Check a translated text against its edited revision

You have an edited translation and need to know what changed from the earlier version. A few adjustments may improve the wording, but a small change can also alter a date, instruction, name, or important qualification.

Use Text Compare to find differences between the two versions. Then review each change against the source text and the context, because a text comparison can show what changed but cannot tell you whether the translation is accurate.

Compare the two versions

1. Open Text Compare and locate the two text areas for the versions you want to check.
2. Put the earlier translation in one area and the edited revision in the other. Keep the source text open separately so you can refer to it while reviewing.
3. Run the comparison and inspect the differences it marks. Check additions, removals, and wording that has been replaced.
4. Review each meaningful change against the source. Pay close attention to numbers, names, dates, negations, and terms that need to stay consistent.

Use the same complete passage in both areas if possible. Comparing a paragraph from one version with a whole page from the other can make ordinary differences in surrounding text difficult to interpret.

What the differences mean

Words were added

An addition may clarify an implied idea, make a sentence sound natural, or restore information that was missing. Check that the added wording follows the source rather than introducing a new claim. For example, adding a specific cause or promise that the source does not state can change the meaning, even if the sentence reads smoothly.

Words were removed

Some removals cut repetition or awkward phrasing. Others may delete a condition, warning, limitation, or detail the reader needs. Compare the surrounding sentence with the source, and make sure a shorter revision has not dropped who must act, what they must do, or when it applies.

A phrase was replaced

A replacement can be a better translation, a style edit, or a change in meaning. Check terms that carry specific meaning in your subject area. A familiar word in everyday conversation may not be the right technical, legal, medical, or product term.

Punctuation or spacing changed

These differences are often harmless, but punctuation can affect meaning. Check commas, decimal points, quotation marks, and sentence boundaries, especially in languages where punctuation conventions differ. Also check whether a number such as 1,500 or 1.500 is being used as a thousands or decimal separator in the intended locale.

The comparison shows a large block as changed

This can happen when a sentence or paragraph has been reordered or rewritten. It does not necessarily mean every word is different. Compare the full sentences and ideas in context rather than treating a large highlighted area as many separate errors.

How to review and correct the revision

1. Check high-risk details first. Verify names, numbers, dates, prices, measurements, URLs, and product codes against the source. These can be easy to overlook when you focus on whether a sentence sounds natural.
2. Look for changes to certainty. Check words such as “may,” “must,” “never,” and “only.” A change from a possibility to a requirement, or from a warning to a suggestion, can have a serious effect on the reader.
3. Read the complete sentence in context. A replacement may look correct by itself but no longer fit the sentence before or after it. If the editor moved a sentence, check that references such as “this,” “they,” or “above” still point to the right thing.
4. Use the source to settle meaning questions. If you cannot tell whether a change is stylistic or substantive, compare the original source passage. Ask the editor or translator when the source is ambiguous instead of guessing from the two translated versions alone.
5. Make the correction in the working document. After deciding which version is right, update the actual edited file, not just the text in the comparison. Compare again if you make further edits, so you can check the final revision against the earlier version.

If your comparison looks unexpectedly different, check that you copied the full text into the correct areas and did not include a heading or footnote in only one version. Line breaks and formatting may also differ after copying text from a document. For a clean review, compare plain text passages with the same boundaries.

What text comparison cannot decide

A difference list is evidence of editing, not a translation quality score. It cannot decide whether a word is culturally appropriate, whether a technical term matches your glossary, or whether a sentence preserves the source's tone. Two versions can also differ substantially while both remain valid translations.

For a careful review, keep three items available: the source, the earlier translation, and the edited revision. Use the comparison to locate changes, then judge them in context. If the text is confidential, follow your organization’s rules before pasting it into any browser-based tool.