“Why do I need proofreading if you use professional translators?” That is a question that has been asked of almost every single translation agency out there. If you have never worked in the industry, it can be hard to come to terms with the fact that you need to pay for both a professional translation and proper proofreading. By examining the different types of proofreading on offer, we hope we’ll not only help answer the initial question above, but most importantly, we’ll show you just how important proofreading services can be.
Why are proofreading services so important?
First of all, the main reason proofreading services are vital is a simple one. It’s all down to the fact that, like all of us, translators are only human. No matter how hard they try, there’s still a small chance a tiny typo might go unnoticed. Just think back to when you were in college – it was always better to get a second person to read through your assignments to make sure that they were perfect before you delivered them.
Having said that, there’s a lot more to proofreading services than might first meet the eye. Instead of just reading through your texts, there are a number of different services available on the basis of what your translation will actually be used for.
Bilingual proofreading
One of the proofreading services we offer is bilingual proofreading. This is probably the most common type of proofreading, where the proofreader will have a high knowledge of both the source and target languages. They’ll check the translated text against the original to make sure everything’s been translated correctly.
Monolingual proofreading
Depending on the type of text being proofread, monolingual proofreading services might suit you best. This is when the proofreader doesn’t speak the source language and simply checks the translated text to make sure it follows all the rules of the target language without taking the original text into account. This is mainly used for texts where the ‘finish’ and style of the target language are paramount.
Stylistic proofreading
If you’re dealing with marketing materials and suchlike and you’d like your translation to be highly polished, this is where stylistic proofreading services can come in. The proofreader will stylistically edit the text to give it the impact you prefer.
Pre-print proofreading
Pre-print proofreading services are intended for texts that are going to print or to be published. This is normally done when all the basic graphic design/DTP has been done and the proofreader’s task is to give the text a final once over to make sure everything’s how it’s supposed to be.
Other types of proofreading
Depending on what you’re looking to achieve, other types of proofreading services can include checking terminology to make sure everything is correct. If you’re dealing with a particularly medical or very technical text, the slightest mistake in terminology could prove very serious, which is why this service can be so useful.
If you’re interested in proofreading services, please feel free to get in touch with us. We’ll be more than happy to help, no matter what you’re looking for.