Should you proofread your English content before translation?

“Do you recommend proofreading the English content before we start on the translation, or can we do without that?”

As a boutique language services provider for luxury brands, it’s a question we hear often. On paper, skipping proofreading saves time. You’ve already spent a lot of time creating the content. It reads well. You have a deadline to meet.

Most clients think of proofreading as correcting typos. But when translation is part of your content creation workflow, it’s actually about much more than that. It’s making sure that your source text is a solid foundation for all your other language versions.

Getting your messaging right is paramount for brand credibility and customer perception. You know how little it takes to erode trust. So when you’re recreating your content in other languages, the risk of getting it wrong multiplies. So, should you invest in proofreading first? In most cases, yes. Let’s look at why it matters – and when you might reasonably skip the proofreading stage.

Why your English source copy matters more than you think

Your English source copy sets the tone for your brand. It also shapes every translation that follows. If it isn’t clear and consistent, your translations won’t be, either.

For example, one small ambiguity in English can become ten different interpretations in ten markets. Often, this only shows up in abandoned online shopping carts or an increase in support tickets.

Fixing your English copy might only take you a few minutes. But fixing ten other language versions? That could take longer than you expect.

What can go wrong when you don’t proofread your English content?

There are a whole host of challenges that you can run into if you don’t proofread your English content before translation. Let’s take a look at a few common issues. The examples below are all ones that our proofreading team sees again and again.

Typos not flagged by the spellchecker that change the meaning

Imagine the following scenario: You’re working on a high-profile magazine that has nine language versions. You’re hours away from the print deadline. The copywriter calls and asks for a last-minute change to a caption underneath a photo of a handcrafted leather bag. “It’s only one letter,” she announces cheerfully.

The change?

The delicate ring detail gives the bag a refined finish.

The delicate wing detail gives the bag a refined finish.

It isn’t just one letter in other languages, though. It’s an entirely different word. And it might involve changing the definite article and adjective, too.

This meant contacting nine different translators across various time zones. Then asking the typesetting teams to apply the change in the layout. The potential for error was huge. The magazine made it to the printer in time. Just.

The last-minute panic could have been avoided by including a proofreading step before translation.

Unchecked names damage relationships and your reputation

We recently helped a watch brand launch a global campaign featuring a high-profile celebrity ambassador. They’d invested a lot in the partnership. Their messaging was polished, and their visuals were stunning. But a few of their campaign assets had a typo in the ambassador’s name.

Without proofreading, that typo could have been replicated in 20 languages. It would have caused huge embarrassment to the brand. It would have damaged the relationship that they’d worked so hard to build with their celebrity ambassador, too. A silly typo could have cost the watch brand millions in lost sales. And thoroughly tarnished their reputation.

It’s not just about misspelling a person’s name, either. Careless handling of place names shows that you don’t know your target audience. Or worse, that you don’t care. We often see German-speaking copywriters use the German transliteration of place names in English copy. Without proofreading, Poland’s fifth-largest city stays as Posen in multiple language versions. Your readers, meanwhile, are scratching their heads, wondering if you meant Poznań.

Factual inaccuracies erode trust

Like the watchmaking sector, jewellery is a trust-based, value-sensitive category.

We support an innovative jewellery brand with their global sales training initiatives. Their training department produced a presentation on the new-season collection for retail staff. It had images of each product, along with a detailed product description for each one.

Proofreading the presentation before translation turned out to be crucial. Many of the descriptions underneath images of jewellery in white-coloured metal used the word “gold”. After checking with the client, these descriptions all needed to be updated to replace “gold” with “rhodium plated”.

Errors in describing any of the following can have a huge impact on jewellery’s perceived value:

• Precious metals and metal plating
• Gemstone carat weight and origin
• Treatments

For discerning customers buying jewellery, details matter. Incorrect descriptions that make their way into sales conversations have a direct impact on a store’s KPIs.

Reputation means everything in the jewellery industry. Inaccurate product descriptions risk trading standards issues. They also erode customers’ trust.

Outdated information undermines credibility

Another aspect that’s often overlooked is subject matter risk. Best practices can change in any industry. Organisations need to make sure that their content reflects current practice. This is where a proofreader specialising in your industry can help, especially over the long term.

Let’s look at another example from the same jewellery brand. They’ve recently moved into the luxury segment and are upskilling their teams accordingly. They had produced a short guide for retail staff on how to use a loupe. Our job was to translate this guide into three other languages.

On the surface, the English source text was flawless. Even so, something didn’t sound right. The advice to close one eye and the recommended distance for viewing a gemstone were outdated. The instructions had the potential to cause eye strain and discomfort.

Fine jewellery buyers would probably also notice the difference in how this brand’s retail staff were using a loupe.

In this case, careful proofreading by a jewellery industry specialist spared hundreds of retail staff from eye strain. It also kept the client’s credibility in the luxury segment intact.

Culture doesn’t always travel

Often, good English copy isn’t created with international audiences in mind. A proofreader with experience in creating translation-friendly content can help you avoid a costly mistake.

A US sportswear brand asked us to proofread and translate some copy about a collaboration with a European accessories label. They had joined forces to produce limited-edition baseball caps.

The proofreader found an issue with the very first heading:

“Two iconic brands unite to hit street style out of the park”

There’s nothing wrong with it linguistically. In fact, the baseball-inspired idiom “to hit something out of the park” works really well for US audiences, as baseball is a popular sport there.

The trouble is, baseball isn’t quite as popular in other countries. And although it’s possible to convey the meaning of the idiom in other languages, it won’t make quite the same impact.

Together with the client, we came up with an alternative heading that kept the reference to both collaboration and sports. But crucially, it would work equally well in other languages:

“Two iconic brands team up for a winning take on street style”

Would the translated versions have been catastrophically wrong if the heading hadn’t changed? Probably not. But when your copy needs to do more than just inform, it helps when the copy works for your target audience too.

When “approved” copy still causes delays

“We don’t need you to proofread our copy before translation – it’s already been approved.”

We hear this a lot. But “approved” doesn’t always mean ready for translation.

Let’s say you’re translating your copy into 20 languages. In your rush to get the content off your desk, a few mistakes slip through.

Your translators spot them – though not all at the same time. Your inbox soon starts to fill with content queries.

At this stage, you realise that your copy does indeed need to be changed. So do the translations. It all takes a while to sort out.

The source text changes mean you’re now over budget. And you’re also in danger of missing your deadline. We’ve heard countless stories of heroic efforts to fix content problems downstream.

Proofreading protects your workflow as well as your budget. Fixing issues at the source is far more efficient than correcting 20 translated versions. It also keeps any back-and-forth to a minimum, leading to a smoother translation process.

When proofreading may not be necessary

Proofreading before translation isn’t always essential. It’s reasonable to skip proofreading if:

• you’re translating into a single language
• the content is low risk and short lived
• brand voice sensitivity is minimal
• speed is the overriding priority

In these cases, experienced translators can absorb minor ambiguities. However, if you’re planning a high-profile multilingual rollout, the equation changes.

A smarter question: Would a quick proofread now save time and budget later?

In short, you can begin translation without proofreading. But if your content is strategic, multilingual and brand-critical, skipping source review is rarely the most efficient choice.

Your English source copy is the foundation for every market. If it’s solid, your translations will be, too. If it’s shaky, problems multiply.

The cost of correcting your English source text is small. The cost of correcting 20 language versions – plus lost time and credibility – is not.

Before you kick off your next multilingual project, ask whether including a proofreading step before translation would make sense.

If you’re unsure, we’d be happy to review your English copy and advise on the best approach. Get in touch with our team to make your next translation project smoother from day one.

About the author

Bethan Thomas has worked in language services for 20 years. She is a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. At Planet Languages, she helps international brands make their multilingual content shine.