Proofreading vs Quality Assurance Checks: What’s the Difference?
At Web-Translations, you’ll often hear us talk about the importance of proofreading files and having Quality Assurance checks. Now, you wouldn’t be alone if you thought these two things were the same– after all, they do sound quite similar!
Despite first appearances however, when we talk about Proofreading and QA Checks, we’re actually talking about different things. Of course, both processes are intended to ensure the highest possible quality of a translation, but the nature of achieving this goal and the moment in which the processes take place are quite different.
So, in order to clear up any confusion we’re going to use this blog to outline a few differences. We hope this helps!
Proofreading
At Web-Translations, all projects are translated and then proofread by a second native, professional linguist as standard. This means that all projects have two pairs of eyes to ensure the highest possible quality, the best use of vocabulary and the minimisation of any minor errors.
This proofreading process takes place before the file is sent to our client for delivery and can often involve discussions between translators and proofreaders as they consider how to produce the best possible translation (something especially applicable if the text is creative in character and requires a bit more thinking than usual).
Within this process, our linguists consider the following:
Practical Components
- Has the translator translated everything?
- Has the translator left any errors in the text relating to punctuation, font or spacing?
- Are there any issues with consistency that need to be fixed?
Technical Components
- Has technical vocab been translated with the best terms?
- Has the client’s style guide been followed throughout the translation?
Stylistic Components
- Does the translation flow as best as it possibly can?
- Have any metaphors or creative language been localised effectively for the target audience?
All in all, this process allows us to ensure that we are delivering the best quality translations to our clients. This is something we do for every single project
Quality Assurance Checks (AKA: In-Situ Review)
These QA checks are an additional step that may take place once we have delivered a project to a client and they have inserted the translations into their finalised format, whether that be an email, a PDF or a web page.
Not all clients opt for this service however we do recommend that this step is included as it allows us to check that the translations look correct in context. During this stage our linguists consider the following:
Visual Components
- Does all of the text fit neatly in boxes/areas, or does it need editing to make it shorter, font size changing or the moving a bit so it looks better?
- Is all of the text in the correct place?
- Is the natural reading order okay for the target language?
- Are line breaks in acceptable places?
- Have any errors been introduced in the typesetting?
- Are accented characters showing correctly?
- Are all elements correct in right-to-left languages such as Arabic?
- Are they any images that need to be localised separately?
As you can see, these checks are all more concerned with the surface-level and design of a document. It’s not so much concerned with the language used and the details of the style written.
And that’s the main difference between a Quality Assurance checks and a Proofreading task really: proofreading is about the detail of the language – QA checks are about how the translations look in their finalised context.
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Lifting the Lid on Proofreading
If you’ve ever had something translated, your translation company will most likely have explained their Proofreading and Quality Assurance procedures. That’s because QA is an integral stage of the translation process.
At Web-Translations, we ensure that all translations are proofread by a second linguist as standard. This is to ensure that we deliver translations of the highest quality.
But, what do we mean by top quality? And, why is it not sufficient to simply use one linguist?
Whilst our translators are experienced and specialised in their field, they are also human beings. Consequently, they sometimes make mistakes.
Although natural and few and far between, mishaps can have damaging consequences for your brand. A typo or a missing word may affect the trust that your customers have in you.
Proofreaders thus give you peace of mind because they catch these errors.
More than simply an editor – a proofreader also checks the accuracy of a translation
So, where do Project Managers fit in? And, what are Project Management QA Checks?
Most translation agencies offer in-house, Project Management QA Checks. These make use of advanced QA software and include procedures such as:
- Checking that the translator has translated everything
- Ensuring that the translator has edited all fuzzy matches
- Highlighting any inconsistent translations
- Identifying errors in punctuation, font or spacing
These checks are undeniably an essential part of the translation process, but there are limitations to what they can achieve. Although Project Managers are trained linguists, they are not proficient in all languages and are not experts in all specialisms.
We thus need proofreaders to look beyond the surface-level errors.
Nuances and readability in proofreading
Beyond providing basic grammar and formatting checks, proofreaders equally check the readability of your translation. As professional translators specialised in the text’s subject matter, second linguists are able to provide a second opinion. In other words, they ensure that the exact meaning of the source material is conveyed in your translation.
If the text doesn’t read as it should, appears clunky, or if there’s any alteration in meaning compared to the original, a proofreader will pick this up.
Proofreading thus makes the difference between a good translation and an EXCELLENT translation.
To find out more about our language solutions, read our services page here: https://www.web-translations.com/services/translations/ Or, if you’d like to talk to us directly, why don’t you fill in our contact form? We’re more than happy to help.
Google to machine translate patents
Google has confirmed that it will machine translate patents into more than 29 languages, using the Google Translate interface.
On 30th November, an agreement was reached between Google and the European Patent Office (EPO), in order to facilitate the understanding of patents throughout the world.