How does a professional translator actually work?

（Edited by freelance Chinese translator li – English to Chinese or Chinese to English translation services）

To start the translation process the translator reads through the entire document to get a clear idea of content and style of the source text.

If the text contains specific vocabulary, technical terms or is of a very technical nature, this is the time when research will be done, translation memory software is used and it is also when you as a client can assist in the process by providing company specific vocabulary or existing material in the target language.

It is in the translators interest to keep translations as consistent and true to style and content as possible.

The first working translation follows. Usually, the translator puts the first draft aside for a short while in order to be able to review the work from a fresh viewpoint.

After the short break the translator works through source text and target text checking content, style and format.

Reading and checking the translation for consistency and fluency can take several runs and at this stage usually a second translator gets involved to proof read the translation before it is returned to the project manager.