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User
Thread poster: Mats Wiman
Pithy comments on translation (use when discussing rates)

Martina Silpoch  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 12:43
Member (2006)
English to Czech
+ ...
Internet improved that problem a little... Jul 9, 2004

[quote]Graciela Carlyle wrote:

http://accurapid.com/journal/12xlator.htm, about the dilema of translating into your mother language or a foreign language.
As he says..."you can't win" !!!

Few years ago, with very limited access to my mother tongue, the slipping was quite obvious. Rereading the same books over and over and speaking on the phone once in a while did not cut it. Speaking with other Czechs in the area brought mixed results, too. We started developing our own language. Laughing at the old coots, translating into a language that stopped "growing" the year they left the country, before WW2, suddenly was not funny any more.
Opening the borders, fall of communism, and mainly the almighty internet sure solved this problem. Now we can keep up with all new developments, stay on track and translate like we know the real language spoken nowadays. And if we do have a problem, nobody in any of the boards we belong to can help with, books fall short, online dictionaries are not accurate, emailing any linguistic institution around the world takes care of that.
Hip, hip, hooray for the internet!


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Jirina Nevosadova  Identity Verified
Czech Republic
Local time: 19:43
Member (2007)
Czech to English
+ ...
Once my client refused to pay for spaces. Jul 30, 2004


Xola wrote:

I am honestly considering to try the one about the spaces with a client that drives me mad each time. Do you have any idea if I can lose the spaces in a text with the find/change function, or should I put the cursor in front of each word and hit delete? (Because I cannot do it during the translation ) This is a serious question!

Thank you Mats, to you off the hats!

Have a great holiday

[Edited at 2004-07-08 01:16]

I delivered part of the project (just one page, to show him) without spaces. It was hard work but it helped.


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lars-erik
Sweden
Local time: 19:43
English to Swedish
+ ...
never got paid for spaces Jul 30, 2004

Dear Friends,
I never got paid for spaces. Since I charge for words.
But the list of suggested answers is wonderful. I can use the space answer, because customers sometimes replace "spaces" with numbers. I can do, too.
Thanks to Mats and to the author


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Oana Apetrei  Identity Verified
Romania
Local time: 20:43
Member (2005)
English to Romanian
+ ...
Excellent! :)) Aug 2, 2004

That was great! very clever! congratulations!

[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2004-08-02 08:20]


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DocT
Local time: 20:43
English to Romanian
+ ...
useful retorts Aug 5, 2004

I ll use them. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Humour helps.
Best of luck!


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David Moore  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 19:43
Member (2007)
German to English
+ ...
"Are they good?" Aug 30, 2008

“I know someone who charges less than you.”
“I know a lot of people who charge less than me.”
“Are they good?”
“Wouldn't know. Never seen their work.


Hi Mats,

I absolutely loved these - and the one above in particular.

"And I always reject requests to proof-read it too..."

Have a good day...

David


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