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Effectiveness of evaluating translation quality through trial translations
Generally speaking, here at Pristine Communications we find that “trial translations” are not necessarily an effective means of evaluating the quality of a translation agency’s work. Much of our work is online, and a better example of the breadth and depth of our capabilities. For individual translators with a limited portfolio of work, however, trial translations are an essential method for learning about their abilities, strengths and weaknesses.
Also, for most projects, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the client’s expectations with regard to translation before undertaking even a trial translation. We find that clients that request trial translations often have not clearly identified their communications goals. It is important to realize that the source Chinese (or other language) content written for one audience doesn’t necessarily translate well into English content for a different audience. Oftentimes, that is just not possible without adapting the source or translated content, requiring skills including, but also beyond, translation.
Moreover, there is the issue of who will be judging the translation test and whether or not it meets the client’s needs. Often, the judge/reviewer is not a native English speaker. And although such a person is capable of identifying translation errors and correct terminology, they often are not able to evaluate other aspects of the translation, such as the quality of the overall writing, correct usage, nuances of word choice, etc.
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