CC Translation Sprint Guide

A translation project usually goes through three stages in general: translating, editing and proofreading. As a general rule, it is ideal that there are at least three different people to translate, edit and proofread a document.

But in CC Translation Sprint, it is expected that participating teams would consist of non-expert volunteers with limited resources in many cases. So a team can have a structure like this:

1 Lead Translator/Editor;
Translators (optional);
and 1+ Proofreader/s

Stage 1. Translating

Usually, the workflow of a group translation project would look like this:

1. The lead translator carefully reads through the material and translates a part of the source text first. 2. The lead translator makes a terms/reference list - The lead translator builds a list of terms (e.g. repeating headers, unique concept) that need to be discussed as a reference for other translators, and circulates it to other translators for feedback, and then confirms a tentative translation of each term. Examples of difficult terms that may need consultation in a CC translation include “remix”, “no derivatives” and “sharealike.” On such terms you should reference past translations of the CC licences or deeds in the same language (if they exist) to ensure consistency. 3. The lead translator creates a style guide - defining the tone of the translation taking into account local context, target audience, appropriate writing style. 4. The lead translator creates a timetable taking into account the possible workload per translator, divides workload depending on their capacity, and sets a deadline. 5. All translators start translating their parts and consult with each other during the process about terms and expressions where needed. While in principle the lead translator does not participate in this stage, he/she might want to participate depending on each team’s capacity and situation. 6. The lead translator checks the schedule to make sure all translations are finished on time and manages the terminology list.

What tools to use?
The materials selected for this sprint are two short, basic guides on CC licenses and therefore you might just want to translate it using a simple text editor or word processor program. Alternatively, and for longer translations, you can choose to try some open translation tools such as Google Translator Toolkit, a free web-based translation editor. For more information on how to use Google Translator Toolkit, see this help guide or this video tour.

Stage 2. Editing

Editing is comparing the translation to the original (source) text, and reviewing the translated text as a whole. Ideally an editor should not participate in the translation stage and should be an expert in both languages who also knows the subject matter deeply. In a small team, the lead translator serves the role of an editor.

The editor should check for things like word choice, clarity, conciseness, consistency, terminology, and style. Below are some questions the editor should keep in mind when reviewing and editing a translation:

Does the translation accurately convey the meaning of the text?
Does the translation use appropriate terminology and style for its intended audience?
Is the translated text consistent?

Stage 3. Proofreading

Proofreading is the final step where you check to make sure the translated text doesn’t have any mistakes/errors in terms of spelling, punctuation, terminology etc. A proofreader is expected to review the translated text without the source text and check the points like:

Spelling, punctuation, terminologies, abbreviations, numbers
Structure & style: run-on sentences, long paragraphs

Tips for Editors and Proofreaders
Read through the text as if you were seeing it for the first time. Highlight any errors that you spot as you go along, and fix the mistakes that you marked once you’ve finished reading. Take a break and then come back to the text the next day or a couple of days later if possible so that you’re reading it with fresh eyes. You cannot spot everything at once. It is recommended to do a final review with a hard copy of the text, line by line.