Challenges Of Translation: Improving Proofreading Skills For Legibility And Quality

Recent articles have been about the necessity of proofreading when it comes to the work of certified translation professionals in Singapore. Being fluent in two specific languages may be enough to directly translate a document from one language to another, but that will likely not be enough to convey the correct meanings or satisfy the client requesting the translation. That is where proofreading is performed, either by the translator or another employee of a translation company in Singapore, to verify that a document that has gone through the process of document translation services is both accurate in its details and of high-quality in terms of its grammar and phrasing. Previously, what it means to be accurate and how this can be better achieved was the focused-upon topic. Now, attention will be turned to the what’s and how’s of achieving legibility and quality through proofreading for a translated document.

The accuracy of its details is a key quality for translated documents, particularly those from PR application translations. Fortunately, ensuring that a document is accurate can be straight-forward;compare the later translated draft to the original source document in whatever way one is familiar with, and make sure that specific aspects of it (such as names, dates, etc.) are correctly spelled and in order. In this regard, one only needs to confirm that the final draft’s names and dates (and so on) matches the source documents, as these details typically remain the same (unless one considers national and cultural differences).

However, ensuring the translated document’s legibility and quality is a different matter. Rather than confirming that specific portions of the document are spelled or phrased correctly, here the person proofreading must confirm that the overall final draft of it can be easily read and understood in the requested language. Further, the document must be recognized as having been written by an educated professional, not only devoid of errors but also of a good enough writing standard to have come from a notarized translation (i.e., coming with a recognized lawyer’s certification) and presented to official government institutions. If a client has requested certified translation services in Singapore, then they expect the translator or translation company to produce a translated document that clears the high bar of quality described above.

In this case, there is no quick and sure-fire way of immediately learning how to proofread for legibility and quality. This aspect of the skill is one developed over time and experience, either by working within the translation industry itself or just through reading and writing formal documents in other occupations. For instance, if one was previously in a profession related to legal matters, one would of course experience legal documents of various types. With memories of such documents, and if a decision is made to work as a translator in Singapore, then one can use their past work experience to aid in providing legal translation services, as well as later proofreading the documents produced through such a translation service. Although, in a tight situation, the internet also has plentiful examples of formal documents or formal document templates.

Indeed, it would be an ideal situation if a certified translation provider in Singapore can produce a document of high standards immediately acceptable to the client. However, human error is a persistent fact of life, and many other factors can also hamper the quality of a document (including national/cultural differences, lesser-known legal terms, and potential unusual circumstances). As such, a translator or someone assigned to the translator’s work must be versed in proofreading to confirm that the document’s details are accurate, as well as to particularly ensure that the final version of the document is a professional product acceptable to both the client and to the important purpose that the document is intended for.