One of the most important things to remember when editing a translated document is to do no harm. If it is not broken, do not fix it. Keep in mind that you are not the translator, and the translation is not your document; you should try to not impose your views into the document. Change things only if you can improve the document and its readability; do not change one synonym for another so that you can prove that your vocabulary is better.
Writing is subjective but typos, spelling mistakes, poor grammar, etc., those are big mistakes!
1. Use universal “Find & Replace” carefully. You may have a good reason to change “contract” to “agreement,” but before you implement that change through a “Find & Replace” search in the whole document you must go through and review every instance of “contract” to make sure you are not creating awkward phrases, such as “it has been agreed in the agreement,” and that you are not going to end up with phrases such as “the agreementing process.”
2. Talk to yourself. Take this one as literally as is comfortable for you. I keep notes as I move through a document and justify my edits. I am probably justified in changing “personnel” to “staff” if that is what the translator has been using all along, except for one instance; however, am I comfortable that he or she did not use “personnel” here in order to avoid some awkward construction or excessive repetition of the same word or phrase?
3. Document your changes and communicate. This is especially important if you have found serious issues with the translation you are editing. Take that conversation you had with yourself in point 2 above and commit it to paper. The client wants to know, and the translator deserves to know, where you found fault and why it is an error.
4. Double check your definitions. I have seen editors get into trouble by not checking the dictionary. For example, they will delete the correct translation of radiodifusión as “broadcasting” and change it to what they perceive as the correct/closes term: “radio broadcasting” – which, according to my copy of the Oxford Spanish Dictionary, is incorrect. Likewise, you may want to check with the translator on where he or she found the translation for a given term. Often the translator is right on target. Sometimes he or she is guessing or working from memory. The client always deserves the correct translation.
5. Put your own “voice” on the document only when necessary. Changing “personnel” to “staff” and/or “staff” to “personnel” generally serves no purpose except that of leaving your imprimatur on a document. Ask yourself how the change makes the translation better. Is it more accurate? Does it resolve a “consistency” issue? Does it make the translation clearer? Less wordy? Are you making a change for the translator (to correct an error or inconsistency), for the reader (to make it clearer), or for yourself (because you prefer “persons” to “people”)? Be straight with yourself about why you have just picked up that editing pencil. Distinguish between correcting a real error and substituting your personal preferences.
6. Review the entire document first, then making edits with “Track Changes” enabled. This will save you a lot of effort if you realize, on page 15, why the translator chose a certain word on page 1. In other words, review all the language in context before you change anything.
7. Ensure your changes are correct. I once changed the translation of seguridad alimenticia from “food security” to “food safety,” wondering how such a brilliant translator could make such an obvious error. However, I failed to research “food security,” and in that particular context the translator was 100% right and I was 100% wrong. Do your research. Never assume. If you cannot do the research, then seek to understand why the translator chose that term.
8. If it looks wrong, research the issue. The translator may have just picked the wrong definition from a long list. One of my favourite obvious examples is translating desarrollamiento as “development” when it can mean “implementation.”
9. Understand that not every translation is salvageable. Alas, not every translation is professional or satisfactory. It is your job to tell the client that the translation cannot be fixed and that he or she would be best served by having it redone. I generally accompany this bad news with an edit of at least a few paragraphs, so the client can more easily see where the problems lie.
In the best of all possible worlds, the translator and editor would work as a team, bouncing questions, ideas and concerns back and forth. In the real world of commercial translation, the process may become compressed and truncated – which perhaps may make it even more important to check with the translator and proceed with caution.
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