A Study on the Importance of Quality Assurance Methods in the Post-Translation Process of Administrative Documents: with Special Reference to Editing and Proofreading

Abstract

During the translation process, translators should be thorough with the quality measures of a translation work despite the challenges they face, for a piece of translation is expected to be perfect. In order to overcome the errors and mistakes that come across during the process, editing and proofreading play a significant role as prominent methods in quality assurance in the post-translation phase to ensure the quality of the translation. With particular reference to the administrative documents used in the Galle District Secretariat, this study evaluated the significance of editing and proofreading as a quality assurance method in the post-translation process. The researcher used a mixed approach and accordingly the data were collected using a questionnaire from a study population selected through convenience sampling technique and the administrative texts were selected using the purposive sampling technique after a thorough content analysis. The study population consists of one professional translator and two trainees who work at Galle District Secretariat, Sri Lanka. A five-point Likert Scale questionnaire; based on the editing and proofreading strategies used to develop the criteria for the evaluation was distributed. The collected data were thematically analysed and thereby the findings demonstrated that, despite the fact that translators are familiar with many of these strategies, they frequently do not apply these due to the workload or work environment. While administrative translation errors were assessed using a modified criterion, only a low percentage of errors with a significant impact on translation quality were detected and fixed. The most common of them were typographical errors, dates and number inconsistencies, linguistic adjustments or replacements, and an emphasis on clarity and intention. The study also explored editing and proofreading strategies that could be beneficial for budding translators, particularly for novice translators, in the post-translation quality assurance process and it provided tips regarding the proper application of the strategies.