What is Back Translation and Its Importance – Method Explained

If you are wondering what is back translation, it is a quality assurance method to ensure accuracy of the translated material. To be more specific, while the meaning of the translation is to translate contents from one language into another target language, back translation is a strategy of reverse translation. Businesses often use this double translation technique for the effective reconciliation of the original translation. In this article, we will discuss the process of back translation and its purpose. We will also talk about the back translation workflow and its major uses in detail with examples.

What is Back Translation?

1. Improve translation quality
2. Find and fix the issues in the translation meaning.
3. Prevent the chances of inaccurate translation tasks.
4. Maintain consistent translations in the future translation.
   

Back Translation Method Explained

1. Reverse Translation: The text is translated back to its source language.
2. Comparison: The re-translated text is compared with the meaning of the original source text.
3. Reconciliation Process: If any meaning discrepancy is detected, the translation is sent for revision.

Importance of Back Translation as a Method of Quality Assurance Process

The translation quality depends on how accurately the translated text conveys the meaning of the original text. In this context, the importance of back translation and quality assurance is interrelated.

To be more specific, back translation is considered a quality control method to ensure that the intended meaning is preserved throughout the final translation.

Sadly, the process of back translation is often overlooked, which eventually leads to costly consequences. 

Let’s understand this with a famous marketing blunder-

American Airlines launched a campaign to promote the luxury of its new leather first-class seats to the Spanish market. Their original English tagline was “Fly in Leather”, which they translated into Spanish as “Vuela en Cuero”. But when the tagline was translated back to its original language, the phrase took on a completely different meaning: “Fly naked. Due to this translation misstep, the whole campaign turned into a joke to the Spanish-speaking audience.

This humorous incident highlights how poor types of translation can cost millions. Therefore, back translation is necessary to analyse differences in the meaning between the source text and the completed translation.

Another classic example is KFC. Its original slogan, “Finger Lickin’ Good,” was mistranslated in China. When they translated it back into English, they discovered that the Chinese version meant “Eat Your Fingers Off.” After fixing the error, they had to spend millions to relaunch their marketing.

It is fair to say that when a text is translated back into the source language, it provides a scope to recheck whether the new translation retains the original meaning of the source text. Translators get an opportunity to rework errors (if any) and update the final translated draft to be accurately meaningful and culturally relevant. 

Other Popular Back Translation Examples

BMW’s famous slogan “Freude am Fahren” was translated into English as “Sheer driving pleasure.” But the standard translation of this content back into German becomes “Fahrvergnügen,” which means “driving enjoyment.” 

Another example is Coca-Cola’s slogan, “Taste the feeling.” In French, it became “Sentir le goût.” Translated back into English, it becomes “Feel the taste.”

While the above two examples belong to successful back translation projects, the next ones show why companies require back translation services. 

Parker Pen once translated its slogan into Spanish. The original said, “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” But the process of translating the Spanish version came out as, “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.” A back translation would have shown this big mistake before it reached the public.

In the 1960s, Pepsi’s Chinese campaign slogan accidentally became “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.” This funny yet bizarre incident shows why back translation is critical to ensuring accurate translation tasks.

In Italy, Schweppes’ original “Tonic Water” was mistranslated into “Toilet Water.” Italians were understandably turned off by the idea of drinking it.

Check out more random back translation fails to give yourself a laughter dose-

Industries that Use Back Translation

There are the top industries that benefit from back translation-

When and Why to Use Reverse Translation?

Creative translation and back translation must be used in tandem to reach the goal of accurate interpretation of the intended message for the target audience. 

Institutional review boards must use back translation to verify the accuracy of highly circulable materials and documents with sensitive or high-risk information to avoid potential legal problems. These include clinical research, forms and surveys, Medical and scientific reports, Legal texts, operating instruction manuals, etc. 

On the other hand, back translation helps avoid costly mistakes. For example, back translating marketing slogans, business collateral, food product labelling (culinary translation), export packaging, financial reports, etc, for a global audience, protects brand reputation while preventing misunderstandings.

Best practices for the Back Translation Project

Be Aware of Cultural Differences and Understand the Target Language

Keep in mind that people from different cultures might express the same idea in different ways. A good back translation takes these cultural differences into account and adjusts the wording as needed.

Involve Native Speakers in The Back Translation Process

Make sure native speakers of the target language are part of the back translation process. They understand the cultural context and subtle meanings better.

Do not Machine Translate, Instead Find Linguist Experts

Even though machine translation is popular nowadays, it’s still not good enough for back translation. It’s safer and more reliable to find human linguist experts for this task.

Give Context for Reconciliation of Translated Content

When sending content for back translation, include as much background information as possible. This can be glossaries, reference materials, or anything else that helps the back translator.

Go for an Extra Accuracy Check

You can do an extra check if you want more peace of mind. You can prepare a back translation checklist or hire someone fluent in both languages to compare the translation with the original. The expert might:

• Edit the text directly
  
• Suggest better wording
  
• Highlight sections to reevaluate.
  

This isn’t the same as a full accuracy check, but it’s very useful for ensuring that your technical terms are correct and suitable for your industry.

Find Back Translator (Highly Recommended)

Instead of doing it on your own, you can hire a professional translator for the task. Working with translation agencies has several key benefits, including saving time and effort with guaranteed high-quality assurance. First, an accredited translator completes the translation. Then, a second qualified linguist reviews it. Professional translation services facilitate a double-check system that follows an organised approach to ensure your translated content is accurate, free of accidental errors, and of high quality. 

Need Help With Back-Translation? Contact Professional Translation Services

If you are looking for experts who can help you with back translation, Australian Translation Services is here to help. We understand that back translation comes with unique challenges and only certified linguist experts can handle such delicate tasks, ensuring confidence. When you choose us for your translation projects, you are guaranteed to receive premium work with 100% accuracy. Let us help you to bridge the language gap with your target readers.