Eco-System of Language Profession

Editors are responsible for reading, reviewing, and approving texts for book, newspaper, magazine, and website publications. In the case of translations, editors are in charge of reviewing the renditions and comparing them against the source text to ensure the quality of the translation.

While in most cases proofreaders are in charge of checking and correcting grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors, the main duties of editors are to compare the terminologies used in the source and target texts, conduct research on areas that seem dubious or problematic, and direct translators’ attention to areas that require revision.

For large translation projects in which more than two translators are involved, the editor is also responsible for ensuring the consistency of terminology and style so that the rendition flows smoothly.

Editors for translation are required to have high linguistic competence in the target language (which usually is the editor’s A language) and a good command of the source language (which is typically the editor’s B or C language). Furthermore, a sound background in the translation domain is needed.

Attention to detail is also essential for editors. It is necessary to critically review other people’s work and spot mistakes, even minor ones.

Editors need good interpersonal and communication skills to engage in effective communication with translators and project managers. Part of an editor’s role is to identify weaknesses in the text, so the ability to convey such flaws in a constructive manner is essential.

Joanie Grenader

Mr. Lei Jing, Translation Editor at New York Times

Guidelines of Editing Translations. The ATA Chronicle (March 2012)