Interview questions with Annette Hernandez, a general translator.
1. What type of translation work have you done professionally?
I have translated letters sent to parents in the school system, letters sent to parents from the nurse and simple documents for a police dept.
2. What is your translation method like? (How do you approach the task of translating?)
I start by doing an initial translation and leave blanks for words I don't know. The I go back and read and start editing.
3. How do you proofread for accuracy? What is the review process for the documents that you translate?
I proofread at least 3x before submitting. I also have a co-worker read for accuracy.
4. Have you used any type of translation software to assist your translation work?
I have not used any software.
5. Have you used any websites to aid your translation work such as Google Translate or Babylon? (These are just some examples)
I don't believe in Google Translate as it is AWFUL. I have never used any websites.
6. What tips do you have for people working as professional translators?
Really read as much in the target language as possible so you can increase your vocabulary.
I would like to thank Annette Hernandez for participating in this interview!
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Interview with a Professional Translator
Interview with Gerda Stendell, a professional translator
1. What type of of translation work have you done professionally?
All kinds- we are a professional translation agency, we handle all languages, all fields
2. What is your translation method like? (How do you approach the task of translating?)
We look at the document, to determine the terminology and field, then we offer it to the translator who fits best. The translator immediately starts translating, sentence after sentence
3. How do you proofread for accuracy? What is the review process for the documents you translate?
Once translated, the document is sent to the proofreader who reads through it and checks for accuracy. The proofreader edits the document if needed.
4. Have you used any type of translation software to assist your translation work?
Our translators use Trados
5. Have you used any sites to aid your online translation work such as Google Translate or Babylon? (These are just some examples.)
No, we do not believe we can rely on machine translations, however, we do consult dictionaries.
6. What tips do you have for people working as professional translators?
Train yourself to be very thorough. Translate one sentence after another, be very methodical, to make sure you don't miss text. Make sure you have enough software programs for your computer, because documents come in word, excel, publisher, etc. Train yourself in all of these software programs, and be very computer-knowledgeable. Know how to make columns, boxes, in other words, you must know how to format so that your translation looks exactly like the incoming text.
7. Do you have any final thoughts or comments on translating professionally?
It is a somewhat dangerous field: we translate court documents, medical documents, accounting, and financial statements - if you make translation mistakes, you can be sued, since sometimes life, liberty, and finances are at stake.
Translating books that people read for pleasure is a fun job, but you must make sure you don't just translate word for word, you must preserve nuances and be familiar with slang and street language.
I'd like to thank Gerda Stendell for participating in this interview!
1. What type of of translation work have you done professionally?
All kinds- we are a professional translation agency, we handle all languages, all fields
2. What is your translation method like? (How do you approach the task of translating?)
We look at the document, to determine the terminology and field, then we offer it to the translator who fits best. The translator immediately starts translating, sentence after sentence
3. How do you proofread for accuracy? What is the review process for the documents you translate?
Once translated, the document is sent to the proofreader who reads through it and checks for accuracy. The proofreader edits the document if needed.
4. Have you used any type of translation software to assist your translation work?
Our translators use Trados
5. Have you used any sites to aid your online translation work such as Google Translate or Babylon? (These are just some examples.)
No, we do not believe we can rely on machine translations, however, we do consult dictionaries.
6. What tips do you have for people working as professional translators?
Train yourself to be very thorough. Translate one sentence after another, be very methodical, to make sure you don't miss text. Make sure you have enough software programs for your computer, because documents come in word, excel, publisher, etc. Train yourself in all of these software programs, and be very computer-knowledgeable. Know how to make columns, boxes, in other words, you must know how to format so that your translation looks exactly like the incoming text.
7. Do you have any final thoughts or comments on translating professionally?
It is a somewhat dangerous field: we translate court documents, medical documents, accounting, and financial statements - if you make translation mistakes, you can be sued, since sometimes life, liberty, and finances are at stake.
Translating books that people read for pleasure is a fun job, but you must make sure you don't just translate word for word, you must preserve nuances and be familiar with slang and street language.
I'd like to thank Gerda Stendell for participating in this interview!
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Translation software review infographic
This is an infographic containing information about the history of translation software as well as a review about five different free online translators. The five online translators I reviewed are: freetranslation.com, Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, Promt, and Babylon 10. I used a 100 word paragraph to translate through the five translators and then measured their accuracy depending on how many words were different from the original text, how many words were inverted, and how many words were omitted. The data is presented in the middle of the infographic. Finally, my personal review on the accuracy and clarity of the translations is at the bottom of the infographic.
*Infographic created with the assistance of Jim Fairhurst. Jennifer Moreno Copyright 2013
*Infographic created with the assistance of Jim Fairhurst. Jennifer Moreno Copyright 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)