Translators use a multitude of tools to make their work easier and more efficient. However, many are quite costly so it’ll take time to acquire all of the resources necessary to make your work as fast and accurate as possible. Most translators use a combination of computer-based and hard copy resources. Of course, it depends on preference as to whether you primarily use computer or paper resources.Below you’ll find a brief description of certain tools that you should have on your wish list.
Dictionaries and Glossaries
I like the Gran Diccionario Oxford: Español-Ingles, Ingles-Español as a general, comprehensive dictionary.
Of course, a general Spanish-English dictionary can only get you so far when you are doing specialized translations in your field of expertise. In these cases, you will need a dictionary with specific entries for your field. There are many dictionaries which cover technical, engineering, and scientific terms.
A hot topic on the Proz Translators’ Resources forum is glossaries. While the forum covers all language pairs, translators can find links to extensive glossaries for specific language pairs and post a query if they can’t find information about the glossary they need.
But both dictionaries and glossaries fall short when a translator needs to know how to translate a colloquial phrase. Word Reference has an active forum that you can visit if you are working with a phrase whose translation eludes you. The search function will lead you to not only a translation of the word, but links to previous forum discussions about related phrases. If you don’t find the answer you need, a posted question will be answered by an active community of translators and linguaphiles.
If you prefer to store your tools on your computer, many dictionaries have a CD ROM version for you to purchase.
Translation Memory Software
Transpanish posted a blog article about the usage of Translation Memory software tools. While TM tools are often expensive and primarily used by agencies that do ongoing, project-based translations, some independent freelancers also find these tools useful.
The Proz.com forums often have rousing discussions on the benefits and disadvantages of translation memory tools, but each translator has to decide for herself if the investment is worth the return.
Below are some common translation memory tools that some freelancers choose to invest in:
The first category of tools is indispensable, as no translator can do without a comprehensive set of dictionaries. But the decision to buy translation software is entirely up to whether an individual decides that the benefits of using it outweigh the investment of time and money.
Some links you may find useful:
Thanks for the tips, but the link to the Gran Diccionario Oxford is not working.
Proz.com is another site where translators can request help with difficult terms. I have found the quality of answers from other translators to be outstanding.