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English translation: checking terminology, post editing: correction
05:42 Jun 28, 2014
Russian to English translations [PRO] Linguistics / Translation of texts
Russian term or phrase:корректор/корректура текста
I am translating a text that outlines one company's process for translating texts (from project analysis to presentation of the final translation to the client). The problem I have run into is distinguishing the terms "корректор" and "корректура текста", which might be translated as "proofreader" and "proofreading of the text", from other terms used in the text (and as part of other steps in the translation process) such as "Вычитка перевода" - proofreading the translation. What English terms (other than proofreader) would you suggest for "корректор" that would differentiate it from terms already used in the translation (proofreader, editor (редактор)? Thanks in advance!
Explanation: After the translation is finished, a specialist working in that company (engineer, manager) checks the translation`s terminology used at plants, trade centers, wherever the translated text is used.
Although the client agreed to a slightly different term, your term is the closest in meaning. Thank you - and thanks to everyone who participated in this lively discussion. 3 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer
A wee bit mo' info... 2011 Худшая корректура» — Дэвид Фридман «Пенис. История взлетов и падений» («РИПОЛ-классик», корректор Татьяна Антонова). Sure glad I wasnt David, or Tatiana for that matter, but that would entail "transgenderrzation." Oh, this is from the Russian "Vikipediya" Good place to find the meanings of Russian words, if u r interested!
Thank you all for such a lively debate! I agree that there is much confusion about the translation of such terms between Russian and English (and between different language service providers) and I really appreciate all of your contributions to this discussion. I contacted the client and they insist on making a distinction in terminology between the services (and hence service providers) of Bычитка текста and Kорректура текста. We have agreed on the terms proofreading/proofreader and correction/corrector. Although I am not 100% satisfied with the term "corrector" it is what the client wants at this stage.
You said the term 'proofreading' was already taken. Well, I have a sneaking suspicion that it's actually not. Possibly, what you call proofreading should be called revision, and then корректура would be proofreading.
I know that wikipedia can't always be trusted. I am aware that different language versions do not always coincide.
However, I think that we actually agree about what copy editing actually is. My objection to your proposed answer is that it does not describe what the original text refers to. There is no reason to come up with a second term. Proofreading can be used for both вычитка and корректура. Perhaps in this case you could say, корректура = proofreading and вычитка = "a final reading of the text" if you absolutely have to have another term.
Evgeny Artemov (X)
South Africa
Agree with Michail --
21:59 Jun 28, 2014
Wikipedia cannot be trusted as a dictionary. One example: open "Boatswain" (EN), go to its Russian counterpart Бoцман (RU) and then to English -- NOT back, but in the languages menu. You'll get Bootsman (a German rank in Bundesmarine) in English.
Миша, trouble with copy editing is that checking a translation (as the context has it) is not exactly copy editing. :-) (IMHO).
The asker wanted two different terms to delineate between вычитка and корректура. Copy editing and proofreading do just that. Could you please explain on what grounds you are objecting to this solution?
Different language versions of Wikipedia articles do not always correlate to each other. I hope you didn't mean to use that as an argument that could replace examining the definitions of the terms you're trying to link.
Your second paragraph, however, basically repeats what I said about revision.
If you go to this Russian wikipedia entry: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Корректура and then switch the language to English you will go straight to the page about Proofreading.
In my opinion, Copy Editing has nothing to do with the translation process at all. Copy Editing is done on an original English text. If you are referring to major changes in the translation in comparison to the source text you are actually referring to bilingual revision.
There is obviously a lot of confusion in this area so it's a good thing this question was asked.
I'd like to use this discussion space to take particular exception to Sarah's comment on my answer:
Sarah McDowell: Copy editing is редактирование, редактура или редакторская правка. Корректура quite evidently refers to proofreading. See http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Корректура
Your first assertion is surely wrong, at least in the translation industry. Редактирование, which corresponds to revision or editing, is completely different from copy editing. Revision involves ensuring the accuracy of a translation, while copy editing does not. In this way copy editing is exactly like proofreading -- they are both stages that have nothing to do with translation, but operate only on the monolingual text, which may or may not be the result of translation.
Вычитка, as I noted above, is a very fuzzy term that sometimes refers to редактирование and sometimes to корректура. Similarly, many English-speaking customers nowadays talk about proofreading while the service they actually require is revision.
Вычитка may refer to revision (also incorrectly called editing in the translation industry).
Evgeny Artemov (X)
South Africa
Why differentiate?
07:46 Jun 28, 2014
Proofreading is proofreading, whether the original or translation. You should have stronger reason to differentiate than two near-identical synonyms in the original. :-)