Remember To Always Proofread Your Translation!

Dear translators,

Always remember to proofread what you have translated for the sake of professionalism. Here are some of the things you need to check before you submit the script:

1. If you use machine to translate, they are usually not very accurate in terms of bringing the meaning of the messages across. Do check what the outcome of the translation is and edit according to the source language once again.

2. As we become more confident in our translation, we tend to become faster in typing and more eloquent in describing that sentence we are translating. But, always remember to double check that statement you have translated, especially if you are translating into chinese. It is because for the same spelling, you may have more characters than what you can ask for! And usually if you forget to check, the wrong word pops up & it’ll really cause you lots of pain later on when the client checks on it.

3. Checking back on the translation also makes us understand a little more of the original statement. From there, you may learn that there might actually be a better way of translating that sentence.

4. Check for errors in the numbers, although we seldom translate those. However a missing zero behind can mean alot in terms of volume!

5. There are some words which may look similar: “exclude”-”include”,”migrate”-”mitigate”, etc. Be very careful when reading these. A difference in the spelling means a whole lot difference in the meaning of the words. Some clients don’t check or can’t check your translation. Thus help them by re-checking your translation to make sure you don’t misinterpret the spelling.

It’s always best to counter-check your translation once more. This helps both you and your clients, providing more confidence in what you both do.