| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Is Trados a must? Is Mac no good for translators? Thread poster: Amy Duncan (X)
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Oleg Rudavin 
Ukraine
Local time: 10:18
Member (2003)
English to Ukrainian
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| Strange situation | Apr 18, 2008 |
Amy Duncan wrote:Well, I'm really referring to what this person wrote in the e-mail...
Soooo...my question is: can I still have a viable career as a translator if I use a Mac and no CAT tools?Amy
It looks somewhat absurd... I used to think that it's us translators doing the actual work; and the ways, methods, tools or time of the day when it is done doesn't matter much. All the client needs is the final file in the needed format: I provide it. Why is it then that an ever increasing number of them start telling me how I should do my work? Some of them (I know) have very little idea of translaiton at all!
My best clients almost never tell me how to do the translation or what equipment/tool to use - actually, they don't even include matches into the calculations; all words in all projects are "new", even in a new version of a mobile device or headset to it. They just tell me "we need the file translated - can you do it?" leaving the technicalities to me. And I love this approach best.
So the email you received from the agency, Amy, is indeed an exaggeration -or, rather, one-sided view. Something like a translator telling the agency, "I can tell you that 99% of the all volume me and my colleagues process here (around 11M words/year) are done in Swedish to German.
Professionally I have to say that running a single office is not an option for a professional translation company nowadays. If you do intend to have translation volumes I do recommend you to setup a set of international branches (in the Americas, Europe and China) for a start. All other locations are used more occasionally. This not only to work with me, but we the whole professional translation market."
| | | | | I'm not a Mac user, but... | Apr 18, 2008 |
I know that Swordfish (a commercial CAT) and OmegaT (free) will run on a Mac, because they only need Java to run.
Swordfish can import and export both pretranslated Trados TagEditor (TTX) files, and RTF files with Workbench segments.
The customer's workflow will not be disturbed, and the translator can use a tool that will run well on a Mac.
Regards,
Piotr
| | | | | The must-have-Trados mania | Apr 18, 2008 |
Amy Duncan wrote:
The implication is that you can't work unless you have Trados...
Some people seem to have made their lifetime goal to transform the aforesaid into holy truth.
For instance, here are some snippets from a job posted today by an all-WWA=5 translation agency (emphasis is mine):
Volume and pricing:
20 words
at 0.080 EUR per word [ TOTAL: 1.60 EUR ]
Payment method: To be agreed
Payment 45 days after date of invoice.
Service provider targeting (specified by job poster):
Required software: Microsoft Word, SDL TRADOS
I've seen jobs that don't require Trados, but whose sample translation requested from applicants is longer than this whole thing!
There must something going on behind the scenes.
[Edited at 2008-04-18 10:57]
| | | | Paul Roige (X)
Spain
Local time: 09:18
English to Spanish
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José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
There must something going on behind the scenes.
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Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 04:18
Portuguese to English
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TOPIC STARTER | My take on it... | Apr 18, 2008 |
I know lots of translators like using CAT tools, but in my experience of using Trados for one particular company for several years is that I found it extremely claustrophobic...you're just staring at one little piece at a time of the translation. It drove me nuts.
It just seems to me that CAT tools work mostly to the advantage of the translation companies. First of all, they save money (and consequently the translator loses money) and they don't even have to buy the darned thing...t... See more I know lots of translators like using CAT tools, but in my experience of using Trados for one particular company for several years is that I found it extremely claustrophobic...you're just staring at one little piece at a time of the translation. It drove me nuts.
It just seems to me that CAT tools work mostly to the advantage of the translation companies. First of all, they save money (and consequently the translator loses money) and they don't even have to buy the darned thing...the translator has to.
Amy ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jeff Whittaker
United States
Local time: 03:18
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
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| Hay gato encerrado | Apr 19, 2008 |
The more people and companies who use Trados, the more TMs will be created. In the future, these TMs can be sold and as computer and internet speeds increase, new translation projects can be run through a vast international database of previously translated projects in the blink of an eye in combination with advanced MT software. Why else do you think Microsoft is so interested?
José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
There must something going on behind the scenes.
[Edited at 2008-04-19 00:40]
| | | | | Depends very much on the industry you work in | Apr 22, 2008 |
Hello Amy,
first of all I would like to point out that the person having written that e-mail to you is not *full of crap*. You are asking about translation in general without specifying which industry you are talking about. It is almost as if you mentioned 'automotive' and threw together all those great sportsy cars with heavy-duty trucks and mining machinery.
I have specialized on software and in that area your client is absolutely right: Trados (or any other application that... See more Hello Amy,
first of all I would like to point out that the person having written that e-mail to you is not *full of crap*. You are asking about translation in general without specifying which industry you are talking about. It is almost as if you mentioned 'automotive' and threw together all those great sportsy cars with heavy-duty trucks and mining machinery.
I have specialized on software and in that area your client is absolutely right: Trados (or any other application that can process Trados memories) is almost a must, and for testing purposes of the translated software you might have to use software that simply does not exist for Mac or is not supported by the test enviroment. Also, I am not referring to volumes of 2.000 or 5.000 words but to projects ranging between 15.000 and 150.000 words. Quite obviously software tends to be repetitive and the greater the volume to process the more difficult it becomes to ensure that terminology is coherent. And there is nothing more confusing to the reader (of software or manuals) than the same thing being called three or four different names.
Of course the use of TM tools does not make much or any sense in literary translation or one-of-a-kind texts. However, if you say that you tend to translate lots of real estate, tourism, marketing etc. it is possible that your client simply wants to ensure consistency and similar style. In that case you could ask for the exported memory, clean it up and use it as a reference. Especially in marketing the translated texts often do not reflect the terminology used in/for the product itself, and I find it that rather annoying.
Personally I prefer Mac and I have both - Mac and PC. For Mac, OmegaT is a good and cheap (free!!!) choice. However, with big projects come big memories that may be difficult or hard to use with OmegaT (which has its limitations) so in that case I just stick to my PC. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Can anyone carve that in stone, please? | Apr 22, 2008 |
Irene Schlotter, Dipl.-Übers. wrote:
... I am not referring to volumes of 2.000 or 5.000 words but to projects ranging between 15.000 and 150.000 words. Quite obviously software tends to be repetitive and the greater the volume to process the more difficult it becomes to ensure that terminology is coherent. And there is nothing more confusing to the reader (of software or manuals) than the same thing being called three or four different names.
Of course the use of TM tools does not make much or any sense in literary translation or one-of-a-kind texts. However, if you say that you tend to translate lots of real estate, tourism, marketing etc. it is possible that your client simply wants to ensure consistency and similar style.
The text above should be carved in stone, and the stone should block the door of every translation agency that demands Trados and progressive discounts on fuzzy matches for anything, from a handwritten one-pager, to a 10-minute video for dubbing, to whatever small job you wish to name. All management and staff should have to read it aloud every day in lieu of "Open, Sesame!" to have access to their offices.
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| Are there electronic dictionaries for Mac? | May 12, 2008 |
Leaving TRADOS and CAT tools aside, one thing I would find it hard to do without are electronic dictionaries.
I realise that their availability depends on your language pair but, are there any which work in a Mac?
Daniel
| | | | Amy Duncan (X)
Brazil
Local time: 04:18
Portuguese to English
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TOPIC STARTER | Electronic dictionaries | May 12, 2008 |
dgmaga wrote:
Leaving TRADOS and CAT tools aside, one thing I would find it hard to do without are electronic dictionaries.
I realise that their availability depends on your language pair but, are there any which work in a Mac?
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
I really don't know, because I don't use them. I do use some online dictionaries, however.
Amy
| | | | Alex Eames
Local time: 08:18
English to Polish
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| It depends on the type of work you do | May 15, 2008 |
We don't do software and very rarely have repetitive work. In fact a lot of our stuff comes in as scanned PDF files (only one technological step up from fax )
TM's are virtually useless for those. As far as I can remember, I've only been asked once if we have Trados or other TM by an agency. I said "no" and got the job anyway
I've no doubt tha... See more We don't do software and very rarely have repetitive work. In fact a lot of our stuff comes in as scanned PDF files (only one technological step up from fax)
TM's are virtually useless for those. As far as I can remember, I've only been asked once if we have Trados or other TM by an agency. I said "no" and got the job anyway
I've no doubt that CATs or TMs are useful when used wisely for the right purposes, but they aren't too helpful in translating a birth certificate.
So YES you can do it, but if you are into IT or software translation it may serve you better to have a CAT tool.
Alex Eames
http://www.translatortips.com/
helping translators do better business ▲ Collapse
| | | | Olexa
Ukraine
Local time: 10:18
German to Russian
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| Author's law while using the results of the sorce translator | May 27, 2008 |
Who tells me a single exemple of royalty payment to a translator who did make the target text in TRADOS (WodrFast or so)? Translation (independent of its form and theme) is everywhere in the civilized countries the object of the author's law. Isn't it? So, the customer must pay to the sorce translator royalty payment while buying and using the author's intellectual product. Doesn't he?
Who does work and live in the civilized country? Wether translators are not citizens or residence of civ... See more Who tells me a single exemple of royalty payment to a translator who did make the target text in TRADOS (WodrFast or so)? Translation (independent of its form and theme) is everywhere in the civilized countries the object of the author's law. Isn't it? So, the customer must pay to the sorce translator royalty payment while buying and using the author's intellectual product. Doesn't he?
Who does work and live in the civilized country? Wether translators are not citizens or residence of civilized countries?
Sincerely, OLEXA.
[email protected] ▲ Collapse
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