Proofreading is the most important and central part of any writing process. It becomes even more critical when professional translation is the subject at hand.
However, proofreading a translated document does not just look for random spelling errors, grammatical errors, and punctuation marks. In fact, a linguist should be extremely well-versed in both the source and target languages. Otherwise, the final text will be brimming with mistakes.
That said, proofreading plays an essential role in ensuring the quality and accuracy of the final text. So, whether it’s English to Spanish translation services or translation between any other pair, devising a proofreading approach is mandatory in order to correct, edit, and polish the final translation.
The difference between editing and proofreading
Many people have no understanding of the core differences that exist between editing and proofreading. As a result, they use both processes interchangeably.
By this, we don’t mean that translation editing and proofreading don’t share any similarities. In fact, they show very similar characteristics. But the major difference between the two is that both of them focus on different elements of the overall editing and revision process.
The translation editing can begin as soon as the professional translator finishes their translation job. After an editor has checked the translated content for any writing issues, the proofreading process can come into the equation.
The job of the editor is to make sure that the final text has clear language. For this purpose, they will evaluate the sentence structure, word choice, and style of the content. Doing so will enhance the tone of the final translation and make it more readable for the end users.
Once the editor is beautifully done with their job, it’s time for the proofreading to be the primary focus. During proofreading, a professional linguist ensures that the final translation is grammatically correct and has no major inconsistencies in it. If the final text has any punctuation, spelling, or grammar issues, they will flag them.
Best strategies for translation editing and proofreading
In this section, we’ll discuss some top strategies you can employ to edit and proofread your translated text painlessly and effectively. So, let’s begin.
Understand the context
Don’t dive straight into the editing or proofreading process. In fact, any experienced linguist will try to clearly understand the context in which the translated version is going to make an impact. Therefore, if you’re dealing with French translation services or translation into any other language, you must grasp the purpose of translation and the intended audience in particular. This will help you decide what kind of language to use in your work as well as devise a powerful strategy for editing and proofreading.
Look for a distraction-free place
Seems an obvious one? Yes, it is because concentration is necessary for carrying out editing and proofreading. If a professional sits in a place with a lot of background noise, they will find it difficult to concentrate on their job. This holds very true especially if the translator is working from home and the kids are playing in the room.
Therefore, it’s important that you find a quiet, peaceful, and distraction-free environment away from your phone. It would be great if you are performing the job without internet access. When you’re disconnected from the internet, you will find it easy to get rid of the distracting notifications as well as the urge to check your inbox.
When you’re sitting in a place like this, finding out grammar issues, and things like poor sentence structure becomes effortless.
Set your work aside and take a break
An editor or proofreader needs a lot of focus. That’s where they need to set their word aside and take regular breaks. As per studies, most people begin to lose concentration after 20 minutes. Therefore, one should commit to taking breaks and gaining distance even if it’s for a few minutes.
Wonder why?
You have been working on a long project for hours or days. Spending this much time on the same document makes it harder to notice mistakes. With this in mind, when you return from a short break, it will help refresh your brain and get a new perspective.
If you’re working on a tight deadline, a 15-minute break will do just fine. In case you can spare some time, then the ideal approach is to let your document sit for at least one night. You will witness renewed attention coming back to work after a break.
Don’t fix too much all at once
Give separate time and energy to each editing and proofreading task. Doing structural editing can be a good starting point. In this stage, you can assess the overall flow and clarity of the translated work. Moreover, you can also add, move, or delete certain sections of the document to make any changes.
In the next step, you can go for line editing where you can revise each line for clear communication and delivery of the message. Once line editing is done, you can do copy editing. After you have worked your magic as an editor, it’s time to proofread the text at the final stage. This will remove any remaining errors the editor missed.
Thus, when you approach the editing and proofreading step by step, you can expect better outcomes. Otherwise, you will risk losing focus and concentration which would make your review less effective.
