Translation - art & business » Proofreading / Editing / Reviewing »
How to choose a sample to proofread
Thread poster: Susanna Locati
Susanna Locati
Susanna Locati
Italy
Local time: 18:29
English to Italian
+ ...
Apr 18, 2022

Hi, I have a question about proofreading.

I applied for a proofreading job online and the form asked to submit a translated sample containing tracked changes. In this case, where do I best take the translated sample from? Any text already translated by someone else? Should I translated it badly and then correct my own mistakes? It doesn't make a lot of sense. Or maybe should I translate it with some AI tool, like Google translate?

Thanks in advance for any suggestion!
 
Anton Konashenok
Anton Konashenok  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 18:29
French to English
+ ...
"Proofreading" is ambiguous Apr 19, 2022

A request to submit your own sample of proofreading looks a bit strange to me, I'd normally expect the agency to supply a sample and have you proofread it. However, check the job description first. The problem with proofreading jobs is that different agencies mean different things by that. It may be a true proofreading - that is, a single-language job involving a text that has already been edited for style and content, which you check for inconsistencies, frequently confused words, etc. Or it m... See more
A request to submit your own sample of proofreading looks a bit strange to me, I'd normally expect the agency to supply a sample and have you proofread it. However, check the job description first. The problem with proofreading jobs is that different agencies mean different things by that. It may be a true proofreading - that is, a single-language job involving a text that has already been edited for style and content, which you check for inconsistencies, frequently confused words, etc. Or it may be (which is the case more often than not) full-fledged editing, where you need to check the style, the facts, the terminology, etc.
The former has little to do with translation and is a totally separate skill, which is perfectly fine, but you need to understand that. The latter, if you take it seriously, is a more complex job than translation, and requires quite a bit of experience. Personally, I never accept editing jobs from a client with whom I have no steady working relationship as a translator. ▲ Collapse


Victoria Britten
 
Tina Vonhof (X)
Tina Vonhof (X)
Canada
Local time: 10:29
Dutch to English
+ ...
Search online Apr 22, 2022

It is indeed a difficult request - where does one find a poorly written text. I searched online for "Texts to proofread" and found this:
https://www.superteacherworksheets.com/proofreading.html
You can find anything online!

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 


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How to choose a sample to proofread







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