Importance of an In-Country Reviewer

When trusting your translation projects to a translator or a translation agency you are giving a lot of power for your product and brand.

We always suggest an in-country reviewer as a final step in the foreign language translation process.  This last step can be imperative to a “good’ translation. 

An in-country reviewer is typically a subject matter expert that knows the language and is able to proof the translated document to ensure that the translation is fully localized for the target market.  Their input will help improve the quality and the effectiveness of the materials.  This last step is a very prudent measure before the release of the translation. 

A note of caution: 

Many reviewers make some language adjustments that are merely a word preference as opposed to an actual translation issue.  Just as with English, anyone who reads a document will have their opinion on how to say the same thing.  Semantics is prevalent in translation as well.  The most important aspect of an in-country review process is to ensure that the localization was performed correctly and that the nuances of the materials were appropriate for that target market not to nit pick the document to the detriment of the timeline and process.