How to compare two translations for a change request

A change request arrives, and now you need to know what changed between two translations. A small wording edit can shift the meaning, while a paragraph moved or reformatted can make a comparison look much larger than it is.

Use Text Compare to locate differences between the older and newer translation. Then check each meaningful change against the source text and the request. A text comparison can show that wording changed, but it cannot decide whether the new version is accurate.

Compare the translation drafts

1. Open Text Compare. Keep the change request and the approved source text nearby so you can verify the reason for each edit.
2. Put the earlier translation in one text field and the revised translation in the other. Use the same language in both fields, and keep the older version separate from the new one.
3. Compare the drafts. Review each marked difference in its surrounding sentence, not as a phrase on its own. Check whether any whole sentences or paragraphs were added, removed, or moved.
4. For every meaningful change, ask whether it addresses the change request. Compare the revised wording with the corresponding source sentence, including any conditions, names, dates, numbers, and terms that must remain precise.
5. Record the approved translation's version or date, the changes you accepted, and any questions for the translator. Do not overwrite the earlier draft if you may need to document the review later.

If the texts are long, work through a few paragraphs at a time. Use the same passage boundaries in both drafts, and retain enough surrounding context to understand each sentence. Comparing unmatched sections can create a large block of apparent changes that is hard to review.

What the differences mean

A few words or a sentence are different

This is often the easiest result to review, but a short edit can still change the meaning. Check who is doing the action, whether a statement is required or optional, and whether a date or quantity changed. Then confirm the revision responds to the request rather than introducing an unrelated rewrite.

A sentence or paragraph appears to be missing

First check whether the text was moved to another location. If it is absent from the revised draft, compare the source and request to decide whether it was intentionally removed. A missing warning, exception, or instruction may be important even if the rest of the paragraph remains.

A large section appears changed

The comparison may be grouping many differences together because paragraphs were reordered, line breaks changed, or the translator rewrote the passage. Review the text in shorter, matching sections. Do not assume that a large marked block means every sentence has a new meaning.

There are no visible differences

The two drafts may be identical, or the wrong versions may have been copied into the fields. Check the filenames, dates, and opening and closing lines of each draft. Also confirm that you are comparing the translation versions rather than the source text and a translation.

The wording differs but the meaning may be the same

Translators can express the same idea in more than one way. A comparison identifies changed characters and words, not equivalent meaning, fluency, or grammatical quality. Ask a qualified reviewer of the target language to assess changes when the wording affects legal, medical, safety, financial, or contractual meaning.

How to avoid a misleading comparison

1. Confirm which version is older. Check filenames, timestamps, or version notes before pasting text. If the drafts are reversed, you may misunderstand which edits came from the change request.
2. Remove unrelated material. Compare the translation itself, not email headers, reviewer comments, or document footers. Keep any content that belongs to the text, such as a heading, footnote, warning, or numbered instruction.
3. Align the same passages. If a whole section has moved, compare the relevant passages separately or locate the moved section in the revised draft. This helps distinguish a move from a deletion and replacement.
4. Check punctuation and numbers carefully. A changed decimal separator, date, minus sign, quotation mark, or unit can matter. Verify these details against the source and the request instead of treating them as cosmetic.
5. Review context around every edit. Read the full sentence and the sentence before and after it. A pronoun, negation, or condition can refer to text outside the highlighted change.
6. Ask for language review when meaning is uncertain. If you cannot confidently judge the target language, do not approve a high-impact wording change based only on the visual comparison. Send the source sentence, request, and both translation versions to a qualified reviewer.

Keep a clear record of the change

For a useful review record, note the request, the source passage it affects, and the change between the old and revised translation. Record whether the change was accepted, rejected, or sent back for clarification. Include the version or date of the approved draft so another reviewer can identify the exact text later.

Limit what you paste into any browser tool to the text needed for the comparison. If the translation contains confidential information, follow your organization's rules for handling it and use an approved review process.