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There’s a huge amount of time, research and creativity involved in developing a market research survey, designing an attractive website, writing training materials, or creating compelling marketing content. That’s why it is critical to ensure that your work is linguistically accurate, grammatically correct and culturally appropriate for your target audience, regardless of the language.

Proofreading is a key part of the translation process. A review by a second expert linguist provides an invaluable perspective on the accuracy, authenticity and cultural sensitivity of your content. Often working alongside English editing to support non-native English speakers targeting the large English-speaking market.

In this blog we explain the unique qualities of human proofreaders and the invaluable benefits they provide in terms of precision, quality and knowledge.


Accuracy

An experienced human translator understands the nuances, tone and context within the source text and can apply their critical thinking skills to identify errors that an automated tool may miss, including inconsistencies in style, logic or structure.

Humans can adapt their approach in a way automated tools cannot, by basing their proofreading on the specific requirements and nuances of the text. This ensures the proofreader makes the necessary adjustments for different writing styles and content types.

Humans are best placed to capture all the subtleties of language, providing translations that have the right level of creativity and flexibility in a way automated translation tools may not.

 

Quality

Human proofreaders can offer insights and corrections related to technical terms, industry-specific jargon or specialised content, improving the overall quality of the final text. An experienced linguist can detect subtle errors and suggest alternative phrasing, rewording or improvements that can improve the clarity, coherence and effectiveness of the translation

The best proofreaders will have a detailed understanding of the context, tone, intent and audience for the final text, including cultural nuances and intended meaning, and are therefore able to ensure that the translation remains true to the original. And as part of their review, an experienced proofreader will carefully cross-reference different sections of the text to ensure consistency and eliminate any discrepancies. This is part of a strict adherence to high standards and best practice, such as ISO 17100-certification, an internationally recognised standard, considered the gold standard in translation and revision quality.

 

Cultural understanding and feedback

Specialist human proofreaders understand the nuances of individual languages and regional variations, for example idiomatic expressions, relevant colloquialisms and other cultural references, thereby ensuring that the final translation is appropriate for the intended audience. 

An experienced proofreader will also provide personalised feedback, explanations and suggestions that are specifically tailored to the needs and aims of the writer of the source text, for example if they are working in the UK market or European market.

 

 

Trust TLF’s expert human proofreading and English editing services

At TLF, we combine over 30 years of translation experience with a team of over 1,000 specialist mother-tongue translators and expert Project Managers to ensure a top-quality and accurate proofreading service for our clients, trusted by industry leaders.

We use the same calibre of linguist for proofreading as we do for translation, including insisting on at least five years’ experience in translation and proofreading and detailed knowledge of relevant industry terminology and customs. This in turn ensures they are best placed to accurately convey the meaning and nuances of your source language to your target audience.

Alongside our proofreading service, the TLF team also provides a specialist English editing service, supporting non-native English speakers to ensure their text is culturally appropriate and localised to an English-speaking market. 

Talk to the TLF team to find out how we can help you with your next proofreading or English editing project.

Find out more about our translation services:

Business translation

English editing service

Localisation

Audio translation

Proofreading

Transcription