| বিষয়ের পেজ: [1 2] > | Poll: What has been your experience with the revision of your work by other translators? (in general) থ্রেড পোস্টার: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What has been your experience with the revision of your work by other translators? (in general)".
This poll was originally submitted by Marzieh Izadi. View the poll results »
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More often than not, I find they tend to change the text with synonyms and to suit their personal preferences. They do come up with improvements at times, though.
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Most of the revisors my clients work with are good translator, so they do not usually make things worse. Sometimes they suggest alternatives which sound like synonyms or preferential changes to me; I usually accept these as long as they do not introduce inaccuracies. And I regularly agree with a suggested change and, if possible, make a note of it for future use.
| | | | Luca Adie
জার্মানি
Local time: 14:59
জার্মান থেকে ইংরেজি
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| Different experiences | May 21 |
Sometimes the translators make it better - as it should be! - but more often than not, they bring in a whole bunch of synonyms just to change things up. I found that this was more common for those translating into English - my Catalan/Spanish colleagues didn't have this problem as much.
I also remembering reviewing work done by a new translator at an agency I worked in. I really tried to be neutral and only point out clear mistakes (such as wrong numbers, names, very clear misunder... See more Sometimes the translators make it better - as it should be! - but more often than not, they bring in a whole bunch of synonyms just to change things up. I found that this was more common for those translating into English - my Catalan/Spanish colleagues didn't have this problem as much.
I also remembering reviewing work done by a new translator at an agency I worked in. I really tried to be neutral and only point out clear mistakes (such as wrong numbers, names, very clear misunderstandings, etc.) and also pointed out parts that were good. She couldn't take the criticism... something I've also found to be very British? ▲ Collapse
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neilmac
স্পেন
Local time: 14:59
স্প্যানিশ থেকে ইংরেজি
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I haven't worked with agencies for yonks, but back in the day I occasionally worked with one and they sometimes got someone else to check my translations. I found having to respond to their comments or changes time-consuming, and sometimes irritating when their suggestions were merely stylistic.
Nowadays, I occasionally ask a translator colleague to review my work if I think it might improve things, but most times I just deliver my work as "good-to-go"....
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I haven’t had any bad experiences with editors/reviewers/proofreaders for a long time. A small number of my customers (direct clients and translation agencies) ask for a ready-to-print service, so these texts are edited in-house. For most of my customers I ignore if my work is proofread, reviewed or edited or not, with two exceptions and in these cases, I know who the proofreader/reviewer/editor is and we exchange views quite often. I must say that over the years we managed to develop a very p... See more I haven’t had any bad experiences with editors/reviewers/proofreaders for a long time. A small number of my customers (direct clients and translation agencies) ask for a ready-to-print service, so these texts are edited in-house. For most of my customers I ignore if my work is proofread, reviewed or edited or not, with two exceptions and in these cases, I know who the proofreader/reviewer/editor is and we exchange views quite often. I must say that over the years we managed to develop a very pleasant and fruitful relationship. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Josephine Cassar 
মাল্টা
Local time: 14:59
2012 থেকে সদস্য
ইংরেজি থেকে মালটেসে
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Sometimes, a proofreader makes it better but more often than not, in Maltese, proofreaders tend to use purely Maltese words even though Maltese words derived from another language are more commonly used and they mark our words as mistakes therefore. I do believe it's best to use a Maltese word if there's a word, but to use Maltese words just because they are Maltese when we hardly use such words isn't a good idea either.
[Edited at 2026-05-22 07:54 GMT]
| | | | | The whole spectrum | May 21 |
Impossible to generalise after 28 years of translating.
I have benefited from editors and colleagues who made constructive suggestions, and pointed out the best solutions, and where a translation was acceptable, but maybe there was room for improvement.
I have also spent time explaining to clients why my solution was researched and correct, even though it might not be what they expected, and why their suggestion was not an improvement.
I still have an agency colle... See more Impossible to generalise after 28 years of translating.
I have benefited from editors and colleagues who made constructive suggestions, and pointed out the best solutions, and where a translation was acceptable, but maybe there was room for improvement.
I have also spent time explaining to clients why my solution was researched and correct, even though it might not be what they expected, and why their suggestion was not an improvement.
I still have an agency colleague who makes the odd suggestion, and as often as not we end up with a third version - neither his nor my original suggestion, but we are both satisfied! ▲ Collapse
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| A very British thing? | May 21 |
ADIE Translations wrote:
I also remembering reviewing work done by a new translator at an agency I worked in. I really tried to be neutral and only point out clear mistakes (such as wrong numbers, names, very clear misunderstandings, etc.) and also pointed out parts that were good. She couldn't take the criticism... something I've also found to be very British?
I’m not sure it’s a very British thing! Over the years I’ve noticed that older translators are more open to justified criticism than younger ones. I'd risk saying it's an age thing (me included)...
| | | | | Good, Bad and Ugly | May 21 |
You can't really generalise.
It's best if both parties are open-minded and willing to learn from each other.
| | | | Gerard Barry
জার্মানি
Local time: 14:59
জার্মান থেকে ইংরেজি
| Often negative in a in-house context | May 21 |
I never liked having my work proofread by colleagues as I often found it insulting, patroninising and petty. Sometimes the changes made were totally unnecessary. Other times, the changes were necessary as I had genuinely made a mistake but the proofreading and evaluation felt very vindictive, like the proofreader was triying to make themselves feel important and look better than me. Looking back now, with AI replacing translators, it all seems so ridiculuous.
| | | | | Ridiculuous indeed | May 21 |
Gerard Barry wrote:
I never liked having my work proofread by colleagues as I often found it insulting, patroninising and petty. Sometimes the changes made were totally unnecessary. Other times, the changes were necessary as I had genuinely made a mistake but the proofreading and evaluation felt very vindictive, like the proofreader was triying to make themselves feel important and look better than me. Looking back now, with AI replacing translators, it all seems so ridiculuous.
I suspect you find this with everyone else you encounter in life as well.
I would agree though that checkers never improve anything. They’re all interfering wankers. How could they possibly improve on the perfection I so munificently lay before them?
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Gerard Barry
জার্মানি
Local time: 14:59
জার্মান থেকে ইংরেজি
The Shredder wrote:
Gerard Barry wrote:
I never liked having my work proofread by colleagues as I often found it insulting, patroninising and petty. Sometimes the changes made were totally unnecessary. Other times, the changes were necessary as I had genuinely made a mistake but the proofreading and evaluation felt very vindictive, like the proofreader was triying to make themselves feel important and look better than me. Looking back now, with AI replacing translators, it all seems so ridiculuous.
I suspect you find this with everyone else you encounter in life as well.
I would agree though that checkers never improve anything. They’re all interfering wankers. How could they possibly improve on the perfection I so munificently lay before them?
I can only imagine what a know-it-all you'd have been to work with before AI made our work utterly pointless. Even though I've never met you, your posts just ooze English condescension.
| | | | Daniel Frisano
ইটালি
Local time: 14:59
2008 থেকে সদস্য
ইংরেজি থেকে ইটালিয়ান
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1. Not understanding why I made certain choices, then not understanding the explanation either;
2. A tendency to overcorrect because the reviewer goes word-by-word while I go source-concept-target;
3. A tendency to blindly choose the most common translation for every given word instead of factoring in context, consistency and ambiguity (or avoidance thereof);
4. Total – and I mean total, utter, absolute – absence of lexical pre-analysis;
5.... See more 1. Not understanding why I made certain choices, then not understanding the explanation either;
2. A tendency to overcorrect because the reviewer goes word-by-word while I go source-concept-target;
3. A tendency to blindly choose the most common translation for every given word instead of factoring in context, consistency and ambiguity (or avoidance thereof);
4. Total – and I mean total, utter, absolute – absence of lexical pre-analysis;
5. Inadequacy to understand the technical or scientific meaning of the text for lack of formation in those fields.
These are the first that come to mind. There may be more. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | The Relationship Between Translators and Reviewers: A Sincere Opinion | May 23 |
I think the relationship between translators and reviewers should not become a battlefield. I've been through some tough times, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Some translators treat their work as untouchable, but some reviewers also misuse revision as a form of authority or personal criticism. I have read many stories from people who worked in agencies and felt constantly overridden by reviewers who always had the final word.
In my experience, revision work... See more I think the relationship between translators and reviewers should not become a battlefield. I've been through some tough times, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Some translators treat their work as untouchable, but some reviewers also misuse revision as a form of authority or personal criticism. I have read many stories from people who worked in agencies and felt constantly overridden by reviewers who always had the final word.
In my experience, revision works best when it becomes collaboration instead of competition.
A reviewer may notice that a term is technically correct but sounds too formal, too informal, or simply unnatural in the context. Suggesting alternatives does not necessarily diminish the translator’s work. On the contrary, dialogue between translator and reviewer can improve the final text.
I have had very positive experiences both as a reviewer and as someone whose work was revised. Sometimes the best version of a translation comes from the interaction between both perspectives rather than from one person working alone. ▲ Collapse
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