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May 9, 2008


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THE HOW-TO LIBRARY


Contents in Brief

Search:

CAT
Computers and Technology
From Language to Literature
Techniques
Tips for Direct Clients
Translation Agencies
Working as a Freelancer



Contents

 

 CAT

Top


General

Tool Kit * It's a Whole New World Out There—XLIFF Finally Finds the Support It Deserves
XLIFF is a new standard for exchange of translation data that is finally finding some support among some tool vendors. This article gives you an overview of why we need this standard and how translators can benefit.

Tool Kit * Playing the Name Game
A plea for an overhaul of terminology in the translation industry. Is "CAT" a good term and what are some alternatives?

Tool Kit * Quality Assurance and Translation Memory
Computer-assisted translation tools are widely accepted among professional translators to streamline translation. How can we use these tools to implement quality assurance beyond the bare-bones-approach of repetition? Here are some tips.

Tool Kit * What Makes a Translation Environment Tool a Good TEnT?
A minimal best-practice checklist for translation environment tool developers.

Немного об автоматизированном переводе
Brief explanation of CAT tools principle and problems freelancer may have with the "beast".


Trados

Getting Started with TRADOS Freelance in Two Minutes
Hopefully this article will help you get rid of all prejudices against TRADOS and begin using basic Trados FL functions in two minutes. To do so, you only need to focus on vitally important Trados features and skip all the others.

Visual Basic Run-time error 5 in MS Word 2000
How to fix the Microsoft Visual Basic run-time error 5 in MS Word 2000 because of corrupted Trados template

 

 Computers and Technology

Top


Hardware

PDAs and the Interpreter
Palm OS(r) based PDAs offer the possibility of keeping large amounts of data on a tiny footprint. While they currently do not offer every capability a notebook computer can, their use in the interpreting booth can be convenient and space-saving, and they can faciltitate the review of documents and terms on the road.


Multilingual Computing

Articles on Multilingual Computing Authored and Co-Authored by Jeff Allen
Descriptions and links to a number articles already published by Jeff Allen. These topics relate to Machine Translation in general, Machine Translation postediting, localization, speech technologies, speech-to-speech translation, minority language translation tools, and even using the Bible to train translation systems.

Improved Translation Quality with Machine Translation Dictionary Building
This article describes a project which specifically aimed at improving the quality of Machine Translation (MT) output by creating a custom user MT dictionary. Productivity results are provided as well as examples of the resulting output.


Operating Systems

Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows and Word for Translators
The use of mouse is one of the main triggers of Repetitive Strain Injury, tendinitis and other similar muscolosceletal disorders. Sufferers of these disorders report that they feel less pain when typing compared to when mousing. Thus, a desire to avoid mouse as much as possible. Once keyboard shortcuts have been mastered then one can work much faster and be more productive.

Linguas OS - Linux for Translators: a Review of Linguas OS
Linguas OS is a Linux distribution created specifically for professionals in the translation industry, including Free Open Source Software tools to perform all of the tasks that professional translators must do every day in their work.

Switching to Another Operating System


Software

Desktop Search Programs
This article offers a brief overwiew of some new desktop search programs, such as Google, Yahoo, AOL, Microsofts and others. It explains how they work and how to get and use them, providing the links to the Internet websites from which you can download them.

PDF and TIFF files
We will describe an optional way of transforming Acrobat Reader files into files that can be read by Microsoft Office Word. The following method can be used to convert .PDF text files to MS Word files. It will not convert images or tables. Word files are needed, if we will use a CAT tool, such as Trados, SDLX, or Wordfast. In this way, we can also distribute a large PDF file among several translators, proofreaders, or editors.

PPT.Helper: A real help!
Though there are several ways to translate PowerPoint files, ppt.helper is the easiest and most effective.

Tool Kit * Are We Not Profitable?
Perhaps translators need to take a more business-like approach to their work? You can't economize on (or rely on a pirate copy of) something that ensures your business's survival!

Tool Kit * Dealing With the PowerPoint Nightmare
Although PowerPoint is one of the formats that hardly any translator can escape it is clearly the most tedious of the Office programs for translation.

Tool Kit * Software Localization Tools? Do We Really Need Those?
What are software localization tools? Do translators need to invest in other tools than translation memory tools? Maybe not but this article gives you an overview of what these tools are and who could benefit from using them.

Tool Kit * The Quasi-Religious Aversion to PCs
You may not like PCs for good reason, but does stubbornness pay?

Tool Kit * Translating Help Systems
Translating help systems without expensive help authoring systems.

Tool Kit * Translating Software Development Formats: The "Flat File View"
Navigating the plethora of software development formats and tips on how to translate them.

Translating Desktop Publishing Formats: Fiendish Files and Funky Formats
The common denominators of desktop publishing programs seem to be these: they are expensive, they're not very intuitive for users, and they present considerable obstacles for translators.
This doesn't sound good, but here are the brighter aspects: Yes, they are expensive, but you may not even need to have them installed on your computer when you translate them. They are very difficult to learn on a real expert level—after all, desktop publishers and prepress specialists are well-paid professionals—but as translators we only need to translate the files, not design them.

 

 From Language to Literature

Top


Chinese Cultural Knowledge

What are the differences between Chinese Simplified and Chinese Traditional.
This article is basically a Comparison between Simplified Chinese and the Traditional Chinese in the context of English to Chinese translation, and it's only intended to provide some very basic information to people who are looking for Chinese translators but do not quite know much about the differences of the two variations.

 

 Techniques

Top


Localization

Localization Life Cycle
Establishing a localization agency is not as easy as it may seem. In this brief illustration, we will try to draw the outlines of the localization cycle.


Proofreading

Correct Your French or English Web Site (or Your Clients’) with WebElixir.
Typing, spelling or grammar mistakes on translators’ web sites are the worst – to look like a professional, you must look totally professional in all your texts and presentations. It does not matter how “good” you are at translation; if your web site does not reflect this, you loose. There is now a tool to spot those pesky mistakes in your html code before they hurt you.

Proofreading Your Work
An often-overlooked step in the translation process, proofreading is nonetheless essential to providing clients with the best possible translation. This article outlines the best tips & techniques to ensure accuracy and perfection in the final document.

Review of Translation Quality Assurance Software*
Comparison of three of the most popular TQA tools in order to find out their strengths and weaknesses, and therefore help translators, project managers and proofreaders to select the optimal TQA tool for any particular job.


Terminology

Search Tools for Translators
How to make the best use of online linguistic resources: the present and future of terminological research from the freelancer's point of view.

Tool Kit * Terminology Management
Translation memory users tend to underuse the terminology management component of their CAT tools. This article is a plea for greater consideration of these important components.


Translating Together With Another Colleague

الترجمة الثنائية وفوائدها
Dual translation and its benefits. This article looks at the benefits and prerequisites of the technique of dual translation, which consists of having two professionals partner together in translating in order to maximize the quality of the outcome and shorten the time put toward producing a quality translation ready for use.

Dual Translation and Its Benefits
This article looks at the benefits and prerequisites of the technique of dual translation, which consists of having two professionals partner together in translating in order to maximize the quality of the outcome and shorten the time put toward producing a quality translation ready for use.


Translation

“Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody”: Can THIS ‘story’ be translated into Arabic?

Software Localization versus Translation
The article explains the differences between software localization and translation.

Translating a Website
A short guideline to translating Websites.

 

 Tips for Direct Clients

Top


Globalization

Analyzing English Brand Names for Chinese Market.

Translation for the Global Travel Industry: Attention to Detail Pays
As the World Travel Market takes place in London, Christian Arno, director of one of the UK's leading translation agencies, considers how travel industry professionals can achieve a return on their investment in language services.

Web site Translation as a Way to Promote Your Business Internationally
Nowadays a multilingual Web site is a must for successful international business. Find out about translation services for your Web site and how they can bring you maximum revenue in foreign internet market.


How to Buy a Translation

Tips for Saving Money on Translation
In our globalised world translation services are often a vital necessity as well as an unavoidable business overhead. There are, however, certain easy steps that can be taken in order save money on translations.

Translation Services: How to Hire a Translation Services Provider.
If your company is involved in international business, one thing is certain – sooner or later you’ll need to hire a translation services provider (TSP). Naturally, you want a high quality translation at the lowest possible cost.

Trouver un traducteur ; l’achat d’une traduction
Une collection de tuyaux et de précautions à prendre si vous avez un document à faire traduire.

 

 Translation Agencies

Top


Tips for Project Managers

The Insider’s Guide to Project Management in Translation Agencies
There’s no denying that translation project management is not without its stresses...

 

 Working as a Freelancer

Top


Dealing with Agencies and Direct Clients

“Show me the money!!” — Credit Control for Translators
You pay your bills on time don’t you? Why shouldn’t they? You’ve done the work so they have to pay… This article describes techniques for calling in unpaid invoices.

20 Rules for Dealing with Agencies and Direct Clients
Here are a few tips for dealing with direct clients and translation agencies (based on personal experience and accounts of colleagues):

The Ailments of Global Translating
The ailments of the global translating business: causes and remedies.

The Ailments of Global Translating II: Infamous Translation Agencies, the Unsolicited Solicited Emails and Defamation Know-Hows
Latest developments in the international law enforcement against spam.

Whether or Not to Perform a Short Unpaid Test
To agree or not on performing a short unpaid test is a very difficult decision to make. On the one hand, agencies have the right to get to know your skills before hiring you. On the other hand, you have the right to get paid for your time. This article is advising translators to perform tests in exchange for a flat fee so that the rules of professionalism apply for translators as they do for other professionals.

Working for Translation Agencies as a Freelancer: A Guide for Novice Translators
The article includes a few practical tips for beginner translators on how to work with translation agencies on a freelance basis. It discusses such issues as job acceptance and assessment, agency verification, purchase orders, deadlines, quality assurance, readability and accuracy of translation, as well as payment.

Немного о технологии перевода
Some moments of translation technology that are not so clear for clients of a freelancer.

Off-SiteOff-Site Articles

On Negotiations (by Roger Chriss)
How to get what you want while negotiating with an agency or direct client.


How to become a translator and/or (court) interpreter

Finding Your Way in Translation Today
Several helpful hints prepared in the form of a PowerPoint presentation for those of you making only first steps in the cyber world.

Should I Become A Translator?
Answers to questions asked by those interested in translation as a career.

So You Want to be a Translator.
Reflections of a Fairly Young Translation Entrepreneur
One translator’s take on the pros and cons of the translation trade drawn from her own experiences.

Tips for Breaking into Today’s Translation World
Once you have come to a decision and if the answer is yes, do not hesitate!

What to look for in a T&I program
This article provides a summary of translation & interpretation schools in the world as well as tips on what to look out for before enrolment. It also includes links to online distance-learning certificate/diploma programs in translation.


Marketing Tips

9 Rules of Marketing
Some essentials on effective ways to sell yourself as a professional freelance translator.

How to Build a Professional Web Site
In this howto you will find some valuable tips on how you can build a professional and appealing web site that reflects your quality and business strategy. It is aimed at beginners as well as translators with more advanced html knowledge.

More Marketing Tips
Advice and ideas on how to attract new clients for your translation business.

Promote Your Translation Services Through the Open Directory Project
If you want to promote your translation services get your website listed in the Open Directory Project.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Tips on setting up and marketing your new website
This article gives tips on setting up a new website for beginners. From finding a hosting service to publishing your first website. Also included are tips on search engine optimization to help bring more traffic to your website, to enable the major search engine web crawlers to easily locate all of the necessary information and to get your website listed higher in the rankings.


The freelance translator from A to Z

1 مهنة المترجم التحريري المستقل من الألف إلى الياء
The article summarizes the content of the series of recommendations (that will follow) and gives some reading keys. It is mainly intended to guide freelance and/or in-house translators through the practical sides of the profession, and encourages them to ask themselves some crucial questions.

2 تنظيم الوقت والالتزام الشخصي وما يلف لفه
Title: Time organization and personal commitment. The second article of the series shows the practical importance of time management in order to produce both quantity and quality. It focuses on the deadline and its meaning in the translation industry.

3 آليات عمل المترجم التحريري المستقل (الجزء الأول)
Title: Work tools; Email; Bank Account; Postal Address; Mobile Phone; CV; Website; Fax, Scanner and OCR. The third article provides a brief presentation of the work tools as they should be used and adapted to the particular needs of the professional freelance translator.

4 آليات عمل المترجم التحريري المستقل (الجزء الثاني)
Title : Work tools ; Internet connection ; Hardware and Software. The fourth article aims to present useful and minimum Hardware and Software required to be able to do translation jobs. It gives a panoramic overview of the commonly used tools.

5 (آليات عمل المترجم التحريري المستقل (الجزء الثالث
Title : Work tools; glossaries; search engines; corpora; professional websites and forums. The fifth article studies some key functions in the use of glossaries and corpora with a selected list of specialized references. A valuable contribution of Mohammad Didaoui, Head of the Arabic Translation at UNO Geneva, about Technology and Heritage in Arabic translation, ends the article.

6 التعامل مع الزملاء؛ تكوين فريق عمل؛ تقاسم أعمال الترجمة الكبرى
Title: Dealing with colleagues; translators’ teams; sharing big translation projects. This sixth article tries to tackle some features of translators team work. It gives a picture of the professional scenery analyzing daily practices among and between translators.


Tips for Translators

Home Sweet Home—A Mother’s Guide to a Career at Home as a Translator
Important aspects of working as a translator at a home based office. A short guide to this job for translators, who have children and who, realistically speaking, are mostly women and mothers.

How Valuable Time Can Be to a Freelance Translator and How To Organise Your Workday and Life
A common and widespread assumption among those who are not familiar with this job is that being a freelancer implies more freedom of movement than working as an employee. In practice, you can work "when" and "if" you decide to. On the contrary, unless you pay the due attention to the organisation of your time, you will discover how easily your job will turn to a kind of prison.

My Golden Rules for Quality Assurance
Methods that help me to meet the quality requirements of the most demanding customers from various countries and areas of business, both translation agencies and direct customers

Off-SiteOff-Site Articles

Polishing Your Translation Style (by Ivan Vandermerwe)
Polish your translation style, and win more jobs from your clients! That’s right-“win” more jobs. Clients have a wealth of resources in the Internet, and they can easily find countless translators online for their projects by doing a simple search in Yahoo! or Google. Minor improvements to your translation style will ensure that clients think of you before going to the major search engines. Read on and profit!

Tips for Translators (by Chantal Wilford)
Chantal Wilford offers a lot of good, solid advice for those just starting out, as well as for experienced translators.


Translation as a Profession

A Short Guide to VAT for Translators in the EU
This article is an attempt to battle through the acres of red tape and bureaucracy surrounding VAT in the EU, especially those bits relating to small businesses operating internationally - as freelance translators tend to be. It contains some (hopefully) useful information on whether or not you need to register for VAT and how VAT works across borders. It also contains links to relevant sites in all EU countries.

Die Normalübersetzung in Österreich
The article (in German, by Edith Vänghelov) describes the new Austrian Standard (ÖNORM D 120 t) for the certification of translation agencies (Übersetzungsbüros) and freelancers. "Nicht nur Schrauben kann man normieren. Auch Übersetzungen. Zumindest auf dem Papier. Seit 1999 gibt es dafür die ÖNORM D 1200 (Dienstleistungen - Übersetzen und Dolmetschen - Übersetzungsleistungen „Anforderungen an die Dienstleistung und an die Bereitstellung der Dienstleistung") und die ÖNORM D 120t (Dienstleistungen - Übersetzen und Dolmetschen - Übersetzungsleistungen „Übersetzungsverträge")"

TRADUCTION DU FRANÇAIS EN TURC, DU TURC EN FRANÇAIS



Meet How-To Articles' Authors:    Click to get help
Terry Waltz, Ph.D.
Ahmad Elgohary
Ioana Mihailas
Abdelouadoud El Omrani
Chinese Concept
Jeff Allen
Alexander Schunk


LINGUIST OF THE HOUR

TC Master Anila Mayhew
TC Master
Anila Mayhew


Graduate of the top Albanian University, 15 years experience.­
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RE: La place des poètes by Jacek Krankowski 26 min. ago in From Language to Literature forum.

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