Archive for September, 2008

What is a Back Translation?

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

Many times clients will request what is called a back which is essentially a way to verify the accuracy of a . The most common areas for back are science and medicine, whether they are medical forms, informed consent forms, research study protocols, etc. For instance, let’s say a client submitted a document in Spanish for into English. A back would involve using the translated text in English as the source document and translating it back into Spanish. The client would then compare the original Spanish text with the translated Spanish to make sure the English text was a correct of the original. For medical and science , it is especially important that all information is accurately represented in both languages.

Back can also be a helpful tool for freelance , especially when wanting to ensure absolute quality of a . Although it implies an extra cost, it is worth it to know that the document you translated represents the original text to the highest degree.

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The Benefits of Working with Original Editable Documents

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Today, clients commonly deliver files in PDF format for a price quote for , and services.

This format, which is very practical for sending a file through the Internet, cannot be edited, and thus, when the , and services are purchased, it would be helpful if the client would send the original document in an editable format, whether in Word, Excel, InDesign, Quark, Publisher, etc. so that the can easily work with the same format of the original document, without having to read the PDF with some conversion program.

If this original editable document is not sent, graphic design services have to put in an extra effort to recreate the file, which will likely be reflected in the costs billed to the client.

Therefore, in order to reduce costs for the client for graphic design services and in order to facilitate the process, ideally the client would send the freelance or agency the original editable documents for , , etc.

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Importing and Exporting Translation Memories

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

When delivering projects to larger agencies or clients who use the , learning how to export and import memories is fundamental for smooth deliveries. Instead of delivering the five files that generate the memory (), which usually implies a large file size, you can simply export your into an easy-to-use .txt file or import the .txt file into an existing memory.

To begin, first open up your exclusively. (This means that you are the only one that can have access to it and modify it when you open it.) Next, under the File menu, click on Export.

The screen that pops up is predetermined and you do not have to do anything besides click OK.

Now, the dialog box will ask you where you want to save your .txt file. It is usually best to save it in the folder designated for the . Or, you can also create a sub-folder called “Export” if you are working with both imported and exported memories.

Once you click OK, the export process will run automatically. The final product is the .txt file in the folder you designated.

Be sure to check that the process ran smoothly by looking at the bottom portion of your window. Look for the Export finished successfully message, which will also indicate how many units were exported.

Now that you have a .txt file, you can also import it into an existing . Create your first (or open an existing one), then go to File and Import.

Again, the window that appears is predetermined and many times no modification of the settings is required. However, you can change the Existing units settings so that the segments are merged, overwritten, etc.

Next you will need to select the .txt file you are going to import and click OK.

The import process is now finalized and the segments from the .txt file will appear in your Memory. As with the export step, if the import was successful the following message will appear: Import finished successfully.

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Why we need to understand the topic of the text we are translating

Friday, September 19th, 2008

As we already know, one word can have several different meanings which will be defined according to the context. For example, the word trial can have one meaning in a about litigation and another meaning in a document about labor relations. What’s more, these meanings shouldn’t be confused with the meaning that the word has in a .

Unfortunately, not all examples are as clear as this one, and in this case, the must have vast knowledge of the topic in order to properly the document. We have all been in uncomfortable situations where we are concentrated on reading the document and have found a rhythm when suddenly an unintelligible phrase or word makes us put on the brakes.

This phrase is unintelligible to us precisely because the person who wrote the document did not understand it and thus formulated a completely incoherent sentence lacking basic logic. Of course, we can’t all be and in different areas at the same time, but we must rely on in the diverse areas of our as much as possible in order to clarify questions or doubts. It is important to keep in mind that the client can act as the specialist and help resolve these types of problems as well.

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Tips for the Translator

Monday, September 15th, 2008

For many agencies and service providers, the process of for client delivery involves more steps than simply the . It typically requires both an and stage before the document is ready for delivery. However, as is the first step in this process, also known as (--), delivering a quality from the start is essential for the other steps to run smoothly.

For this post, we have put together some simple tips that will help the deliver a higher quality product and thus facilitate later revisions:

1. Before agreeing to a , be sure to revise the document first and make sure that you feel comfortable both with the subject matter and language flavor.

2. Also, make sure you are familiar with the file format or requested tools such as .

3. While translating, use any reference material, style guides or glossaries sent to you so that your and style are consistent with other documents for the same client.

4. While you are working, have or other online resources specific to the topic you are translating at hand for easy reference.

5. Contact the project manager or client immediately if you foresee any problems with the document.

6. When finished translating, read over the document once more to make sure that the text makes sense and there are no errors.

7. You should always look at your as if it were the final product, and don’t count on or proofreaders to fix your mistakes.

8. Be sure to run a before delivery.

9. Check the translated document against the source for any missing text or formatting issues.

10. With your file delivery, be sure to include any notes or comments for the client or for the about the .

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Translation Experts

Friday, September 12th, 2008

From the beginning of time there have always been conflicts between mankind, and in order to settle these matters without violence or reprisal, these parties come together before the courts so that an impartial third party can analyze the evidence presented by both sides and ascertain their claims.
Without any kind of personal or commercial connection to either of the parties, this impartial third party must analyze a variety of evidence and as such, must use the assistance of individuals specializing in diverse matters.
These are the experts, and in our case, or . Their task is to documents or interpret declarations so that the judge(s) involved in the case can analyze and understand the extent of the presented evidence or other matters that are essential for its resolution.
Similarly to how with the necessary experience and background are required in the business world, must also have the proper academic certification and experience in the case of legal , since only legal can act as experts. Aside from translating and interpreting, their task also includes presenting the corresponding documents according to the file’s procedural status.
As such, and interpreters who wish to work in this exciting field must be further trained in the specifics of this discipline.

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The Clean Up Option in Trados

Monday, September 8th, 2008

One of the helpful tools in the program is the Clean Up function. This function removes all the hidden text and updates the memory so that it includes any changes you may have made to the document outside of the segments. Whether you are working directly with clients or with agencies, knowing how to clean up your file is a fundamental part of the process with .

1. To begin, select the Clean Up option in the Tools menu:

2. Next, you need to select the file that you want to clean up by selecting “Add…”

3. Once the file is selected, you can create a log file which will enable you to keep a record of the clean-up process and view any errors that occurred during the process. Select a location for the log file and give it a name:

4. Now that your log file is created, you can select one of the four options for how your document will be cleaned up. The best option to use is so that any changes made are incorporated into the , regardless of whether or not the segment was open when you made them:

5. Now you can click on the Clean Up button to complete the process. Once the function has been executed, the window will look like this:

6. If there were any errors in the process, simply go to Log File - View and the .txt file will open, displaying any errors such as broken tags or corrupted segments. If there were no errors, the following message will appear at the end of the file: “Cleanup finished successfully without errors!

7. As part of the clean-up process, the program will automatically generate a .csv file (same as the .txt log file) and with the . extension. This file is the , i.e., it has both the original and target text and is simply a safety measure so that you don’t lose the in the clean-up process.

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The Need for Polyglotism within Businesses

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Today, are just not enough when it comes time to market businesses’ products and services. Although a company may be successful on a national level, the competition is already massively prepared to compete abroad and thus increase their chances of attracting new clients.

As a consequence, in order for a business to reach new markets, it is necessary to have one new essential characteristic: . Within the framework of this new essential requirement for companies is the need for and which are fundamental in order to compete within the same national market in order to provide a full service offering.

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Traduttore, Traditore!

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

Most are familiar with the expression “, ” meaning “, traitor” and have their own personal experiences with the difficulties in . We have all seen poor-quality , translated text that is virtually unintelligible for a native speaker, that misrepresent the original text and blatant mistakes whether in , song lyrics, or in day-to-day document . become the villains in this story–the easy targets when pointing the finger. After all, is really about just taking words from one language and finding the equivalent in the target language, right? So how hard can it really be?

Well, for starters, is no easy task and involves much more than simply transferring the words into another language. It requires research, thorough understanding of both the original and target languages, cultural knowledge, and specific training on the topic you are translating. And even then, there are still inherent problems with the language itself that lend themselves to numerous interpretations and glaring mistakes. There are just some phrases that are so connected to cultural context that it is next to impossible to provide an equivalent of the text that also bears the same meaning.

So, what exactly is the ’s job when faced with these difficult expressions? Is it better to them literally so as not to “betray” the text but at the risk of a lower quality , or is it better to find the closest alternative that makes sense in the target language, even though the translated version may slightly modify the idea? Most would say that their task is to effectively communicate the same idea so that it makes sense to native speakers, but does that mean we are doomed to constant criticism?

The accusations and criticism aside, is an essential and rewarding task. As Goethe puts it, “Say what we may of the inadequacy of , yet the work is and will always be one of the weightiest and worthiest undertakings in the general concerns of the world.”

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Maintaining Consistency within Text

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

As , we frequently work on high-volume projects, but keeping consistency within one or several documents can be tricky. In order to delivery a quality product to the client, we need to use the function within the CAT (computer-aided ) tool, which is widely used, or should be, among .

In order to apply this function, do the following:

1. Highlight the expression you want to search within the memory:

2. Click on the function in the bar:

3. The memory will display the other occurrences of the expression you highlighted within this document or within the other documents used with this same memory:

If we make it a habit to utilize this function when translating or editing, all documents that we deliver to the same client will always be consistent in the .

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