Errors and mistakes
H. Douglas Brown has defined linguistic errors as "a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the interlanguage competence of the learner." He cites an example "Does John can sing?" where a preceding do, auxiliary verb, has been used as an error. When one is learning a second language, that person makes mistakes. Saying, so it’s good to point out that in non-academic contexts there isn’t a precise usage of these two terms and it’s possible that sometimes less accurately someone uses them as a synonym. The main point is that when one makes mistakes, the rules were learned, but the person doesn't apply them correctly. Besides, it's useful to stress that while it is possible self-correction to a mistake in case of errors this not possible because the person doesn't know the rule.
There are many kinds of mistakes such as failing to use proper verb tenses (I have seen Mary yesterday instead of I saw May yesterday), misusing vocabulary (I made my homework instead of I did my homework), subject/verb agreement (He like apples instead of He likes apples.). These are well-known problems. To have an idea of what kind of errors we can find in one text, it is possible to summarize some: Avoidance, Simplification, Overgeneralization, Fossilization, and Hypercorrection.
Quality control in translation
In one of the entries of Merriam-Webster Dictionary quality is defined as a "degree of excellence," and excellence means superiority. So, a translation must be excellent to be considered a good one. Translators must "chase" mistakes, especially those that are considered silly ones such as double space or lack of it and misspelled words. Those made due to lack of attention. It's important to mention that quality control it's not just correct grammar mistakes. It's also necessary to pay attention to terminology, accuracy, and style. To reach excellence translators must follow three processes before submitting their final draft to their clients
Brian Mossop offers these translator-specific definitions:
Editing: The process of checking a non-translational text for error and making appropriate amendments, with particular attention to making the text suitable for its readers and intended use.
Revising: The process of checking a draft translation for errors and making appropriate amendments.
Proofreading: (1) In editing, comparison of the printer’s proof with the manuscript. (2) In revision, sometimes used as a synonym of unilingual re-reading, especially when this is limited to corrections (i.e., no improvements are made).
There are many tools to cater for proofreading especially during the second phase of this process. Nowadays a trendy one is Grammarly. In its website, they say: "Grammarly’s AI-powered products help people communicate more effectively." For translators, this is an excellent tool since it helps to improve quality and therefore reduces the time of editing. During the process of translation, the translators correct their text and at the end spend less time perfecting the text. Some of the features of Grammarly are spelling, grammar, punctuation, fluency and vocabulary check. On a deeper level this tool help with conventions, conciseness, clarity, and variety. Another handy feature is a weekly report that caters to the main problems in a user’s productions. Let's see some examples in this very text of improvement brought by Grammarly.
| Content without Grammarly | Mistakes pointed by Grammarly | Content after Grammarly |
| This well-know problems | Spelling | These well-known problems |
| To cater for proofreading especially the second phase of this process | Grammar – Dangling modifier Missing preposition |
There are many tools to cater for proofreading especially during the second phase of this process |
| Simplification, overgeneralization, fossilization and hypercorrection are other. | Punctuation | Simplification, overgeneralization, fossilization, and hypercorrection are other. |
| In order to have an idea of what kind of errors we can find in one text… | Conciseness | To have an idea of what kind of errors we can find in one text… |
| To reach excellence translators must follow 3 processes before submitting their final dranf to their clients. | Convention Spelling |
To reach excellence translators must follow three processes before submitting their final draft to their clients. |
| Nowadays a very popular one is Grammarly. | Vocabulary | Nowadays a very trendy one is Grammarly. |
Standards in various countries along with ISO 9001 provide to the industry guidelines to measure quality. Because of those and other factors, many of the tools related to the translator industry are very oriented to quality control and the development of the artificial intelligence shortly will increase the capacity of these tools of pinpoint not only mistakes but also errors. The translator and the translation industry say thanks!
References
Error (linguistics) (2017, Oct 29th). Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Error_(linguistics)
Gellinek, Else (2013, Oct 27th). Proofreading, editing, revising: what’s the difference? Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://www.sprachrausch.com/2013/10/27/proofreading-editing-revising-whats-difference/
Kreisa, Meredith (n.d). Funny, Not Funny! 12 Humorous Errors and Mistakes in Language Learning to Avoid. Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/errors-and-mistakes-in-language-learning/
Quality 2a [Def. 1]. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster Online. In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quality
The Importance of Quality Control with Translations. (n.d.). Retrieved June 20, 2018, from https://www.onehourtranslation.com/translation/blog/importance-quality-control-translations
