| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: How many typos do you consider acceptable in 1000 words? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many typos do you consider acceptable in 1000 words?".
View the poll results »
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It depends. Do you mean typos in a translation or typos in the source text? Typos in a translation are unacceptable. My spell-checker is always on and I revise, edit and proofread my translations several times (the last time I read my work aloud). Typos in the source text might be acceptable though my work will be more difficult if the text is riddled with typos and grammar errors. If it is really bad, to the extent where it becomes unintelligible, I just turn it down. This actually only happene... See more It depends. Do you mean typos in a translation or typos in the source text? Typos in a translation are unacceptable. My spell-checker is always on and I revise, edit and proofread my translations several times (the last time I read my work aloud). Typos in the source text might be acceptable though my work will be more difficult if the text is riddled with typos and grammar errors. If it is really bad, to the extent where it becomes unintelligible, I just turn it down. This actually only happened to me once or twice… ▲ Collapse
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 16:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
This poll question brings to mind an article in yesterday's Guardian, about a young man working as a lawyer, who keeps giving up on his jobs after a few months. His concerned mother wrote to the agony aunt and stated: " In his current job he resents his young superior’s constant rewriting of his contracts, mostly for minor grammatical details."
As most of our colleagues will (I assume) be aware, "grammar details" are anything but "minor", especially in legal contracts, where even a mispl... See more This poll question brings to mind an article in yesterday's Guardian, about a young man working as a lawyer, who keeps giving up on his jobs after a few months. His concerned mother wrote to the agony aunt and stated: " In his current job he resents his young superior’s constant rewriting of his contracts, mostly for minor grammatical details."
As most of our colleagues will (I assume) be aware, "grammar details" are anything but "minor", especially in legal contracts, where even a misplaced comma can lead to serious problems.
In general, I aim for zero mistakes of any kind in the texts I translate or revise/correct. I also usually notify my clients of any errors in their source material, even if they are "only" typos.
(PS: The query in itself seems rather daft, sort of like asking a mechanic how many bolts they consider necessary to hold your vehicle together.)
[Edited at 2022-01-08 10:57 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:28
Member (2008)
Italian to English
ProZ.com Staff wrote: This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many typos do you consider acceptable in 1000 words?". View the poll results »
0 (in my translations)
[Edited at 2022-01-08 12:23 GMT]
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William Yang
China
Local time: 22:28
Member (2021)
English to Chinese
+ ...
I wouldn't accept any typos, but they occur thanks to autocorrection in action sometimes.
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Although I do have to say that when I have translated historical texts that describe rulers, etc., and places that were around in more ancient times, I have to make sure I double-check and be very careful when typing out their names in their Anglicized versions, since they often appear in Word as misspellings, anyway.
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None are acceptable, but some will creep in anyway despite the use of spell/grammar checkers. Were it not the case, we wouldn't need proofreaders. By the same token, some typos will remain after proofreading, just proportionally fewer.
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As far as I am aware, I have never made a typo.
Everyone else seems to do it all the time. Odd that.
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| It depends on the purpose of the text | Jan 8, 2022 |
If it is one of those jobs where the source comes in late in the afternoon, and the client needs a translation first thing in the morning, for internal communications, then as long as teh menaing s clear, teh odd typo will probably not matter too much. Anything really important can be retyped and edited afterwards.
I have sat up late on that kind of thing, working on coffee and adrenalin, and I do not see all the typos in the time available.
Normally, I try to take the time I ... See more If it is one of those jobs where the source comes in late in the afternoon, and the client needs a translation first thing in the morning, for internal communications, then as long as teh menaing s clear, teh odd typo will probably not matter too much. Anything really important can be retyped and edited afterwards.
I have sat up late on that kind of thing, working on coffee and adrenalin, and I do not see all the typos in the time available.
Normally, I try to take the time I need to check and make sure there are no typos at all when I deliver a translation. (But nobody is perfect, and the spelling checker does not catch in/on or that kind of error - I know they slip through occasionally!) ▲ Collapse
| | | | Edward Potter 
Spain
Local time: 16:28
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Always try to keep it at zero.
However, the guy who says his translations are always perfect is a dubious individual.
[Edited at 2022-01-09 02:43 GMT]
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No typos are acceptable, but some are inevitable. It's just the way the world works, the way the human brain processes written text, and so on.
So I won't deliver a translation until I believe it to be typo-free (but I know in my heart that it may not be).
| | | | | In principle none, but ..... | Jan 9, 2022 |
..... we are human beings, and as such we are falible. If you don't believe me, read the Bible, it already went wrong with the creation, hence "in principle".
In short, nobody is perfect (and who is, please throw the first stone)
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:28
Member (2008)
Italian to English
| Some people still believe that.... | Jan 9, 2022 |
Robert Rietvelt wrote: ..... we are human beings, and as such we are falible. If you don't believe me, read the Bible, it already went wrong with the creation, hence "in principle". In short, nobody is perfect (and who is, please throw the first stone)
Some people still believe that the universe was created, and the God was just a big bang (so he's gone now).
Annoyingly, just yesterday I was re-reading a translation I did a few weeks ago (YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THIS) and found a typo.
I can't stop thinking about it- and why the client didn't pick it up. It was for a website, and is now live....groan...
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Tom in London wrote: Robert Rietvelt wrote: ..... we are human beings, and as such we are falible. If you don't believe me, read the Bible, it already went wrong with the creation, hence "in principle". In short, nobody is perfect (and who is, please throw the first stone) Some people still believe that the universe was created, and the God was just a big bang (so he's gone now). Annoyingly, just yesterday I was re-reading a translation I did a few weeks ago (YOU SHOULD NEVER DO THIS) and found a typo.
I rest my my case.
| | | | Inga Petkelyte
Portugal
Local time: 15:28
Lithuanian to Portuguese
+ ...
| Zero tolerance for myself | Jan 10, 2022 |
But when proofreading the work of others, I really prefer several typos in an otherwise clear, natural text rather than no typos yet the feeling of reading English expressed in another language.
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