How can we evaluate a translation, from the point of view of a client or a proofreader? Let’s talk about possible bias in proofreading and how to judge whether a translation is good or not. Let’s start from a question I was asked, which triggered an interesting exchange of opinions. A proofreader reported the following issue that had happened to him: a translator accused the proofreader of misconduct, but the client accepted his explanation and expressed support.
Translation Review
Question: Have you ever experienced this? A translator responded to a negative review or language quality assessment by stating that the proofreader was incapable, ignorant, or that they wanted to destroy the translator’s reputation. If it happened to you, how would you respond? And if you were the client, how would you react?
Answer: I never give a “negative” review. My review consists in reporting all mistakes in a list and motivating them with a reputable source. (Dictionary, official corpus, official glossary, enciclopedia, grammar book, etc.) I do not think you then need to express a comment or give a mark. If a sheet is full of objective mistakes, the page speaks by itself. This way, you avoid any accusation of bias. They cannot accuse a dictionary.
Translation Evaluation
Reply: As a matter of fact, I was asked for written evaluation, plus automatic numerical evaluation. Of course, I could have explained any of my changes had I been required to do so, but I did not do it in advance. Such documentation would have required more time than the translation task itself.
Answer: OK, then you can motivate your verbal evaluation by adding a couple of examples (two or three of the worst mistakes) and add a reputable source to the three mistakes. This is even more straightforward and it does not take too much of your time.
Reply: You have a point there. However, I personally do not feel that I must provide documentation. I described the kinds of mistakes contained in the translation, but I did not provide any sources supporting my assertions. I was hired as an expert, therefore I provided my opinion based on my experience, and I was accountable for it.
As you see, there are different opinions on this matter. The important thing is always to be professional in addressing colleagues and clients, and provide professional quality translation and proofreading.
