Back translation revisited : differences that matter (and those that do not)

Another article about back translation? This is definitely not a popular topic among many profesional translators and translation companies. The unpopularity of the " back translation approach" to quality assurance is reflected in the relatively new ASTM translation are no guarantee of accuracy". Nevertheless, many of us recive requests from clients for a back translation "to verify the accuracy" of the original translation Legal departaments seem to be particularly enamored of this concept ASTM publication promotes the concept of havig "a qualified second person, fluent in the specific language or dialect, back translate to assure the origial meaning".