No one knows for sure how many free-lance translators are out there on the Web. Translation agencies and web portals do know that most are part-time workers with little formal training in translation and little or no steady business. One characteristic alone explains why some translators stay busy while others have little to do: Quality Control."
Perfection. The standard for delivered translation copy is
Perfection. The work must be without flaws. Translation schools spend a lot of time focusing on details: format, spelling and punctuation. Everything should be logical, consistent and in accordance with the accepted rules of grammar and syntax in the target language. Each word must be more than just
accurate. It must also be
articulate --
le mot juste. This standard of perfection applies not just to formal essays and documents, but even to informal texts with the most casual of tones.
These are the areas in which untrained or inexperienced translators often miss the mark:
- Details. It matters, for example, whether each item in a bulleted list is followed by a comma, a semi-colon, or a period; whether certain headings are rendered in type of a different font or color; and whether all the adopted conventions have been consistently applied.
- Attention to the Source Format. It matters, for example, whether bold face type in the original is also reflected in the translation. The client wants to put the translation to work without having to go over it to be sure it is consistent with the original.
- Grammar and Syntax. Professionals know and apply all the rules of grammar and syntax consciously and not according to how it sounds." Any mistake in punctuation, spelling, word choice, grammar or tone in the translated version will reflect upon the client much more than on the (unidentified) translator.
- Balance of Exact Intent and Exact Expression. Translators need to feel" where the fulcrum should be between word-for-word renderings of text and equivalent meanings for the text (perhaps relying upon expressions or idioms from within the culture of the target language). Some texts require literary merit, while others demand technical precision.
- Full Comprehension of Source Text. A translator who does not understand the source text completely can not render the target text to perfection. Competent professionals strive for a full command of the subject matter as well as the target language. For example, when an acronym is used in the source document, how will the translator know if it should be left untranslated, if it should be rendered in the target language, or left as is with a target language explanation beside it? Only knowledge of context will solve that question.
Tactics for Achieving Perfection.
Turn Down Work for Which You Are Not Qualified. If the source text and the translator are simply miscast for each other, the outcome will not be agreeable, no matter how much effort and organization goes into it. There is no way to fake your way through a task for which you are unsuited. The mismatch can be caused by a region (as in trying to translate a commercial document for a Lisbon audience with a background in Brazilian Portuguese). It can also be caused by unfamiliarity with the context, as in expecting an expert translator of literary works to find his way through a manual on the maintenance of soybean harvesting equipment.
Work When Rested, Fresh and Sober. Pace your work to avoid fatigue and last-minute rushes to meet a deadline. Take a break whenever necessary to stretch your legs, rest your eyes, or get some fresh air. Errors most occur when the translator is hurried or tired. When you arrive at deadline, it is too late to remember this principle. Discipline, advance planning and good organization will permit you to be at your best when you work.
Proofread carefully. Make at least three passes. Be rested when you proofread. Tired proofreaders are as unreliable as tired translators.
- First, be sure everything that needed to be translated was in fact completed and that none of the original text is present (unless so intended). This is the time to ask yourself honestly if you really understood each passage that was hard to render. Maybe more work is called for.
- Second, check for errors of format, punctuation, spelling and consistency.
- Third, proofread for grammar, syntax and rhetoric.
If possible, have a colleague check your work (with a fresh pair of eyes). Many translators work cooperatively to help each other with this final phase. Some demanding formats (like web pages) may require a fourth pass just to be sure that all the tags are correct.
A translation is not polished and ready for delivery until all these checks have been made.
