Transcript translatorstoptentip.. - STAR Translation Services

STAR Group
Top 10 Lessons for Translators
Translation Made Easy
Agenda
• 1. STAR Introduction
• 2. Top 10 Lessons for Translators
• 3. Q&A
Translation Made Easy
STAR
Top 10 Lessons for Translators
1. Never miss a deadline
2. Specialise
Business
Factors
3. Focus on customer needs
4. Analyse Terminology first
5. Organize your TM structure
6. Check segmentation before translation
7. There is no perfect translation
Translation
and Process
Factors
8. 100% Matches are not perfect
9. Proofread in context
10. Check your files before returning them.
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 1
Never Miss A Deadline
• Understand the reasons behind why translators can miss
deadlines.
• Time Required is more than a factor of word count.
• Deadline considerations..
– Project Managers can move some deadlines… More to follow.
– What is driving the PM’s deadline…
– Need it now!, need it right!
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 2
Specialise
• Specialise.
– In an industry.
– In your native language.
• You get more work from being a specialist in a particular
area.
• Agencies like to work with the same translator for
projects/industry/customers. You build up expertise in
that area including TM’s and Terminology. You become
an asset.
• You will actually rated on 3 key areas….
Translation Made Easy
How agencies rate translators
1) Translation Skills
2) Technology & Process Skills
3) Industry Skills
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 3
Focus on customer needs
• Its all about your customer needs!
• Clients can have particular idiosyncrasies
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–
–
–
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Terminology
Writing Style
Formatting Guidelines
Spelling
Languages
– It is all about meeting the needs of your customer (not the best
translation!) (slider bar – accuracy and style) you have to be able to
move that bar as required.
Accuracy
Style
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 4
Analyse terminology first!
•
How do you translate … “Wire by Wire”
•
Words you take for granted may not be so…
–
Borough Council Head…
–
a)
b)
c)
“Rates of Payment” Form….
Be translated literally
Remain in English as it refers to a specific form?
Translated with English term left in brackets (Rates of Payment)
•
Legal … “Leave to Remain”…(Will end up in court)
•
Don’t deliver the project with lots of questions…(Deadline)
•
Asking questions up front earns credit…
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 5
Organize your TM Structure
• Have multiple translation memories.
• Single TM’s can fragment and get slower as the grow.
– Customers can driver TM’s to fragment…
– Context can drive this also…
Translation Made Easy
Organizing TM
• Have ability to use
your TM’s any way
you need to.
Translation Made Easy
Organizing TM
• Transit has the ability Client
to search TM’s in a
variety of ways.
Marketing
Technical
General
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 6
Check segmentation before translation
• Check your segmentation first !
• In word files!
• new lines, etc…
• Segmentation issues….
– 1) make your TM valueless (fragments….)
– 2) make translation difficult for you.(context…)
– 3) harder translation – impacts deadlines…
• An example…..
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 7
There is no perfect translation
• Translation is not about words – its about meaning and
usage.
–
–
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–
–
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What is the purpose of the translation…
Ask what the translation will be used for.
Information, publication, use in court.
Medical translation (doctor, training information, surgical)
Who is the target readership?
Do we have to meet any standard ISO, other industry
standard?
– Will my work be proofread afterwards?
– Any special terminology required?
– Is the client going directly to print?
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 8
100% matches are not perfect
• A 100% match is not perfect! (TM’s can fragment)
• Topical issue right now
– some agencies pay you to proof them, others do not.
• They are only suggestions from the translation memory.
• Options
– 1) Reuse the existing text exactly.
– 2) Partly Reuse.
– 3) Reject it entirely.
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 9
Proofread in context
• Proof read in context where possible
– Remember someone has to read your final text!.
– Readability and Style are just as important as perfect strings.
– Always check against your reference material.
• Finish the job the next day.
– Your mind will be in a different frame.
– So your quality will be better.
Translation Made Easy
Lesson 10
Check your files before returning them
• Do your QA Checks before returning files.
• Transit (TM Tools) have built in checks.
– Spell checking
– Formatting codes
– Terminology check
• Client specific requests…
– What type of page layout is required?
– Any special instructions given?
Translation Made Easy
STAR
Top 10 Lessons for Translators
1. Never miss a deadline
2. Specialise
Business
Factors
3. Focus on customer needs
4. Analyse Terminology first
5. Organize your TM structure
6. Check segmentation before translation
7. There is no perfect translation
Translation
and Process
Factors
8. 100% Matches are not perfect
9. Proofread in context
10. Check your files before returning them.
Translation Made Easy
Contact
[email protected]
STAR TS.
Docklands Innovation Park,
128-130 East Wall Road,
Dublin 3, Ireland
Phone: +353 1 8365614
www.star-ts.com
Translation Made Easy