The Good, the Bad and the Incoherent: A Proofreader’s Challenge
There is a text, there are words, all should be right with the world.
But the text is incoherent, the words are mystifying and your world now seems to be spinning out of control.
Translation is never simple, and all the CAT tools, Translation Memories and harried Project Managers in the known universe cannot always ensure a literate, or even readable, outcome, once a project has been sent off to a particular translator.
This is when the Proofreader steps in to save the day, or at least the job.
The job of the proofreader in the translation industry, at least traditionally, is to check a document and to correct any and all errors in spelling, grammar and consistency. It is a task which takes the utmost concentration, because the mind has a delightful tendency to automatically “correct” as it sees or reads, thus missing the obvious.
Times, however, as well as the economy , have brought changes to this field. There seem to be two primary shifts, and they are not unrelated.
First, there has been a marked increase in demand for this service over the last year or two. The second is that the scope of the proofreader’s work has been greatly expanded, at least in terms of the client’s (whether end client or translation agency) expectations. Now proofreaders are often called upon to do tasks that would previously have been assigned to an editor or copy-editor.
The task of editing a text involves a closer, more contextual analysis of the work at hand, crafting the words in a myriad of ways. Choosing a more appropriate word, turning a sentence around, easing the flow of the text until it reads as easily and naturally as it should in the target language.
Now, as to what has brought about these changes, and they have been profound, I would venture the easy hypothesis that it has to do with the underlying shifts in the translation industry itself. With increased globalization, more translations are being outsourced to far-flung translators, often, sadly, not working into their native language. The consequence, obviously, is that these translations then need a serious going-over.
The broadening of the scope of the proofreader’s remit stems from the same issue: in this incredibly competitive market, with prices plummeting constantly, it makes obvious sense for a translation agency to seek value-added work.
Given the state of the current economy, it does little good for translators, proofreaders and agencies to waste their time railing about circumstances. It is, instead, the moment for remembering what they do and for learning how to do it better.
It is time to return to the basics of producing quality work, taking excellent care of one’s clients and collaborators and becoming more nimble, adept and imaginative.
For a thorough exposition of the proofreading process from an agency that indeed understands the virtues of professionalism, quality and added-value, see:
http://www.acutetranslations.com/services/proofreading.aspx