The life of a translator tends to be a rather sedentary one; many hours are spent hunched over the computer, pecking away at a keyboard. In addition, most freelancers generally work out of a home office, which may not be set up under ideal work conditions. While it may be tempting to dismiss recommendations regarding [...]
Archive for the 'Tips for Translators' Category
The rules for capitalization in English can be complicated. Use this list to help guide you when composing a text in English.
Capitalize the first word of a sentence.
Capitalize the first word of a direct quote.
Capitalize the first word of each line in a piece of poetry or verse.
Capitalize the pronoun “I” including its contractions [...]
The flexibility offered by working as a freelance translator certainly has its perks, but being your own boss presents its own set of challenges (and the occasional headache). Here are some tips for those of you considering the move to freelance translation or interpreting.
»Master the Business Side
When you’re a freelance translator, your responsibilities extend beyond [...]
Spanish speakers around the world, take heart; you don’t speak incorrectly, just differently. The Real Academia Española (RAE), Spain’s language authority, is finally acknowledging the diversity of grammar and vocabulary among the Spanish language’s nearly 500 million speakers in some 20 countries. The language mavens at the RAE just released a two-volume set detailing the [...]
CAT Tools: Wordfast vs. Trados
10Dec09Computer-assisted translation (CAT) tools provide many benefits for translators and clients alike. As previously discussed in this blog post, translators utilize CAT tools to create translation memories (TM), which enhance productivity and provide greater consistency within the document. Although there are a number of CAT tools available, the two most popular programs are SDL Trados [...]
Google adds another language tool to its arsenal with the introduction of Google Dictionary. Google’s new dictionary offers up results in close to 30 languages, including the major Western European languages, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, and Hindi. Notable exceptions from the line-up include Japanese and Persian (Farsi), though surely Google will work to support these languages [...]
At the most basic level, the difference between a translator and an interpreter is simple: one works with the written word while the other deals with spoken language; however, while each is well-versed in both a source and a target language, a good translator does not necessarily make for a good interpreter and vice versa. [...]
Internationalization and localization are two buzzwords that are often bandied about with respect to translations and global commerce. Internationalization and localization are actually two complementary phases of globalization, a critical process for companies with an international presence. While these terms can apply to a pure text translation, they are most often used in reference to [...]
With companies looking to reach out to customers around the world, it’s important to understand how to optimize a web site for the international market. One of the best-known methods for improving international page rank and driving traffic to your site is through search engine optimization (SEO). Webmasters employ SEO techniques, which factor in the [...]
FBI’s lack of translators
03Nov09An article in Reuters reports:
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has lost 3 percent of its linguists and failed to sift through millions of documents as the agency’s workload of terrorism cases grows, according to a report issued on Monday.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the FBI and U.S. intelligence agencies were widely and repeatedly [...]
