The Reviewer Is Blind

"Blindness narrows the review question so the answer can be trusted."

Separate the powers

A reviewer who sees the original can reward literal alignment even when the target text limps. Inkwell asks a sharper question: does this translation stand as natural writing in its own language?

Let state name the role

Build the review packet from translation text, target language, and a rubric about naturalness. Exclude original text, source keywords, and author reasoning. The exclusion is part of the API contract, not a polite prompt sentence.

The convenient overreach

Redacting the original in the UI while leaving it in model context is fake blindness. So is asking the reviewer to verify factual fidelity it cannot see. The role must match the evidence supplied.

Authorship invariant. Blindness narrows the review question so the answer can be trusted.

Follow one sentence through four acts

Test “The Reviewer Is Blind” by tracing original authorship, translation authorship, blind review, and author revision. For each act list inputs, outputs, visible evidence, writable fields, and the proof handed forward. One brain may perform two roles at different times; the job and authority must still remain distinct.

Make the judgment

Write the exact fields in a blind review packet and the questions the reviewer is not qualified to answer. If you cannot answer who chose the final wording in one sentence, provenance is too thin. A note that silently edits text or a stet whose reason disappears changes who holds the pen.

Narrow roles sharpen quality

Giving a reviewer every truth is not always an improvement. Restricting evidence and action makes the naturalness question answerable. The author uses that answer as material while retaining responsibility for the final choice.

Code

Construct a genuinely blind packet·python

def blind_review_packet(translation):
    allowed = {
        "translation_text": translation["text"],
        "target_language": translation["target_language"],
        "rubric": "Review naturalness, cadence, and idiom. Return notes only.",
    }
    forbidden = {"original_text", "source_keywords", "author_reasoning"}
    assert forbidden.isdisjoint(allowed)
    return allowed

print(blind_review_packet({"text": "A target-language draft.", "target_language": "en"}))

Separate the powers

Let state name the role

The convenient overreach

Follow one sentence through four acts

Make the judgment

Narrow roles sharpen quality

Code

External links

Exercise

Progress

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