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I need your advice on a proofreading assignment
Thread poster: Elena Miguel
Elena Miguel
Elena Miguel  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:52
English to Spanish
+ ...
Oct 22, 2002

I\'ve been asked to have a look at a couple of sentences in the translation sent by a supposedly professional translator as my client had some doubts on the real meaning of some parts of the translated text.



Apart from the fact that the sentences involved had been wrongly understood by the translator (I have no doubt about that as I also have the original Spanish text),the general tone of the text sounds quite weird for me. The problem is I\'m not a native English speaker an... See more
I\'ve been asked to have a look at a couple of sentences in the translation sent by a supposedly professional translator as my client had some doubts on the real meaning of some parts of the translated text.



Apart from the fact that the sentences involved had been wrongly understood by the translator (I have no doubt about that as I also have the original Spanish text),the general tone of the text sounds quite weird for me. The problem is I\'m not a native English speaker and thus I don\'t dare to dash the work of a colleague unless a native speaker tells me whether I\'m right or not.



Would anyone be interested in having a quick look (less than 2 minutes, I guess) at any page of the text and confirm my suspicions (I\'m not looking for a proofreading, just your advice on the general quality of the text).

Thank you in advance.

[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-10-22 16:35 ] ▲ Collapse
 
Elena Miguel
Elena Miguel  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 15:52
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
I couldn't agree more with you Oct 22, 2002

My idea is to tell my client that apart from paying the translator, she is going to have to pay a native proofreader too as the assignament is much more complex than the \"2 or 3\" very simple sentences to check she sent me. I\'m aware that work is beyond my means (and mood, by the way).



Nevertheless, I would like to support my claims with tangible proofs in case the translator denies having neglected his/her work (which is also too often the case, according to my personal e... See more
My idea is to tell my client that apart from paying the translator, she is going to have to pay a native proofreader too as the assignament is much more complex than the \"2 or 3\" very simple sentences to check she sent me. I\'m aware that work is beyond my means (and mood, by the way).



Nevertheless, I would like to support my claims with tangible proofs in case the translator denies having neglected his/her work (which is also too often the case, according to my personal experience as Spanish proofreader).

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JCEC
JCEC  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 09:52
English to French
We'll have a look at it Oct 22, 2002

Your situation is the perfect double bind. Damned if you do and damned if you don\'t. I would favour telling the truth, it always pays in the long run. Your situation is a good argument in favour of getting paid by the hour for proofreading which too often turns into editing, rerwriting or retranslating altogether. We have no competence in Spanish but would be glad to give you an opinion on the quality of the English.
 


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I need your advice on a proofreading assignment







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