| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Do you proofread your translations on paper? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| Because it is just not good enough on screen... | Feb 20, 2012 |
Ty Kendall wrote: To the 32-odd% who answered "Yes" (sometimes/always)....why aren't you thinking of the poor trees? 
I do think of the trees and it is a well-considered decision. My paper is recycled and/or comes from managed forests. Probably 'nurse trees' grown between other trees that will be used later on for timber. The nurse trees are cut down to make more space as the timber trees grow larger.
I use paper on the same principles as I eat eggs from free-range hens and wear leather shoes and lambskin slippers...
And although I proofread on screen first, I invariably find it best to do the last check on paper. Today, once again, I made several revisions to a text I was very pleased with on screen. I checked it once more, and several sentences were just too long and the syntax too odd.
OK, it was law, but I proofread on screen, then on paper, and usually make significant changes in almost any kind of text. I only trust myself with very short, standardised texts on screen.
I economise on paper, use both sides etc. and try in other ways to save the planet. But I don't think compromising on the quality of my work will help.
| | | | Chun Un 
Macau
Member (2007)
English to Chinese
+ ...
For some reason, I can spot mistakes much easier on paper than on screen... Given the overconsumption reality of our humanity, I hope my little sin will be forgiven when it comes to the judgment day. 
[Edited at 2012-02-20 14:16 GMT]
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 05:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Horses for courses | Feb 20, 2012 |
Angus Stewart wrote:
... the eye interacts differently with the text when seen in hard copy, as opposed to on screen ...I might consider doing this if I was finding it difficult to concentrate on proof reading a particular document on screen and wanted to be able to look at it with a fresh set of eyes.
I find it easier to spot things on screen than on paper. I do sometimes read my texts out loud to see how they "feel" but printing out anything not absoutely necessary is anathema to me - I recycle all my organic waste and try to minimise my use of paper and printing materials.
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Bin Tiede wrote: David Wright wrote:
I don't trust my abilty to notice things on the screen to teh same degree as when I'm reading on paper - but then I hate reading material on the screen anyway! And as long as I still discover mistakes I don't see on the screen, I will always do.
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Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 23:41
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I always print the source document to work on the translation, a second copy to proofread and then a third copy to proof the final version. And then all paper copies get shredded (by a professional shredding company - I use several thousand sheets a month - I do not know if they recycle) and the digital copy and any TMs get deleted 60 days later for confidentiality reasons. Proofreading on screen would be impossible for me.
The results of these polls always astound me.
[Edit... See more I always print the source document to work on the translation, a second copy to proofread and then a third copy to proof the final version. And then all paper copies get shredded (by a professional shredding company - I use several thousand sheets a month - I do not know if they recycle) and the digital copy and any TMs get deleted 60 days later for confidentiality reasons. Proofreading on screen would be impossible for me.
The results of these polls always astound me.
[Edited at 2012-02-20 15:49 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 23:41
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Sometimes paper beats screen | Feb 20, 2012 |
In the rock-paper-scissors game of proofing for things, paper usually beats screen. Why? It's not our primitive need to touch. It's not our desire to hold on to the old ways. It's just simple optics.
The human eye grows fatigued after hours of looking at a screen, which sits at a fixed distance. So, fixed focus for the eye. Our eyes need to refocus and change focus ever so often to fight fatigue. Ask any eye doctor, he'll tell you to look away from the screen.
With a fi... See more In the rock-paper-scissors game of proofing for things, paper usually beats screen. Why? It's not our primitive need to touch. It's not our desire to hold on to the old ways. It's just simple optics.
The human eye grows fatigued after hours of looking at a screen, which sits at a fixed distance. So, fixed focus for the eye. Our eyes need to refocus and change focus ever so often to fight fatigue. Ask any eye doctor, he'll tell you to look away from the screen.
With a fixed focus, we fail to notice some things, especially smallish items like commas, letters or other glyphs.
I find proofing on screen is great if I only need to do some macro-level proofing (ie, desktop publishing jobs). I only have to check the shape and layout of things.
On the other hand, if the document is small (2-5 pages), nothing beats printing it and checking it under good light, even reading it out loud —like some of you suggested.
I don't buy the green argument for every piece of screen real estate. Some things are meant to be printed and checked.
I learned to proof galleys at a printer's shop in Manhattan, NY in 1992. I learned to use proofing marks, I learned to spot things, like stacked hyphens and words that aren't supposed to be hyphenated, plus misplaced periods and missing paragraphs. Trust me, nothing beats the manual labor we can put in. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Save the trees! | Feb 20, 2012 |
Ty Kendall wrote: To the 32-odd% who answered "Yes" (sometimes/always)....why aren't you thinking of the poor trees?
I find that printing is a time-consuming, unnecessary process as I spot mistakes as easily on screen as on paper, and it is inconsiderate of the environment, not only because of the paper. Think of the ink, extra electricity...
The only work-related things I print out are invoices.
[Edited at 2012-02-20 17:24 GMT]
[Edited at 2012-02-20 17:24 GMT]
| | | | Patricia Charnet
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:41
Member (2009)
English to French
but I've got a big PC screen and I do a lot of on screen revisions - sometimes, if not too pressurised, I go outside for a while to change the range of vision, then come back and see more mistakes on the screen.
I also blow up the resolution on the PC to a maximum and check slowly to make sure I notice everything. I use my PC resolution to the maximum the PC can handle to make sure I see everything
I've never been a fan of printing for checking purposes and only do it w... See more but I've got a big PC screen and I do a lot of on screen revisions - sometimes, if not too pressurised, I go outside for a while to change the range of vision, then come back and see more mistakes on the screen.
I also blow up the resolution on the PC to a maximum and check slowly to make sure I notice everything. I use my PC resolution to the maximum the PC can handle to make sure I see everything
I've never been a fan of printing for checking purposes and only do it when something is mega important like an official translation being certified - often I print it out before signing it and if on screen checking is thorough enough, I don't see any difference in my case ▲ Collapse
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Cristina Munari
Italy
Local time: 05:41
Member (2008)
English to Italian
+ ...
Jose Arnoldo Rodriguez-Carrington wrote: Ty Kendall wrote: To the 32-odd% who answered "Yes" (sometimes/always)....why aren't you thinking of the poor trees? I find that printing is a time-consuming, unnecessary process as I spot mistakes as easily on screen as on paper, and it is inconsiderate of the environment, not only because of the paper. Think of the ink, extra electricity... The only work-related things I print out are invoices. [Edited at 2012-02-20 17:24 GMT] [Edited at 2012-02-20 17:24 GMT]
What a waste of paper!
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 04:41
| Similar poll | Feb 20, 2012 |
In a similar poll not so long ago, a few people mentioned reading their texts out loud (on and off screen) as a good proofing method.
This has been so useful for me; I have become quite a fan! I am going to try Patricia's trick of zooming in on text too.
I very seldom proof on paper. I only do it if I have spotted an inordinately huge number of minor typing errors on screen, and need reassurance that all errors are eliminated before delivering the job.
As t... See more In a similar poll not so long ago, a few people mentioned reading their texts out loud (on and off screen) as a good proofing method.
This has been so useful for me; I have become quite a fan! I am going to try Patricia's trick of zooming in on text too.
I very seldom proof on paper. I only do it if I have spotted an inordinately huge number of minor typing errors on screen, and need reassurance that all errors are eliminated before delivering the job.
As to saving the trees, I already save countless litres of fossil fuel by working from home, and do not purchase any paper-based newspapers or magazines. I see more paper litter in the streets within a two-kilometre radius of where I live than my printer uses in a month... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Ty Kendall
United Kingdom
Local time: 04:41
Hebrew to English
| Shock! Horror! | Feb 20, 2012 |
Allison Wright wrote:
In a similar poll not so long ago,...
How unusual! *insert sarcasm*
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 23:41
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
| On screen proofing is worse for the environment than paper | Feb 20, 2012 |
Actually trees are grown to make paper and you actually do more harm to the environment by proofing on screen because you are using more electricity.
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Jorge Payan
Colombia
Local time: 22:41
Member (2002)
German to Spanish
+ ...
| Power to the PC! Let it to read aloud! | Feb 21, 2012 |
Allison Wright wrote:
In a similar poll not so long ago, a few people mentioned reading their texts out loud (on and off screen) as a good proofing method....
I don't read the text. I use the text-to-speech feature of Dragon Naturally Speaking and Windows Voice Recognition. I find this method more comfortable for non technical documents.
Saludos
| | | | Jorge Payan
Colombia
Local time: 22:41
Member (2002)
German to Spanish
+ ...
| So, do you turn off your screen when you are printing? | Feb 21, 2012 |
Jeff Whittaker wrote:
Actually trees are grown to make paper and you actually do more harm to the environment by proofing on screen because you are using more electricity.
I have to disagree:
Printers are electromechanical devices with motors, heating and moving parts that certainly spend more electrical power (500 Watts for the small laser printer I have) than a monitor (mine is a 25 inches LED monitor which "eats" 100 Watts)!
Please just do the math .... 5 times more power consumption...
[Edited at 2012-02-21 00:32 GMT]
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 23:41
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
+ ...
True, but it takes 5 minutes to print and several hours (at least for me) to proofread with the computer and printer both turned off.
Jorge Payan wrote: Jeff Whittaker wrote:
Actually trees are grown to make paper and you actually do more harm to the environment by proofing on screen because you are using more electricity.
I have to disagree: Printers are electromechanical devices with motors, heating and moving parts that certainly spend more electrical power (500 Watts for the small laser printer I have) than a monitor (mine is a 25 inches LED monitor which "eats" 100 Watts)! Please just do the math .... 5 times more power consumption...[Edited at 2012-02-21 00:32 GMT]
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