Back Translation is the process of translating a document that has already been translated into a foreign language back to the original language.
This is done preferably by an independent translator, and is also made without reference to the original text.
This practice is analogous to reversing a mathematical operation. But even in mathematics, a reversal frequently does not produce a value that is precisely identical with the original. Comparison of a back-translation to the original text is sometimes used as a quality check on the original translation; even if it is useful as an approximate check, for the reason given above it is certainly far from infallible, and should not be considered as such.
A back translation is created to enable the consultant or other speakers to know what a translation means in a target language and how that translation is expressed in the forms of that language.
A back translation should be as literal as possible so its reader can observe the forms in the target translation, yet restructured enough to enable it to make sense to the consultant or other readers of the back translation.
A back translation helps a translation consultant determine if the original meaning has been preserved in the target language. It is usually abbreviated as BT.
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