Do You Need to Proofread Your Translation?

You might think that since your document has already been translated by a professional translator, it must be perfect and doesn't need proofreading again. Many buyers of translation services might think this way. However, even texts written by native English copywriters are prone to small errors. As Lucy Kellaway, a columnist and author for the Financial Times, explains in her article for the BBC on spelling mistakes:

“Writing is a complex task, and our brains focus on sentence structure, grammar, and phrasing while leaving the details to autopilot. After that, our minds read what we think we wrote, rather than what we actually wrote.”

As the Latin saying goes, “Errare humanum est” (To err is human), even the greatest writers in the world make mistakes. A famous example is from the first edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on page 503, where "missing" Barty Crouch was said to be conversing with Dumbledore. This was clearly a mistake since Crouch was missing at that point. A 9-year-old girl noticed the error and forced the publisher, Bloomsbury, to release an embarrassing statement:

“Bloomsbury prides itself on its high editorial standards. We deeply regret that this error was not discovered before printing.”

One million copies had already been printed. This incident shows that even the best writers make mistakes.

Translators are also writers, and they are human (or even superheroes). They always self-proofread and use their professional skills to correct errors and ensure nothing is left out.

Even so, if you have content to publish — whether it’s a translation or the original text — your brand’s image greatly depends on controlling the risks of minor errors. Proper proofreading can help safeguard your brand’s reputation.

What is Proofreading?

Proofreading is the final step to ensure your document looks great and is free of errors. While correcting spelling, grammar, and syntax mistakes is part of proofreading, the process goes far beyond that.

Proofreaders must be different from the original translator. Writers and translators sometimes overlook their own mistakes, and machines cannot fully complete this task. Therefore, proofreaders must have the same translation skills as the original translator, as well as additional expertise.

When proofreading a translated text, the proofreader will compare it with the original text. This allows fresh eyes and new thinking to identify any missed errors, inconsistencies, or ambiguous expressions in the translation. Proofreading is not just about eliminating mistakes — it also ensures that the translated text accurately conveys the meaning of the original.

Proofreaders will also check:

• Page numbers for accuracy
• Image captions for consistency
• Paragraph formatting
• Font appropriateness
• Correctness of titles and index pages

The Value of Proofreading

Although proofreading a translated text by a professional proofreader will add to the cost, this step is incredibly valuable. If you skip proofreading and directly use the translation, you may miss some details. Even small errors can have a significant impact on your brand image. Can you guarantee you won’t make the same mistake as Swedish company Electrolux? When promoting their vacuum cleaners in the U.S., they used the slogan “Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.” Such a mistake could damage your brand image, making you seem unprofessional and ultimately harming your profits. You can make your own decision, but remember this saying: “Don’t destroy the big picture for a small cost.”

The Limitations of Machine Proofreading

Some people think proofreading can be done by software, thus eliminating the need for human proofreaders. This view is, at best, optimistic.

Spell and Grammar Check Tools

Most word processing applications include spell and grammar check tools. While useful, these tools shouldn’t be fully relied upon. Spell check is only the first step in proofreading, and relying on it can be dangerous. These tools will catch spelling errors, like changing “amd” to “mad,” “am,” or “and,” and flagging “accomodate” as incorrect (correct form: “accommodate”). However, they may completely ignore major mistakes like “their” when it should be “there.” There are plenty of examples of this online, one being a publicly available document that referred to a senior manager, Brian Walton, but misspelled his name as “Brain Wilting.” Fortunately, this error didn’t get the author fired, but it almost did.

Grammar check tools also have limitations; they tend to be too rigid and frequently make mistakes. Often, they fail to catch obvious grammar errors, such as “It’s no wondering that poor marketing’s are bad for brand,” while flagging correct grammar as incorrect.

Professional Proofreading Software

There are some more sophisticated professional proofreading software, some of which are web-based, while others run on computers. They are more advanced than the built-in spell and grammar check tools in Microsoft Office but still make similar errors. While they can detect contextual errors (e.g., changing “whether vein” to “weather vane”), their error rates are still high.

With advancements in semantic technology, this kind of software will improve significantly, but machines will never reach the level of professional proofreaders — at least not until true artificial intelligence arrives, which is not yet the case.

Conclusion

Not all translated texts need to be proofread. You can save costs by limiting proofreading to only the documents that will be publicly released.

However, unless your needs are highly specialized, skipping proofreading is typically not worth the risk. To avoid “destroying the big picture for a small cost,” make sure your translated texts undergo thorough proofreading to ensure high quality and accuracy, and avoid potential harm to your brand image.

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