The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, and many other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate and complete work. copy.
Proofreading of source text (Original)
People tend to be blind in regards to their own text. The brain works differently when writing and reading. The person who reads a text sees only the text, while the person writing it has undergone a complete creative process. The reader only sees what the writer has written and does not know the thoughts behind the written word. It is always good to have somebody read and proofread the text you have written, both to ensure understanding and to eliminate typos and grammatical errors. But also to check for possible issues which could occur during translation.
Things to consider before you decide whether your text should be proofread:
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- Did an engineer write the manual?
- Is the engineer dyslexic?
- Did he/she write it in his/hers native language?
- How good are his/hers language skills??
- Did another person within your company review it?
- Is it a marketing text?
- Does the person who wrote the text have good grammar skills?
I can help you with proof/review before you send it to the printers or for translation to make sure it doesn’t contain any mistakes.
Proofreading of target text (Translation)
The translator has read the source text, but the reader only sees the translation. Like the writer, the translator undergoes a creative process when transforming the source text into another language.
In the beginning of the process, the translator tend to concentrate on how to pass the message of the source text into the target text. During the next step of the translation process, the translator makes sure that the target text is fluent and does not appear to be a translation.
Throughout these steps, the translator is influenced by the target text. In order for the translator to proofread her own translation, she needs to take a break in the process and step away from the text. After a break, the translator, now being the proofreader, looks at the target text as if it was the original, and is now able to find the blank spots, typos, grammatical errors and inconsistencies. However, as for the writer, the translator might be blind to her own mistakes. Therefore, it is always a good idea to have another person than the translator to make a second review or proofread the translated text. The proofreader will concentrate on the target text, but still has access to the source text. However, as the second proofreader has not been part of the creative process it will be somewhat easier for the proofreader to capture the translator’s typos etc.
Things to consider before you decide whether your text should be proofread:
- Is your text for internal or external use?
- Is the text supposed to represent your company?
- Is the text going to be highly visible, ex. on your website?
- Is the text very technical and difficult to translate?
We proofread both source texts and target texts. It can be all kind of text types like manuals, websites, marketing material, packaging, labels, subtitles etc. – you name it.
Let us know exactly what your needs are.