Common errors we make when revising other people's texts

Let’s just say it out loud: Other-revision, or revising another person’s translation, is hard work. 

It can be stressful, exacting, and time-consuming. In fact, I know many translators who refuse to take on revision work altogether.

That’s because being a good translator does not automatically make you a good reviser. As translators, we figure out early on that reading, speaking, and writing a language are three distinct skills. The same goes for translation and revision—two separate beasts. 

When we’re translating, we tend to go all in. We get passionate about our subject matter. We strip our text down to the nuts and bolts—words metaphorically flying in all directions—then we put it back together in a way that makes sense in the target language. It’s very much an artistic process. 

Not so with revision. Revisers need to take the opposite approach: They need to be clinical and methodical, analyzing and dissecting the translation with a dispassionate eye.

So, understandably, when we approach a revision wearing our painter’s smock instead of our lab coat, plenty of things can go wrong. 

Here are three major ways a reviser can “colour outside the lines”:

1- Failing to see the forest for the trees

This is one of my favorite analogies in revision. It happens when the reviser becomes fixated on correcting “micro” issues in the text, such as punctuation, capitalization, and formatting, but fails to notice bigger problems such as meaning errors, faulty logic, and inappropriate tone.

2- Turning rogue “artist”

This happens when the revisor is unable to resist the low, sweet voice in the back of their mind whispering It would sound better my way. What follows are a series of changes based on personal preferences that, when confronted, the reviser is unable to justify with any concrete source. 

3- Being a jerk

This happens when the reviser approaches the task with a sense of superiority and self-importance as opposed to a spirit of helping and collaboration. Instead of being helpful and constructive, their feedback is unkind and demeaning to the translator. 
The good news is, all of these faux-pas can be remedied. I firmly believe that every skilled translator has the potential to be a skilled reviser—a consummate professional whose changes improve and enhance a text. 

If you don’t enjoy the process, it’s usually because you’re struggling with one of these faux-pas, or any one of the others that can make revision seem like such a slog. 

But once you’ve identified your stumbling blocks as a reviser and mastered the techniques to overcome them, you’ll quickly become indispensable to the translator’s artistic process! 

If you want to learn more about the process of other-revision, the dos and don’ts of the reviser’s work, and tried-and-true techniques that will help you come into your own as a talented, sought-after reviser, you can still buy the replay of my workshop “Other-revision 101: Don’t be a jerk (and other tips)”! You'll enjoy lifetime access to the recording, and you can always email me with any questions you may have after watching it.