Yes, I know…translators are like Gods, aren’t we?
… //…and we hate when someone “touches” our translations.
But let me tell you, translators do need proofreaders…why? What is the task of a proofreader? How can a proofreader help me?
The proofreader will read your translation with a different view or from a different perspective. He is not attached to the translation as he has not been working with the text all night…suffice it to say …the proofreader reads your translation with fresh eyes.
In today’s globalised world, where communication and the “I needed it yesterday” is the Queen, translators work under a lot of pressure from the clients. They needed the translation yesterday, because they will be giving a conference on the other side of the world tomorrow. And it so happens that they have just prepared the slides for the conference… They need the translation ready so that they can read it on the plane. Have you heard that before? Yes, I’m sure you have. So, translators have to work under pressure, to type fast and, to know they can’t make mistakes because they won’t be able to fix them. And here is where the proofreader gives us a good helping hand…
The proofreader will read our translation, will check that the translator has not made any typos, grammar errors, spelling mistakes and will give the translator fresh opinions about the translation. Perhaps, the proofreader has translated a similar material and he knows there is a better way to say the same thing. The proofreader will also check that nothing is missing and that the translation is ready to be delivered to the client.
So now…we’ve discussed the need of a proofreader…yet why do we still need someone else to read the translation? Why do we need a Translation Quality Manager? ….Check our next post on this subject…
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