Proofreading and translation. What are the differences?

Translation comes in different varieties. It can be direct, it can involve localization or it can be contextual, simultaneous, consecutive, certified (sworn)… The list is endless. Regardless of the type of translation, you should consider adding text review (proofreading), which aims at guaranteeing the highest level of language correctness. Proofreading and translation – why does it matter?

Translation with proofreading included

What does proofreading services involve?

It’s worth starting with an explanation of what proofreading involves. Although it may sound a bit mysterious, a proofreading service simply consists of adjusting text (in our case a translation) to correct any errors and typos. It is done by a specialised proofreader who deals with a document delivered by a translator.

Proofreading and editing

From a procedural point of view, there are significant differences between proofreading and text editing. The two tasks differ as follows:

● proofreading aims to ensure linguistic correctness. The proofreader then checks primarily for typos, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors;      

● text editing is correcting everything else. The editor pays attention first of all to the style, repetition, overuse of words in a foreign language, the use of phrasemes, logical coherence, shortening sentences … and many other elements of the text.      

So if you want your documents to have language correctness ensured, choose proofreading. If you want the text to be attractive in terms of style, syntax and simply sound good – choose the editing service. With regard to translations, text proofreading is most often chosen, although many elements of editing are also provided with proofreading done by a native speaker.

Why is it worth ordering a proofreading service for translation service?

Is it worth ensuring proofreading for a translation? If so, does it always have to be an in-depth review and not just a simple verification? At this point, let’s take the translation you order at dogadamycie.pl as a starting point. After we prepare an online quote, you will be faced with choosing one of three service levels:

1.               Translation (Economy)

2.               Translation with verification (Business)

3.               Translation with native speaker proofreading (Premium)

Translation includes the work of one translator. This means that his/her translation will not be checked by another person. So in practice, if he/she makes a typo, no one can correct it. As lingy.pro, we pay great attention to the quality of the translations, but a translator, like every human being, can have a bad day sometimes. And this may cause some errors to occur.

Proofreading aims to prevent such minor linguistic blunders. All because two people watch over the translation, namely, a Translator and a Reviewer. Another person’s task is to verify that the given translation meets our quality standards and complies with the generally accepted linguistic correctness. In our case, verification is the same as proofreading.

Translation with a native speaker proofreading, on the other hand, aims to ensure the most natural sound of the text. In practice, this means adapting content to the culture and the vocabulary actually used by a given audience. Thus, such service includes elements of proofreading and text editing combined. The entire translation is then checked in terms of style, the vocabulary used and, if necessary, the native speaker makes the required changes in these areas.

Proofreading vs. translation – when should they be ordered?

Following this line of reasoning, ordering proofreading for translation is a guarantee of an even better text you will receive from us. This is ideal for content intended for professional use. Thus, it is worth thinking about proofreading whenever you order:

● website translation;      

● translation of marketing content;      

● translation of commercial documents;      

● translation of an offer, brochure or company catalogue;      

● translating articles intended for a blog;      

● translation of product descriptions;      

● and other professional content.      

To say it briefly: proofreading is recommended wherever you care about the highest possible linguistic correctness. In such a case, it will involve work with all kinds of documents and texts that you use in your professional activity, whether it’s your daily work, scientific or business activity.

Proofreading of a ready translation

There may also be situations where you have a translation ready, but you realised with time that you will use it for professional purposes. Does this mean that you have to order the translation again and proofread the text? Fortunately, no. You just need to choose proofreading as a separate service. You will also find this type of solution at dogadamycie.pl.

When would such a service be required? The range of different possibilities is really wide. Speaking from experience, we can indicate the most common of them, namely:

1.               You ordered a translation of documents intended only to be used internally by your employees. It turned out, however, that this document is a perfect complement to the offer that you will present to a foreign client. Proofreading will be the perfect solution in this case.

2.               You wrote a research paper that you presented at a conference. You ordered a translation for it because you wanted to show it to a foreign friend. It turned out that an international scientific symposium is planned soon and you can present your work. However, you will need a fully professional translation. All you have to do is order a proofreading service for the translation you already have.

Do you always need proofreading?

You can also see from the examples above that you don’t always need proofreading. Take the first case, regarding company documents. For example, if you work or lead an international team and want to translate all internal documentation to English, you would want to do it at the lowest possible cost. Ultimately, the point is to make the content understandable to foreign associates. The same goes for a research paper or blog article that you will only want to share with a friend.

However, it is worth keeping in mind one simple rule. Whenever a translation is used professionally, you should remember about proofreading at least. Ultimately, you want to be seen as a professional. Poor and incorrect translation will harm your image, therefore we advise you to hire the best translation companies if possible.

Proofreading and translation at lingy.pro

However, if you are not sure what type of translation you will need, feel free to contact us. We are a professional translation agency and will be happy to provide professional assistance and suggest the appropriate type of service for your case. We are available at any time of the day or night. We will help you to communicate in over 60 languages spoken around the world.

We provide professional translation services. You will find everything you need in the area of language translations. Are you looking for a proofreading service? We have it in our offer. Translation of a website, commercial offer or research work? We will help you as much as possible. We will take care of your translations, including translations of videoconferences, online business meetings or medical documentation. We also offer sworn translation and certified translation services online. It’s best to find out for yourself how we operate. Feel free to find out for yourself!

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Professional translation of your documents? We will take care of it!