Different Aspects of Translation Revision Process

Abstract

Translation revision is an integral part of the overall translation process and aims to enhance the translation quality. Differentiation should be made between revision (editing) and proofreading. Special attention is paid to functions performed by a reviser, i.e. actions aiming at producing the text devoid of any defects. The research is topical because an attempt is made to develop a general approach to translation revision which so far is lacking in translation practice. The article reveals the results of an experiment in which the same text has been revised by seven professional revisers. It is concluded that a reviser can enhance the translation quality provided his / her professional competence is better than that of the translator. But still the translated text can have weaknesses missed by the reviser. Moreover, it is found that thorough revision and rewriting of the text not always make it ideal; in some cases, the quality can suffer due to the false interpretation of the text content by the reviser. The research is innovative because it identifies subjective approaches of revisers to translation revision.

Keywords

• translation revision
• translation quality
• proofreading
• interpretation
• translation error