The proofreading stage of a translation project involves much more than checking for typographical errors. Excel Translations projects, for example, go through several rounds of proofreading after formatting (typesetting) is completed.
Mechanical proofreading compares the source to the target, checking for completion, proper font display, graphics, and general layout. This task is done by an experienced person with a great eye for detail. Often the proofreader finds things worth questioning for a linguist. For example, he/she might find two different translations for the same source word, such as “Warning”. The linguist will be asked to clarify or correct it.
Linguistic proofreading is done by a native speaker of the language, who checks not only for spelling, grammar, etc. but also for readability and style. The proofreader will also detect any inconsistencies in terminology.
After the typesetter has implemented all the corrections found during proofreading, then another review of the translation is done. This is done by the same mechanical proofreader. First, he/she checks that all the corrections are implemented properly and that any linguistic questions are handled. Often a mechanical proofreader is checking several languages for one project, and may detect patterns among the translations and may request further corrections for consistency….which are also verified on the next round.
This specific focus on different types of proofreading yields extremely high quality translations.
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