| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4] | Are Canadian translators taking full advantage of technologies available? Thread poster: CLS Lexi-tech
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| not enough... | Jul 31, 2002 |
you would be much more proficient, delivering better and more consistent translations, with a CAT tool. Careful though. I\'m not advocating the use of a CAT tool for every job, but for repetitive assignments. Also, a CAT tool, as you say correctly, is to be used as a management tool, to improve proficiency (and output) and consistency.
Finally, I wasn\'t saying that ALL Canadian translators are stuck in the Dark Ages, I was referring to Paola\'s examples. Anyway, your post confirms the... See more you would be much more proficient, delivering better and more consistent translations, with a CAT tool. Careful though. I\'m not advocating the use of a CAT tool for every job, but for repetitive assignments. Also, a CAT tool, as you say correctly, is to be used as a management tool, to improve proficiency (and output) and consistency.
Finally, I wasn\'t saying that ALL Canadian translators are stuck in the Dark Ages, I was referring to Paola\'s examples. Anyway, your post confirms the fact that Canadian translators are too busy and too well paid to be bothered about anything else. If I\'m really busy... why change?
Giovanni
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-07-31 09:02 ] ▲ Collapse
| | | | PaulaMac (X)
French to English
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Re: you would be much more proficient, delivering better and more consistent translations, with a CAT tool
I disagree. The reason my clients keep coming back is because I deliver high quality and CONSISTENT translations. I also edit TRADOS translations for one client (who rightly pays per word translation rates, not \"editing\" rates) and frankly, I\'m not impressed. The best I can say is that when the translation is correct (and even a 100 score is no guarantee of that), ... See more Re: you would be much more proficient, delivering better and more consistent translations, with a CAT tool
I disagree. The reason my clients keep coming back is because I deliver high quality and CONSISTENT translations. I also edit TRADOS translations for one client (who rightly pays per word translation rates, not \"editing\" rates) and frankly, I\'m not impressed. The best I can say is that when the translation is correct (and even a 100 score is no guarantee of that), they are functional at best. I have been told by a number of clients that they not only appreciate the fact that I deliver solid translations and meet deadlines, they like my style of writing. And style may be getting left behind. It\'s too bad. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | good use of a CAT tool... | Aug 1, 2002 |
as in every field and with every technology, a useful tool is really useful only if used in an intelligent manner. True, CAT tools restrict creativity, but it\'s down to the translator to use the CAT tool to aid the translation process, not as a substitute. I too check many CAT tool aided translations and are appalled by the laziness of the translators, who can\'t be bothered to put two sentence together with a comma anymore. This is why many present translations are just a bad carbon copy of th... See more as in every field and with every technology, a useful tool is really useful only if used in an intelligent manner. True, CAT tools restrict creativity, but it\'s down to the translator to use the CAT tool to aid the translation process, not as a substitute. I too check many CAT tool aided translations and are appalled by the laziness of the translators, who can\'t be bothered to put two sentence together with a comma anymore. This is why many present translations are just a bad carbon copy of the English original. With a CAT tool one tends to stick to the original structure and this, especially for Latin languages, is way too bad. Translators all over the world... try and feed your CAT some imagination!
Giovanni ▲ Collapse
| | | | CLS Lexi-tech
Local time: 19:25
English to Italian
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TOPIC STARTER | I don't get it, sorry. | Aug 2, 2002 |
It sounds as if using Cat tools is like cheating, or a waste of time, or almost a tad less than professional. And I am at the end of a series of 10 hours work days. The topic cannot be dismissed so easily.
Suppose a client with 1 million words to be translated in roughly 60 working days. This is, I would say, not a very unsual situation in Canada. What do you do to insure quality and consistency of the translated product? In an ideal world, I would do terminology extraction of the text... See more It sounds as if using Cat tools is like cheating, or a waste of time, or almost a tad less than professional. And I am at the end of a series of 10 hours work days. The topic cannot be dismissed so easily.
Suppose a client with 1 million words to be translated in roughly 60 working days. This is, I would say, not a very unsual situation in Canada. What do you do to insure quality and consistency of the translated product? In an ideal world, I would do terminology extraction of the text in question. I.e. you use one Cat Tool (I have in mind a Canadian product very powerful) to extract the most recurring sequences (two words and more) to establish a terminological basis for the team of translators (in-house and freelancers) who will tackle the project. I.e. instead of having revisors doing remedial work at the end, costly and untimely, and ultimately unpredictable, you do preventive terminological work at the very beginning of the project. Once you know that the sequence \"ZZZZ yyy pppp\" recurs say 1,500 times, you establish a baseline translation for that and distribute to all involved. Then you analyze the text on the basis of the memories you have from the same client in the same field, and see whether useful suggestions are available. And so on and so forth.
A translation memory is just that, a memory that remembers what one might otherwise forget in a work of this volume, or even of less volume, and frees the translator to do what he or she does best. Translate, not remember.
Why such an issue should be dismissed, or not even tackled, is a mystery to me.
Even if I did not have Paula\'s output when I was a freelancer, I benefited greatly from my not so powerful electronic memories. Call it a glossary or a dictionary interfaced with your text, call it a management tool, call it what you want, but let\'s look at what they can really do for you and for the quality and consistency of translation, on a small and on a large scale.
paola l m
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| Paola, couldn't agree more... | Aug 2, 2002 |
I can\'t understand the hostility towards CAT tools either. They do not substitute translating, they help you translate better. In the example you mention, a CAT tool would be absolutely indispensable. I cannot imagine translating 1 million words without one!
G
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-08-02 09:00 ]
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