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What is translation quality?
Quality is something that practically
every Translation Service Provider claims to
offer. But what is translation quality? How
can I recognise it?
Although it is often argued
that translation quality is subjective, it is
nevertheless possible to establish objective
quality criteria for the translation itself,
the work process and the overall service.
Here are the basic criteria
that a Translation Service Provider offering
a quality service should fulfil:
i) Translation
- Correct transfer of information
from the source text to the target text.
- Appropriate choice of terminology,
vocabulary, idiom and register in the target
language.
- Appropriate use of grammar,
spelling, punctuation and syntax, as well
as accurate transfer of dates, names, figures,
etc. in the target language.
- Appropriate style for the
purpose of the text.
ii) Work process
- Certification in accordance
with national and/or international standards.
iii) Service
- Speed and appropriateness
of response to customer queries.
- Fulfilment of delivery commitments.
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Quality
standards
Veritas
Traducción y Comunicación, S.L. is authorised
to perform work that conforms to the DIN 2345
translation standard (DIN Registration Nº. 112/04).
In addition, we are currently in the process
of implementing the EN 15038 standard and are
preparing for third-party certification.
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More
info...
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How can I judge the quality
of a translation if I do not speak the language?
This is one of the aspects
that initially makes it difficult to assess
the quality of a translation. If the text has
been translated into your native language, then
you probably have a good idea of the quality
of the finished document, but not of the accuracy
of the translation. However, if it is not translated
into your native language, then you may find
it even more difficult to judge whether the
translation meets your requirements.
It is worth remembering that
the translation has been done for a purpose
and one of the best judges of the quality of
the text is the target reader (distributor,
user, customer, etc.). Ask for their feedback.
Is it a good translation? Is the terminology
correct? Is the translation suitable for its
purpose?
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What affects translation
quality?
There are a number of factors
that have an impact on the quality of a translation.
Here are a few tips to help you to recognise
those that are likely to influence the end
result.
- Translator's competence,
expertise and native language. Professional
translators only work into their native
language. Find out who will be doing the
translation and ask about their credentials,
fields of expertise and experience.
- Revision and proof-reading.
To ensure the highest standards of translation
quality it is advisable to perform quality
control by having someone other than the
original translator revise the translated
text before delivery. If the translation
is going to be published, it is also advisable
to have the translator check the proofs
to make sure that the typesetters have not
made any unwelcome alterations or additions
to the text. After all, they often do not
speak the language that the printed document
is written in and do not know if they are
making a mistake.
- Deadline. Just like
anything else, it takes time to produce
a quality translation. Rushed work is rarely
good work. If the deadline is tight, it
may be tempting to divide the job up between
several translators. This is not usually
advisable as it creates problems of consistency
in terminology and style that require further
time and resources to correct.
- Amount of communication
between the translator and the client.
Generally speaking, the more communication
there is between the translator and the
client, the better the end result. This
communication normally takes the form of
queries about the terminology most appropriate
for the context in which the client's organisation
and industry operate, but may also include
file formats or document layout, among other
aspects.
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What is the difference
between revision and proof-reading?
Revision is a quality control
step in the translation process and consists
of examining a translation to ensure that
it is suitable for its purpose, comparing
the original against the translation and checking
grammar, spelling, punctuation, terminology,
syntax and style, as well as accurate transfer
of dates, names, figures, etc. in the target
language.
Proof-reading consists of
checking the proofs prior to publication and
is performed after revision. It is not as
comprehensive as revision and is principally
intended to detect errors introduced in the
typesetting phase of production.
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