Editing is the second step in the translation process and  is more involved than proofreading which is intended to correct grammatical, syntaxical and typographical errors. An editor compares a translation line by line with the source text to make sure that it is faithful to the original and that is correct in the target language. Here are seven things editors should do when reviewing a translation:

1. Ensure that the source text has been interpreted correctly by the translator and that there is no text missing. This is the primary role of the editor because if the translation goes through additional quality control, it will not be compared to the original again.

2. Check grammar, spelling and style.

3. Make sure that terminology is consistent.

4. Suggest other options for terms that the editor considers incorrect or those that can be improved.

5. Do not make edits based on personal preference. All suggested edits should be to improve the quality of the translation.

6. Run spell check before delivering the editing document.

7. Read the translation one last time to ensure that it is consistent and makes sense.

Many of our clients provide healthcare services to immigrant communities. As you can imagine, it can be difficult for them to balance the needs of their clients with limited budgets. We do what we can to help, including identifying information that has already been translated and is available to the public.

Today I found the Foreign Language Resources page at healthfinder.gov. You can access information from the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Health and Human Services. They provide information in Spanish, Chinese, and Vietnamese, to name just a few of the languages. If you don't find what you're looking for, give us a call so that we can help you.

Do you want to learn how to provide a global audience with a multi-lingual, culturally relevant experience without compromising quality or features? The American Marketing Association and Smartling are offering a webinar on translation for the global marketplace.

You will learn:

• How a multi-lingual web presence correlates to business success. 
• Best practices to prepare your digitial content for the global marketplace. 
• How PalTalk and MeetMe have expanded their global reach balancing the importance of quality translation with the need to launch quickly.

Register for the December 5th webinar here.

“Pinner” is a new use of a word with a different meaning than what you might find in dictionaries. Have you thought about how this will be translated into your language? Would you leave it in English, or would you “invent” a word easy to remember by native speakers of your language by keeping most of the original sounds?

Pinterest uses the word “pineador” on its Spanish blog, a word that  is absolutely meaningless. Do you have a better suggestion?