Merab Dekano wrote:
When target needs to be compared with source to check for mistakes, mistranslations, omissions, register shift, etc., I call it editing. 1,000 – 1,500 words an hour is more realistic, provided most of the translated text is of an acceptable quality.
I call monolingual work proofreading. No source is needed, unless you do not understand something. This must be a third step (following translation and editing). Not everybody is doing it. In fact, some LSPs only translate (which seems more like ‘kamikaze’ practice to me). Provided you only accept text you are familiar with, you can do even 3,000 words an hour. 2,000 seems more than realistic to me.
[Edited at 2016-10-25 18:57 GMT]
Whenever I conclude a translation, I compare it with the source text to check for mistakes, inconsistencies in terminology, etc., and from my experience, I usually manage editing/revising speeds of 750-1250 words per hour, which is quite distant from what you might expect for proofreading, as you referred.