Contact us or visit our Kraków office at ul. Szlak 10/5
Contact us or visit our Kraków office at ul. Szlak 10/5
Does the translation process end when the translator puts the last dot in the text produced in the target language? Sometimes it does. Sometimes, however, once the translator has finished his work, the text goes to another specialist – a linguist who carefully reads the entire content and makes the necessary corrections or more discretionary changes to ensure a better end result. Alingua offers three additional linguistic services that improve the quality of the finished text: proofreading, editing and revision. Each of these produces a slightly different result, so they can be applied to different types of material. Why is it worth adding an extra layer of linguistic control to the content creation or translation process? What are the differences between proofreading, editing and revision, and what types of texts are they most commonly used for? These questions are answered below.
Proofreading is an extremely useful, but often underestimated, linguistic service that is usually the final stage of work on a text. Contrary to popular belief, finding typos and missing commas is only a small part of what a proofreader does. In fact, such a specialist looks for all kinds of language errors, whether they be spelling, grammar, phraseology or inflection. Other elements of proofreading include tidying up punctuation, which many writers tend to neglect, and checking the correct spelling of numbers, proper names, abbreviations and the use of upper and lower case. The proofreader also ensures that the text is terminologically consistent, which is particularly important from the point of view of the target reader. This stage also involves checking that the vocabulary required by the client or the chosen language variant (e.g. British or American English) has been used. In short, proofreading aims to polish the text in terms of linguistic accuracy, with the end result being coherent and error-free content. It is therefore a service worth considering if the high quality of a text is important. Proofreading is particularly recommended for marketing content and websites – business owners know that the website is their company’s calling card and a good first impression is key to success. It is also essential for literary texts and other content intended for publication.
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Some types of text not only need to be linguistically correct, but also need to sound attractive and completely natural to the recipient. This is where an editor comes in – a native speaker of the target language who has the necessary linguistic knowledge and training and, above all, a special feel for the nuances of the language that are characteristic of its native speaker. The editor checks the content from a stylistic point of view, taking care to ‘polish’ each sentence as much as possible. The finished text is stylistically refined and therefore light and attractive to the reader, who is unaware that it is a translation. This is why native-speaker editing is recommended for literary or marketing texts, i.e. where a light touch is as important as conveying information.
Revision is a service designed to ensure the substantive accuracy of a translation. The reviewer carefully reads the original text and the translation, compares them and corrects any discrepancies. At this stage we also check that the translator has used the correct technical vocabulary. It is important to note that it is not the job of the proofreader or editor to check that the translation matches the original – although they can of course point out any shortcomings or inconsistencies in the translation. Revision is an extremely useful tool and is recommended for medical, specialist and technical texts, manuals and reports, i.e. wherever specifics and hard data matter. What is more, thanks to the ISO 17100 standard implemented in our agency, you are guaranteed that the entire process is carried out in accordance with exacting industry standards and that specialists with certified training and experience are involved in the work on the text.
At Alingua we offer proofreading and editing either as part of a translation package or as a separate service. If your text is to be published and needs to be 100% polished, we recommend that you use our editing and proofreading services – you can be sure that not even the slightest inaccuracy will be overlooked, and a native speaker will ensure that the target text is attractive. Our agency is often asked to provide proofreading or editing services for scientific publications and marketing copy. We also regularly check exhibition labels and the content of museum brochures, as well as medical and pharmaceutical materials, where the reviewer ensures that no detail has been overlooked in the translation. We also offer a revision service for texts translated outside our agency. And because quality is a characteristic that does not depend on the language of the material, you can order all three services from us in any language.
Even the most careful writers and translators make mistakes. As a rule, any good writer, copywriter or translator will read the finished material and correct any errors. However, the longer we stare at a text we have written, the easier it is to overlook something – especially if we already know its content almost by heart. For this reason, the author of the text or translation is not the right person to check its accuracy or polish the style of the finished material. The main idea and advantage of additional linguistic services is that your text gets into the hands of another person who will look at it with fresh eyes and thus more easily spot any shortcomings. In order to maintain the high quality of our services, at Alingua we entrust such tasks to professionals who have the necessary experience and qualifications, are supported by general and specialised dictionaries and are proficient in the use of CAT tools.
ISO 9001ISO 9001 certification provides evidence that Alingua applies certified procedures to ensure consistent high quality of its translation services.
ISO 27001Information security system at Alingua is consistent with the provisions of the ISO 27001 standard and all our cooperation agreements signed with translators contain a confidentiality clause.
90 languagesWith 15 years of experience working with texts from all over the world, you can be assured of language support no matter your needs.
Sample translationsIn the case of larger projects, clients can request a sample of text translated by several different translators in order to choose a style most suited to their expectations.
Customer satisfactionIn-house statistics from the last two years show customer satisfaction at 99.7%.
Professional liability insurance coverYour translations are protected by an insurance cover of up to PLN 300,000.
MembershipThe Alingua Translation Agency is a member of a number of industry-specific organisations which aim to maintain the highest quality of translation services in the world of advancing technology and growing expectations.
Foundation1% of the value of our projects is donated to Alingua Helpful Word Foundation (Fundacja Alingua Pomocne Słowo). Each submitted order helps those in need.
