Poll: How do you respond when the company's proofreader makes stylistic changes you disagree with? Iniziatore argomento: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How do you respond when the company's proofreader makes stylistic changes you disagree with?".
This poll was originally submitted by WordAnt. View the poll results »
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A translation platform should not confuse the role of a proofreader and the one of an editor. An editor improves writing to make it engaging, and easy to understand. Their job consists in fixing spelling, grammar and style rules, as well as awkward sentences while making sure the ideas come across plainly. A proofreader does not make stylistic changes. Their job consists in finding and fixing small mistakes like spelling errors, punctuation slips and layout issues before a document is published ... See more A translation platform should not confuse the role of a proofreader and the one of an editor. An editor improves writing to make it engaging, and easy to understand. Their job consists in fixing spelling, grammar and style rules, as well as awkward sentences while making sure the ideas come across plainly. A proofreader does not make stylistic changes. Their job consists in finding and fixing small mistakes like spelling errors, punctuation slips and layout issues before a document is published or printed. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Newton 
Stati Uniti
Local time: 19:17
Da Giapponese a Inglese
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| proofreader changes | 00:10 |
Didn't the same question come up a few months ago? Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
| | | | Karletto666
Slovenia
Local time: 01:17
Da Inglese a Sloveno
+ ...
I had a proof-reader in a small job of 300 words. Basically he/she used tehnical, standarderized terms but the original text wasn't saying that. No need to mention the text came back all red. I am suspecting they got the translation for free...
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Josephine Cassar
Malta
Local time: 01:17
Membro (2012)
Da Inglese a Maltese
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The poll is mixing the proofreader with the client. I do take note of the client's preferences but the discussion is not about whether I note that the proofreader has used the client's preferences while I haven't. It's a total mix-up and there should have been another separate option or the segment about the proofreader should have been worded differently.
| | | | | Duplicate poll, still poorly formulated! | 09:29 |
It depends a lot how much I disagree and why. Sometimes the client is right, and sometimes I stick to my principles and they end up thanking me for doing my job!
Style may be the whole point of getting a specific translator (me) to do the job. Some clients do not like my style and have gone to someone with a different variety of English, or who simply understands the target readers better than I do.
If they stay with me, it depends on why I disagree. I research websites... See more It depends a lot how much I disagree and why. Sometimes the client is right, and sometimes I stick to my principles and they end up thanking me for doing my job!
Style may be the whole point of getting a specific translator (me) to do the job. Some clients do not like my style and have gone to someone with a different variety of English, or who simply understands the target readers better than I do.
If they stay with me, it depends on why I disagree. I research websites and available material to get a feel of what the client is expecting when I take on a job, and I am quite chameleon-coloured! But there are limits. I explain and quote style guides if appropriate, or I really believe their suggestion is not as good as mine. It may have associations for English speakers that the client has not thought of, or it may be poor grammar, or just sound wrong.
One client company had their own special jargon in Scandi-Polish English, and I did not try to tell them what native British would think - it was not relevant to their internal communications! I cringed at times, but fed their preferred expressions into a separate Trados TM and lived with it. It made sense for their purposes, and we got on well until (presumably) they found AI was quicker and cheaper than me ...
I would never have done that in my early career; I would have taken a battle - and probably lost the client, but I was quite fond of them in the end. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Who is actually qualified to make changes? | 09:51 |
I find this poll somewhat problematic because it seems to mix proofreading and reviewing, and it also assumes that the person making the changes has the necessary linguistic competence to do so.
Strictly speaking, proofreading is not the same as reviewing a translation.
A proofreader’s role is primarily to check for errors, inconsistencies, typos, formatting issues, etc.
A reviewer, on the other hand, may assess the translation more broadly, including accuracy, terminology,... See more I find this poll somewhat problematic because it seems to mix proofreading and reviewing, and it also assumes that the person making the changes has the necessary linguistic competence to do so.
Strictly speaking, proofreading is not the same as reviewing a translation.
A proofreader’s role is primarily to check for errors, inconsistencies, typos, formatting issues, etc.
A reviewer, on the other hand, may assess the translation more broadly, including accuracy, terminology, fluency and style, and suggest improvements where appropriate.
A few months ago, I had a weird experience.
A client’s supposed “reviewer” made a number of changes to my translation that, from a target-language perspective, simply did not make sense.
I had strong reasons to suspect that AI had been used in the process.
What made the situation even more problematic was that the person reviewing the translation was not a native speaker of the target language!
I did not simply reject the changes or argue that “I am the translator, so I know better”.
Instead, I went through the changes, selected concrete examples, explained why I disagreed with them, and supported my comments with reliable sources. I then sent my detailed feedback to the agency’s PM.
In the end, the client accepted my explanations without contesting them.
So, for me, the issue is not really about whether a translator should “disagree with the proofreader”.
It is about whether the person making the changes is actually qualified to assess the target-language text and whether there is a sound linguistic or editorial reason behind those changes.
A reviewer should improve a translation, not change it simply because they would have written it differently.
And when stylistic decisions are being challenged, those decisions should be discussed on the basis of the target language, the context, the client’s requirements and reliable linguistic evidence, not on the basis of personal preference or, even worse, AI-generated suggestions. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Karletto666
Slovenia
Local time: 01:17
Da Inglese a Sloveno
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Two threads of the same poll. Did i say Proz is getting wierd?
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I usually try to separate personal stylistic preference from an actual linguistic or quality issue. If the proofreader's change is simply a different but equally valid way of expressing the same idea, I generally accept it, especially when it aligns with the client's style guide or established preferences.
However, if I believe the change affects meaning, terminology, tone, consistency, or naturalness, I would respectfully explain my reasoning and provide supporting context or examp... See more I usually try to separate personal stylistic preference from an actual linguistic or quality issue. If the proofreader's change is simply a different but equally valid way of expressing the same idea, I generally accept it, especially when it aligns with the client's style guide or established preferences.
However, if I believe the change affects meaning, terminology, tone, consistency, or naturalness, I would respectfully explain my reasoning and provide supporting context or examples. Ultimately, the client's guidelines and the intended audience should take precedence over individual preferences.
I think the most productive approach is to treat these disagreements as a quality discussion rather than a matter of who is right. Sometimes the proofreader's perspective also reveals something that I hadn't considered. ▲ Collapse
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