirror the output with the original document.
Editing
Editing generally involves the correction, organization, condensation and many other alterations performed with an intent of producing an accurate, correct, consistent and complete work. In the field of translation, when we refer to editing, it means reviewing what has been completed by the translator; we review the translated document created from the source text. However, the native editor’s task is not about translating the text, but more about revising the whole targeted document. The editor has the option to use the translation tool to ensure that the translator has made a faithful and accurate translation of the original text; that there have been no omissions; that they have understood the text and not missed any single detail and that they have complied with the guidelines given by the customer. They have to ensure that the document and the sentences as a whole make perfect sense in the overall context of the document or project.
Proofreading
Now, we know that the edited and translation work of the original document have been completed, so it is not necessary to refer to the original text in case of correction or proofreading. At this stage, we will focus on the premise that the translated text reads smoothly and sounds natural in the output language, in addition to detecting any inconsistencies in punctuation and capitalisation. Fonts, images and typographical errors must be checked and the documents must be double-checked for formatting related issues.
Every company follows these three stages in order to obtain a final targeted document of the highest quality. Each of these steps is essential with their own benefits and these stages must be clearly explained to clients to make them aware of their importance.