You cannot judge a translation by reading it, so you judge the process around it. Give the translator a clear brief and glossary, have a second qualified person in the target market review the result against a defined scope, check the numbers, names and formatting yourself, and use back-translation only as a rough diagnostic. The aim is evidence that the text is accurate and sounds natural to its readers.
Start before the translation
Most quality problems are visible in the brief, not the output. Before work starts, settle:
- Who the readers are and where they live, since vocabulary and register differ between markets.
- Tone: formal or friendly, and whether the brand addresses readers as “you” in a particular way.
- A glossary of product names, terms that must stay in English, and terms with an approved translation.
- Items that must not be translated, such as brand names and legal entity names.
- Source text that is final. Changing the source mid-project is a common cause of inconsistent translations.
The W3C’s guidance on localisation notes that adapting content to a market goes beyond words and can include date and number formats, currency, symbols, colours and legal requirements. Your review checklist should cover those too. See the W3C internationalisation questions, and the related article on localisation versus translation.
In-country review
In-country review means a person who lives and works in the target market checks the translation. Argos Multilingual describes the purpose as letting the client supply company-specific terminology, audience details and product knowledge, and ensuring local compliance. Its guidance on choosing a reviewer is useful: ideally someone with a translation background, industry experience and product familiarity, who is fluent in both languages, has time to do the work and understands that a reviewer is not the translator. See Argos Multilingual on in-country review.
Candidates can come from distributors, product management, customer service or marketing. Where several people review, splitting roles helps: one for technical accuracy, one for style, so feedback does not conflict.
Define the scope
The same source says to state the reviewer’s task precisely. A reviewer checks conventions, glossary use and style-guide adherence, notes errors, and stays within the defined scope. A translation should stay faithful to the source meaning, not be rewritten. Language is subjective and many valid phrasings exist, so changes should fix genuine errors rather than express personal taste.
Ask for traceable feedback
Vague comments such as “wrong” cannot be actioned. Ask reviewers to say what is wrong and what it should be, for example “Term does not match glossary, change to X”. Keep a comment log so the translator can respond and the glossary can be updated.
A review process you can run
- Prepare the brief, glossary and final source.
- Translate with a qualified translator who works into their native language.
- Run your own mechanical checks (see below).
- Send to the in-country reviewer with the scope in writing.
- Have the translator accept or challenge each comment.
- Update the glossary and approve the final version.
- Review the layout in context, such as the actual page, caption or packaging.
Checks you can do without reading the language
- Numbers, dates, prices and units match the source.
- Names, product terms and URLs are consistent throughout.
- Nothing is left in the source language by mistake.
- Text has not been truncated or overflowed in the design.
- Line breaks, special characters and punctuation display correctly.
- Placeholders in software strings are intact.
What about back-translation?
Back-translation means having a different translator render the target text back into the source language, then comparing it with the original. It can reveal a gross meaning error or an omitted sentence. Its limits are real: it checks meaning, not whether the text sounds natural, and a good back-translation can still hide stiff or inappropriate wording in the target language. Treat it as a diagnostic for high-risk text, not as proof of quality.
When the stakes are higher
Legal, medical, safety and regulated content needs professional review and, in some cases, certified translation. Marketing copy needs a reviewer with a feel for the market’s tone. A slogan may need transcreation rather than translation, as discussed in adapting video campaigns for different markets and launching a brand across English and Chinese-speaking markets.
Where Radiance Impact fits
Radiance Impact’s Global division supports localisation and adaptation of content for new markets, working in English and Chinese. See /global/localisation or contact us.
Sources
- Information From Behind the Scenes With In-Country Review, Argos Multilingual
- Internationalization and localization questions, W3C
