Reading order during bilingual quality checking of translations: An issue in search of studies

Abstract

This paper investigates three questions about the order in which the source text and the translation are read during bilingual quality checking of translations. How do translators behave with respect to reading order during self-revision, other-revision and post-editing? What reasons do translators give for using one or the other order? Is one order better in terms of error detection? Reading order is of interest not only because one order may yield more error detection but also because the two orders may differ cognitively. The few existing eye-tracking, interview and survey studies on reading order are summarized and commented on. They suggest, first, that it is unclear whether reading order affects error detection. Second, that post-editors mostly look at the machine translation output first, but for self- and other-revisers, practices are mixed. Third, that as translators leave their student days behind and gain experience, about half abandon source-first as their default reading order during other-revision. Also considered are two articles involving order in other fields: metaphor studies and second language acquisition.