What should and what shouldn’t we change when revising a colleague’s translation?

This is the title I chose for the November hosted session of the Group Translation Chats (GTC). Besides two coffee-break chats per week, which are drop-in meetings anyone in the group can attend, we hold one moderated chat on a particular translation-related topic every month.

I’ve always been interested in editing and revisions. Not only do they account for a large chunk of my workload, I’m also now a member of a RevClub and an Edit Club, meeting with my colleagues on alternate weeks to discuss texts we’ve translated with the aim of improving them and learning from each other.

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What is the purpose of a revision?

Is it just a box-ticking exercise to comply with the ISO 17100:2015 International Quality Standard?

Is it a chance to find a mistake in the translation as an excuse to pay the translator less or not at all?

Or is it an essential step in the translation process with the aim of delivering the best possible text to the end client?

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