Proposing an electronic form to revise translated phraseological units

Abstract

When translated texts — either specialized or not — are assessed or revised, some aspects (grammar, word selection, register, spelling, etc.) are usually taken into account to measure their level of general quality. However, the way phraseological units are translated is not usually considered as an indicator to be assessed, although a lack of proficiency in the translation of these units can result in a deficiently translated text. In view of the most recent advances in translation quality assessment, the publication of the quality standard EN-15038 in 2006 is one of its most visible results.

Much has been said about the pursuit of quality in translation; however, references become less and less significant when focusing on particular aspects such as the translation of phraseological units. This article aims to discuss the concept of quality with reference to the translation of phraseological units. To this purpose, a brief state of the art on this topic will be presented in order to provide the appropriate foundations on which to build an assessment model. This model, an electronic template for assessment and revision, includes the categories and severity levels required to identify and grade the weaknesses and strengths of the translated text to be assessed.