Benefits of a back translation
The term back translation can sound confusing without the idea of a forward translation. Technically, every translation moves content “forward” into a new language.
Back translation occurs when the translated (target) document is translated back into the original source language. In other words, it only makes sense as part of a forward-translation workflow—and it works best when both steps happen back-to-back in the same project.
Back translation is one of the most valuable workflows because it delivers unique benefits:
- It doubles the amount of linguistic quality control (LQA)
- It lets a monolingual author validate quality
- It creates strong documentation for compliance or legal needs
- It helps confirm how wordplay, puns, and highly connotative text were handled
Because of this, back translation is one of the best ways to support the highest-quality translations.
Double the LQA
This is what a typical ISO17100 translation process looks like:
This is what BURG’s back translation process looks like:
In these visuals, red denotes LQA activities. One key detail: the back translator is blinded from the source text. That means they can’t see the original and “mirror” it.
Also, even a perfect back translation won’t match the source word-for-word. Just like English, other languages have multiple correct ways to say the same thing.
To confirm accuracy, a second editor performs a reconciliation. They:
- Edit the back translation
- Compare it to the forward translation
- Find where any issue started (forward or back)
- Fix the source of the defect
This is what “doubles the LQA.” However, you only get this benefit when the forward and back translations happen in the same project.
If they are split into two separate projects, the process becomes two “forward translations” in opposite directions. That removes the reconciliation advantage.
So, if you want a back translation, request it at the same time as the forward translation.
Personally validate translation quality
The most obvious benefit, and the main reason clients request back translation, is simple: they can see the quality for themselves.
One reminder: don’t expect the back translation to match the source text word-for-word. There are often many valid ways to express the same idea, especially when transcreation was needed.
Still, being able to read the back translation can be very reassuring. For many clients, it’s also deeply satisfying.
Robust documentation
Back translation also creates documentation beyond the final deliverables.
During reconciliation, the editor works inside a trilingual table with three columns:
- Source text
- Target text
- Blinded back translation
Each row includes the same segment across all three columns. The editor reviews the table row by row to confirm that the translation is accurate.
That trilingual table becomes the “proof” many clients need for validation, compliance, or legal requirements.
Works with transcreated text
Some clients wonder how back translation can work with transcreation. After all, languages don’t always have a direct equivalent—and sometimes the translation must change a lot to keep the same meaning.
The answer is simple: use comments to explain what isn’t obvious.
For transcreation projects, the trilingual table is still the standard output—but it includes an extra comments column. That column explains the reasoning behind choices, especially when the final wording departs significantly from the source.
In standard back-translation work, comments aren’t usually needed. However, if an editor wants to clarify something, they can still add a note for that row.
Summary
Back translation is a specialized workflow that helps non-bilingual stakeholders read and understand translated documents in any language.
When done properly, it doubles linguistic quality control through reconciliation. The result is a near-final translation that can be confidently reviewed by anyone who reads only the source language.
It also holds up well, even for highly connotative, transcreated content.
If you’d like to learn more about how BURG Translations can help you with your back translations, contact us today.
