Do More Translators Mean Better Translations?

In our company the minimum standard level of service is translation plus post-translation proofreading by a second translator. In some instances we apply a process known as TEP (translation, editing, and proofreading).

Implicit in these processes is an acknowledgement that applying an additional linguist to a project improves the quality of the final translation. In our experience it does. So if a translator and a second proofreader improves the final translation deliverable, would a third, fourth, or more translators improve the quality even further?

Law of Diminishing Returns

“The law of diminishing returns states that in all productive processes, adding more of one factor of production, while holding all others constant, will at some point yield lower incremental per-unit returns. The law of diminishing returns does not imply that adding more of a factor will decrease the total production, a condition known as negative returns, though in fact this is common.” (source: Wikipedia)

The law of diminishing returns means that at some point adding an additional translator’s attention to a project will not produce a benefit sufficient to justify the additional cost of the translator. And in fact, a negative return can result by adding additional translators that make changes to a translation of already good quality.

Translation Processes Balance Costs and Quality 

In most cases a translator/proofreader team, native speaking in the target language, is a processing standard that’s acceptable and produces a high quality translation without unnecessary costs built in. Most people will find acceptable the services of a single professional (e.g., doctor, lawyer, dentist, et. al.). In translation we go at least one step further by adding a “second opinion” as part of our standard service.