Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Your Simple Guide To The 3 Types of Translation Review
Your Simple Guide To The 3 Types of Translation Review
The three types of translation review all have the same purpose:
to ensure your translation is of the quality you need.
So, what are the differences between them and when should you insist on each
one?
This article answers those questions and explains exactly how to carry out each type
of review.
It’ll arm you with the information you need to always adopt the best review
option for your translations – and so get the quality you want.
Review Type 1: Translator self-review
What is it?
A review of the translation by the translator before delivery.
What is it?
A review of the translation by a second translator before delivery.
This is a separate and additional step to the initial translation process – it’s carried
out after the initial translator provides their ‘final’ translation.
What is it?
A review of certain aspects of a completed translation by a client internal or in-
country native speaker.
Technical review
If:
the materials are tech-heavy and it’s critical the best terminology is used
you use company-specific terms or jargon that need to be translated in a
certain way
there are technical aspects that the translators could have misinterpreted and
so translated incorrectly or less than ideally (eg steps or processes in
instruction manuals or help files).
reading through the translation checking that everything makes sense, is easy
to follow, and uses appropriate vocabulary, or
having a glossary or list of key terms and systematically checking how these
have been handled throughout the translation.
Branding and style: by reading through the translation to see that it has the right
tone and will generate the effect you want.
Consistency: by using a checklist or style guide and systematically checking the
translation for conformity.
has advanced language ability in both languages – without this they can
misunderstand or miss nuances of meaning, and
is thorough and pays attention to detail – more the perfectionist, quality-
focused personality type rather than broad picture or high output person, and
understands how it needs to be done to get best results, particularly the need
to work from hard copies and with small chunks of text – see here for the best
practice in reviewing for translation accuracy.
If they’re authorised to make changes, they’ll also need excellent writing skills – see
next section.
Wording/Quality of expression
A native speaker with excellent writing ability in that language and text style.
This is needed to ensure any changes are clearly and naturally worded using
appropriate vocabulary.
Don’t just assume someone is a good writer – most people aren’t! To know for
sure, you need direct experience of their formal writing skills. Don’t rely on general
academic achievement as it isn’t a good indicator.
And don’t even consider someone writing in their second language – they are most
unlikely to have the necessary skills.
2: Spell out who has ultimate responsibility for the translation wording
Is your reviewer free to make any changes they want to the translation? Or will these
go back to the translator to either implement or consider?
If your reviewer has carte blanche, bear in mind that nobody will be checking any
changes they make are appropriate. You’ll need to be sure they’ll do a professional
job.
3: Make sure your reviewer is the right person for the job
Someone who doesn’t have the required skillset or personality may not be as
thorough or accurate as you want. They may even make ill-advised changes to the
translation.
So it’s essential you choose your reviewer wisely. Our suggestions above on the
skills needed for each type of post-translation review will help.
Conclusion
We’ve explained the three types of translation review and what each should achieve.
A translator self-review is integral to best practice translation processes and required
to rectify potential wording and accuracy issues remaining after an initial translation.
All professional translators should automatically self-review their work.
A second translator peer review adds an extra level of quality control. It requires
an unwavering focus across a multi-step process. You should insist on a peer review
whenever you need a high-quality translation.
There are several possible forms of post-translation client review. Whether you need
one depends on the importance of your materials and the level of confidence you
have in your translators and their processes. It’s essential your reviewer has the
right skillset and adopts sound methodology.