We’re often asked why we recommend proofreading. Surely the lead linguist will proofread their own work? Won’t translations be good enough on the first round? Translation is not a science. Neither is it an art. It’s both.
Good translation is as true to the original as possible, in form, tone, terminology and finish. If ten linguists translated a document, you’d be guaranteed ten different versions. Similar, but never exact.
When writing anything, it a good idea to read through what you have written. This gives a linguist the chance to correct spelling, grammar and syntax, whilst reviewing the general palatability of the text. However, a second perspective is always recommended. Even the top writers in the world have proofreaders, editors and validators. It is an added quality assurance measure.
The proofreader often suggests changes to improve readability, terminology consistency, sentence length (in some languages, the translated word count can exceed the source by 30%) and other improvements.
These suggestions are sent back to the translator for review. No writer or translator is arrogant enough to believe they never make mistakes. It happens to all. As a general rule of thumb, anything being published for the general public should be proofread. Everything else is your call.
Not proofReading is Risky. We hope thats clere enouf.