Of course, there is no absolute answer as to what makes a “good” or “bad” translation. In a certain sense, a good translation is one that can be done with the available budget and fulfilling its purpose.

However, there are times when the quality of the text is the predominant factor: a well-written and easily understandable text will save your colleagues time and leave a positive impression on your customers and business partners. Here are a few things I suggest you keep in mind when evaluating the quality of a text that has been translated into English. They are the types of criteria that a good translator must take into account when translating their text and highlight some of the problems that are frequently found in mediocre translations. Of course, some of these points will apply more generally to translations between multiple languages:

– Does the translation abuse formal or scientific vocabulary? Overly scientific-sounding English words can often be direct translations of simpler-sounding words in other languages. For example, is using the word “anomaly” when “fail” would sound more natural? Does the translation mention a “lung disease” when “lung disease” would sound more natural to a general audience? These are classic symptoms of a translation from a language like French or Spanish, where the word ‘Latin’ is a naturally occurring, normal-sounding word in these languages, but in English it becomes a scientific term suitable only for highly educated audiences. specialized.

– Does the translation use words that are understandable, but not quite ‘the right word’? Does the text speak of “social insertion” when “social integration” would sound more natural? Are you talking about “eventual problems” instead of “potential problems”? Or the “administrative status” of a person when the “administrative status” would be more common?

– Are adjectives or descriptive phrases used where English would more naturally use a compound? For example, English allows a phrase such as “remote accessible device”, while other languages ​​may have to use a phrase that literally means “remote accessible device” or “device that allows remote access”.

– In the same way, phrases with “de” or “para” are used excessively where English would use a compound. Overuse of phrases like “sales strategy” instead of “sales strategy” are classic signs of a multi-language translation.

– Are determiners (“the”, “a”, “your”…) used as they would be in idiomatic English? Phrases like “noticed an increase in productivity” rather than simply “noticed an increase in productivity” suggest too literal a translation. More subtly, a phrase like “the terms and conditions”, “the towns and cities” instead of “the terms and conditions”, “the towns and cities” suggests a translation of a that generally does not allow two nouns. sharing the same word for “the” (as in French), while repeating the word “the” is not natural in English.

– Does the translation use a narrative style and rhetoric that sounds natural in English? We have all seen signs in French museums telling us, for example, that “the king will die in 1483.” The more subtle signs of a translation include the excessive use of rhetorical questions (which, for example, seem more common in Spanish than in English, where they can make your text sound too childish). In an English translation, decisions must also be made about, for example, the use of contractions (“don’t”, “can’t” vs “do not”, “cannot”) or preposition varada (“Who.. .a?” vs. “Who(m)…?”) which may not have been problems in the source language. Does the style adopted convey the impression you want to give to your audience?

Ultimately, the translated text should ideally sound like the original, written to convey your message in the style and readability you want.