Poll: Do you take a break before proofreading your translations? Autor de la hebra: ProZ.com Staff
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Rezehana
Local time: 22:15
inglés al albanés
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I always take a break for at least 20 minutes before proofreading a document I’ve just translated. It helps me regain my strength, rest my mind and eyes and increase my concentration levels.
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Simon Bruni 
Reino Unido
Local time: 21:15
Miembro 2009
español al inglés
| Whenever possible | Nov 21, 2009 |
Like most, I’m sure, I find it helps to take a break so I can look at the translation with a refreshed mind and also try to read it as though through somebody else's eyes. Ideally I will sleep on it, but when there’s no time then I will often jump in the shower, go for a run or do something else to clear the mind. Menial tasks like housework seem to do the trick. I've heard of authors using similar tactics when they get writer's block.
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Too early to tell, but this seems to be a strong trend so far.
I really need to approach proofreading with fresh eyes.
A professional monolingual proofreader once told me that the way to avoid mistakes is to make two passes: one for sense and the second one for typos and style. It's hard to separate the two, but when I manage to do this successfully, fewer problems slip through my fingers. Now if I have just been deep into the translation process, that adds a third lay... See more Too early to tell, but this seems to be a strong trend so far.
I really need to approach proofreading with fresh eyes.
A professional monolingual proofreader once told me that the way to avoid mistakes is to make two passes: one for sense and the second one for typos and style. It's hard to separate the two, but when I manage to do this successfully, fewer problems slip through my fingers. Now if I have just been deep into the translation process, that adds a third layer of confusion and it will be that much harder for me to see the mistakes.
[Edited at 2009-11-21 09:42 GMT]
[Edited at 2009-11-21 09:42 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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| A break from that text, yes | Nov 21, 2009 |
I'm sure most, if not all, of us will agree that that's necessary.
However, I don't necessarily take a break from work - that's not always possible
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| Yes, I always take a break | Nov 21, 2009 |
before proofreading (ideally one day, a few hours in most cases) and I always read the printed text out loud at least once before handing it in.
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Amy Duncan (X)
Brasil
Local time: 17:15
portugués al inglés
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But sometimes the deadline is too tight and it's not possible. But I definitely prefer to take a refresher break.
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But I should imagine that virtually all who have answered thus do so with the caveat that they would ideally always take a break. Can't imagine anyone not recommending it.
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one day, if possibile, otherwise I start another job and after a few hours I go back to the proofreading. You see things differently when you leave it for a while.
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i finish the translation and then do something else, like fold the laundry or domestic chores. Also, I like to take the laptop away from the desk and sit on the couch with it when I proofread. I need a change of place!
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Paul Kachur
Alemania
Local time: 22:15
alemán al inglés
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| even a ninety-second rest for the eyes... | Nov 21, 2009 |
Even with a looming deadline, it is best to rest the eyes and relax the concentration for a minute or two before sitting down to proofread.
[Edited at 2009-11-21 15:16 GMT]
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Tina Vonhof (X)
Canadá
Local time: 14:15
neerlandés al inglés
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If the document is not too long, I print it and look at it several hours later or the next day. I almost always find errors or things that can be improved in the printed version that I did not see on the computer screen.
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Gudrun Maydorn (X)
Alemania
Local time: 22:15
inglés al alemán
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Like Simon Bruni I prefer to have a night's sleep before proofreading the text with fresh eyes the next morning. On the rare occasions when the deadline is too tight, I at least have a cup of tea away from the desk. And proofreading is worth it - I always find something to improve.
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