Poll: Do your translations tend to be longer or shorter after editing? Лице кое објавува дискусија: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do your translations tend to be longer or shorter after editing?".
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As long or short as they have to be
This option was not available so "Other, N/A"
Short and simple English is always what is required in my field - technical translation - so I always consciously break up wordy sentences and eliminate subordinate clauses wherever possible, anyway.
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Julian Holmes wrote:
As long or short as they have to be
This option was not available so "Other, N/A"
| | | | EvaVer (X) 
Local time: 21:14
чешки на француски
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| Depends on the language pair and on the topic | Nov 20, 2015 |
To take an extreme example, a very polite letter will be up to 40% longer in French than in Czech or English. So that my translation will be longer when translating into French and shorter the other way round.
When there is no such reason (e.g., EN/CZ), my rule is: if your translation is substantially longer than the source, it is wrong.
[Edited at 2015-11-20 09:17 GMT]
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Surely the whole point of editing is to put things more elegantly and concisely?
| | | | Elizabeth Tamblin (X)
Обединето Кралство
Local time: 20:14
француски на англиски
In my first draft, I often put two or more suggestions/synonyms for tricky words/phrases, so my final draft is inevitably shorter than the first one.
| | | | | Other: They tend to flow better | Nov 20, 2015 |
When I'm translating, my commitment is to the original writer, to convey their ideas as faithfully as I can.
While editing, my commitment is to the targeted reader, so they'll grasp these ideas accurately with the minimum pain and effort possible.
This latter outcome is achieved by crafting the text that would be the most natural way to express those ideas in the targeted reader's cultureculture (which includes language, of course).
Now, if a river that flows "better" for any particular purpose is longer or shorter, I wouldn't know. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos (X)
Соединети Американски Држави
Local time: 12:14
шпански на англиски
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| About the same | Nov 20, 2015 |
I try to produce a final translation the first time around, so it's not really a draft. When I go through it afterwards, I often improve on my first version, which may make it shorter, but I don't set out to make it more concise when I review it.
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Mario Freitas
Бразил
Local time: 16:14
англиски на португалски
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| About the same, | Nov 20, 2015 |
I only change a few terms that sound better when I'm reading. The probability of changing a word for an expression or vice-versa is about the same, so the size doesn't change much.
| | | | | I couldn't make sense of the question | Nov 20, 2015 |
A translation reflects the original so its length and style tend to be determined by the source text, combined with the nature of the target language. After completing my work I check it for accuracy (reflects meaning of the original) and appropriate language and style - it's a two-way compromise. I don't think much happens in terms of longer or shorter. Certainly there is no kind of a pattern.
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