Posts Tagged ‘CAT tools’

1.    Open MultiTerm. Then open the already created termbase.

2.    Open the Workbench. Go to OPTIONS, and then go to TERM RECOGNITION OPTIONS and select your version of MultiTerm.

3.    Click on EXAMINE and with a click on the + sign select the local termbase. Select the source and target languages.

4.    When you click ACCEPT, you Hill see the MultiTerm window in the Workbench (in the extreme right).

5.    Now you can work. When you open a document, the saved glossary terms Hill appear in this MultiTerm window. If you notice that nothing appears in the MultiTerm window during too many segments of the translation, it’s possible that the MultiTerm has been disconnected. Open MultiTerm again or the Workbench.

6.    In the tool bar of Trados you will see new buttons, those of MultiTerm.

7.    If you click the middle button of those that have red brackets above (get current term), the program will insert the term as if it were a segment.

These days it is impossible for a translator to do his or her job without using a computer. But let’s not forget that it wasn’t always like this…

A few decades ago, before there was such a thing as advanced technology, translators worked only with pen and paper. Research was a very difficult aspect, since it required a lot of effort to access texts from other parts of the world. In addition, those were different times, since the translations had to be written out by hand or, even better, on a typewriter. Finding out that some friend or acquaintance was traveling to another country was a big deal, since this gave the translator the perfect opportunity to get his or her hands on priceless material. Informational material handed out by certain foreign companies was also of great value.

Today this reality has changed. In certain ways we have become salves to technology. By this I only mean that a translator who does not have at least a fundamental understanding of software and other technological aspects of the job will not see as many opportunities. To work with a variety of clients, be it with companies or with translation agencies, we need to be well-versed in the finer workings of programs such as Acrobat, Excel, Word, Multiterm, Trados, among other. For this reason, it is highly important that we are certified in these tools. If we are already working with these software programs, we have to stay constantly up to speed on the latest features and changes. Unfortunately, a translator who fails to stay updated on technological issues will fall behind the rest.

1.    Open MultiTerm. Go to TERMBASE > CREATE TERMBASE.

2.    Choose the folder in which you want to save the database and click ACCEPT.

3.    The Termbase Wizard will open. Click NEXT.

4.    Select the option LOAD AN EXISTING TERMBASE DEFINTION FILE. Click BROWSE… to search for the .xdt file in your system. Once you’ve found and selected the file, click NEXT.

5.    Write the name and, if you wish, the description of the termbase. Click NEXT.

6.    The languages of the termbase are already preconfigured in the .xdt file. Therefore, don’t do anything and directly click NEXT.

7.    The descriptive fields of the termbase are already preconfigured in the .xdt file. Therefore, don’t do anything and directly click NEXT.

8.    In this step the entry structure is configured, but it isn’t necessary to do anything. Directly click NEXT.

9.    Wizard has finished. Click FINISH.

10.    The MultiTerm window opens with the termbase just created.

11.    In order to import the glossary terms, go to TERMBASE > IMPORT ENTRIES… > PROCESS…

12.    Click BROWSE… to search for the .xml file. The log file path is created automatically. Click NEXT.

13.    Write the name of the exclusion file. This file will include the invalid entries or those that present problems during the importing process. Click NEXT.

14.    A summary of the previous steps appears. Click NEXT.

15.    When the program finishes importing, click NEXT.

16.    Click FINISH and then ACCEPT.

In order to work with MultiTerm, first you must create a glossary for terminology in an Excel document, with the entries in column A and the translations in column B.

You must import this glossary Excel file into the MultiTerm Convert program in the following way:

1. Open MultiTerm Convert. Click NEXT.

2. Click NEW CONVERSION SESSION and then NEXT.

3. Choose the glossary format (Excel) and then click NEXT.

4. In INPUT FILE, click BROWSE and select the glossary. The rest of the boxes are automatically completed. Click NEXT.

5. In INDEX FIELD, select first the source language and then the target language. You can complete DESCRIPTIVE FIELD if the glossary has, additionally, some kind of extra information, such as references, for example. Finally, click NEXT.

6. The steps completed are shown, click NEXT.

7. A summary of the steps competed appears. Click NEXT.

8. The Excel file must be converted to .xml and an .xdt is to be created. When the process is finished, click NEXT. Then click FINISH.

As freelance translators, it is at times difficult to start your own business and increase your work flow and client contacts. Here are some helpful tips to help get your business up and running.

First, it is important to have a clear idea of the services you offer, your target market, and area of expertise. For example, if you only translate from English/Spanish, concentrate on finding potential translation buyers who also share the same target markets within your field. Later on, you can find other freelance translators to work with you on projects outside of your languages and expertise.

If you want to include services outside the translation process itself, such as Desktop Publishing or Transcription services, think about partnering up with other specialized providers to complement the services you lack.

Next, get your name out on the market. Consider developing your own website and publishing material about your services, whether in brochures, business cards, etc. There are also many freelance translator databases where translators can network and post jobs such as Translators Café, or Go Translator. Joining these communities will help you see what those around you are doing as well.

Recruiting clients directly can be difficult, especially since you will be competing with larger translation agencies. However, being consistent with the rates you offer, turnaround times and quality will all help to build a long-lasting relationship with a client and will encourage your clients to recommend your services as well.

If you haven’t already done so, consider investing in workshops or seminars within your area of translation to make sure you stay current in your field. Some other common workshops that are helpful for freelance translators are in the areas of CAT tools and office management skills.

Good luck!

For many agencies and translation service providers, the process of translation for client delivery involves more steps than simply the translation. It typically requires both an edition and proofreading stage before the document is ready for delivery. However, as translation is the first step in this process, also known as TEP (translation-edition-proofreading), delivering a quality translation 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 translator deliver a higher quality product and thus facilitate later revisions:

1. Before agreeing to a translation, 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 translation tools such as CAT tools.

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

4. While you are working, have dictionaries 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 translation as if it were the final product, and don’t count on editors or proofreaders to fix your mistakes.

8. Be sure to run a spelling and grammar check 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 editors about the translation.

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

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 Update TM so that any changes made are incorporated into the TM, regardless of whether or not the translation 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 backup file with the .BAK extension. This file is the bilingual file, i.e., it has both the original and target text and is simply a safety measure so that you don’t lose the bilingual file in the clean-up process.

As translators, 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 CONCORDANCE function within the TRADOS CAT (computer-aided translation) tool, which is widely used, or should be, among translators.

In order to apply this function, do the following:

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

2. Click on the CONCORDANCE function in the TRADOS bar:

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

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