Training for Translators

Classes for translators and interpreters

Technology


Corinne McKay

OmegaT: a free and very useful TenT

Translation environment tools (TenTs), also referred to as CAT tools or translation memory tools, are the subject of numerous passionate discussions among translators. Some people prefer a standalone tool, others a tool that works from within a program like Microsoft Office, some users are adamant that their tool has the best matching algorithm out there while others criticize the competition’s pricing, support, you get the picture.

Over the past few years I’ve primarily used two TenTs with which I’ve been very happy, Wordfast and Heartsome. Wordfast has the advantage of being quite similar in look and fee to, and quite compatible with the market leader SDL Trados, and Wordfast’s developer, Yves Champollion, is a very smart and helpful guy who provides excellent support for his product. Heartsome is a powerful tool at an attractive price, and it’s, in my experience, the best of the commercial TenTs if you don’t run Mac or Windows, or if you like to use OpenOffice.org file formats.

Lately I’ve been feeling like my quiver of TenTs needed an addition; I don’t have any complaints with Wordfast, but in order to run on my Linux computer system, it requires not only Microsoft Word, which I only use for Wordfast-related work, but also a program like CrossOver Linux that allows Windows software to run on Linux without a Windows license. So, this adds a few layers of upgrades for software that I really only use when I’m running Wordfast. Next, (and I’m not blaming this on Heartsome, it may be something to do with my computer) I have had major frustrations with Heartsome slowdowns, when it has taken 15-20 minutes to convert a 5,000 word document to XLIFF format (required in order to translate) and four to six seconds to add a segment to the TM and then progress to the next segment, which adds up over the course of a 500 segment job.

Enter OmegaT, which I’ve tested out before but never really delved into using for my day to day work. Portuguese translator Thelma Sabim gave an impressive presentation (including a live demo) on OmegaT at the 2006 ATA conference, and ever since then I’ve been thinking that I should give OmegaT more than a passing trial. This week I’ve been using it on some non-rush work, and I’m really, really enjoying it. OmegaT runs on any computer with a Java 2 Platform (i.e. Linux, Mac, Windows 98 or higher), and the OmegaT team (all volunteers) has helpfully provided a download of the software that includes a Java 2 Runtime Environment so that you don’t have to figure out if you have the correct Java version or not.

Once you’ve downloaded the software, you need your source document to be in a format that OmegaT supports, which include OpenOffice.org files (note that OO.o now includes a wizard that can batch process the conversion of MS Office files into OO.o files; go to File>Wizards>Document Converter), Open XML files, text files, HTML files, Open Document Format files, INI files, Java resource bundles, XLIFF files, .po files and DocBook files. Then, OmegaT’s quick start guide (which promises that you can “Start using OmegaT in 5 minutes!” and I would agree!) shepherds you through the easily mastered basics of translating in the software’s interface. I am finding many of OmegaT’s features to be just what I need in a TenT. For a long time, OmegaT may have been best known for its “love it or hate it” feature of segmenting at the paragraph level. Now, you can select paragraph or sentence-level segmentation. Also, under Options>Editing Behaviour, you can select what you want to see in an untranslated segment: the source text, nothing, or the best fuzzy match with a percentage that you define. An additional feature that I like is OmegaT’s use of folders that it creates within your project. For example, it creates a “target” folder into which it places your translated documents once they are created. So, you can give the target document the same name as the source without having to worry about overwriting anything or figuring out which document is which.

I also have to mention that this software is *fast,* and not just because I’ve recently had some speed issues with other tools. OmegaT’s processes (segmenting a source file, compiling target files, pulling up fuzzy matches) are so fast that you almost don’t realize they’re happening; in one case I actually clicked “Create Translated Documents” again because I didn’t realize that OmegaT had taken only a few seconds to compile the translations in the 15-file project I was working on. Other translators with different needs may have other opinions about OmegaT, since my use of TM is largely for my own productivity rather than because my clients request it, so issues such as exchanging TMs with other translators (which OmegaT can do) are not very important to me. If you’re looking for a new or additional TenT for your office, I highly recommend OmegaT; even if you just test it out, it’s free, it’s easy, and it’s fast!


Corinne McKay

My new twins

Earlier this year I decided it was time to upgrade my primary computer setup. The idea centered around the installation of twin 20-inch LCD monitors (replacing the old twin 19-inch CRT monitors, which each took up about as much space as my late grandmother’s console television, only she had just one) and an operating system upgrade. Fortunately there is not a huge amount to report since everything went uncharacteristically (for a technology improvement project!) well.

I’ve been a fan of the twin monitor system since my husband, a recovering Unix sysadmin, showed it to me about four years ago. As long as your motherboard has slots for two video cards, you just snap two cards in there and then set up two monitors, and let me assure you that once you’ve experienced twin monitors, you won’t go back. Another option is to purchase a video card that has two video outputs, which is what we selected this time. Think of it; you can have your source document on one screen and your target document in the other, or your TeNT (translation environment tool) on one screen and your electronic dictionary in the other, or whatever configuration you would like; the point is no more Alt-Tab’ing back and forth between two documents, or scrunching each document so that it takes up only half the screen as you struggle to read the text in each pane.

I purchased two 20-inch Acer widescreen LCD monitors for $189 each from Newegg and I’m quite happy with them. Yes, when you put them next to each other, you have over three feet of continuous screen real estate… We also upgraded my operating system to Ubuntu Linux 7.10, Gutsy Gibbon, which is working really well too.

So, in the name of increased productivity, decreased eyestrain and general home office thrills, I highly recommend twin monitors, and LCDs have come down in price to the point that I think they’re a good investment for most freelancers.


Corinne McKay

Let out the book inside you

I’m starting to work on the second edition of my book How to Succeed as a Freelance Translator, and it makes me realize that more translators really should write books. Really, the market for specialized glossaries, translation technique manuals, translation business practice guides and more is wide open. So, if you have a book inside you that’s crying to get out but you don’t want to go through the whole process of writing up a book proposal, finding an agent and finding a publisher in order to earn a relatively small percentage of your book’s gross earnings, it’s time to think about self-publishing.

For the first edition of my book I used, and I’ll be using again, Lulu, a print-on-demand service that I have really fallen in love with (and no, I don’t have an affiliate deal with them, I really do just love them!). Lulu offers a number of publishing and distribution levels depending on what you want to do with your work. At the most basic level, Lulu will print bound copies of almost anything that you can upload as a PDF, and you can purchase these yourself or sell them on Lulu.com at a price that you set, and you pay nothing unless you make a sale. For the modest sum of $99.95, you can purchase a distribution service from Lulu that gives you an ISBN for your book and makes it available on online marketplaces such as Amazon and Barnes&Noble as well as in wholesale book catalogs.

So, say that you have compiled a glossary of terms related to one of your translation specializations (we’ll assume that these terms are not proprietary and that you have the right to publish them) and you have a hunch that other translators would be interested in purchasing this glossary. You can create a PDF of your document, upload it to Lulu, choose one of their standard covers and a binding style and with a very minimal amount of work, your work is published and available for sale. It really is that easy.

Print-on-demand books generally cost more per copy to produce than books that are printed in bulk by “traditional” self-publishing companies. On the other hand, one of the joys of print-on-demand is that you can update your book at any time and put the new edition out for distribution at a minimal cost, and you don’t have the issue, which you do have with traditional self-publishing, of either arranging for a separate distribution service or finding a place to store all of the printed copies of your book.

Preparing a book to meet the criteria for wider distribution is a bit more complex, but definitely within the capabilities of most translators. In order to purchase wider distribution (which used to be called Global Distribution and is now called Published by You or Published by Lulu, depending on who owns the ISBN), your book must meet certain size and formatting requirements, which you can find here.
For a book that will be widely distributed, you probably also want to have your copy professionally edited and laid out and have a custom cover designed (in the spirit of disclosure, my husband did all three of these tasks for my book, and several reviews have specifically commented on the quality of the layout and editing, so it’s definitely possible to do these jobs “in house,” so to speak).

In addition to giving you greater control over the content and quality of your book, self-publishing is a huge win over most traditional publishers when it comes to royalties, as long as you are willing to do your own marketing. For example, many authors I know who have been published by traditional publishers have earned 10% royalties at most (and have still done most of their own marketing). Self-publishing allows you as the author to earn between 20% and 50% royalties, and to have those royalties paid monthly. For example, the cover price of my book is $19.95; for every copy that sells directly from Lulu’s site, I earn a little over $10.00 and for every copy that sells through the distribution network (Amazon, bookstore orders, etc.) I earn a little over $4.00. Then, Lulu pays me those royalties every month by PayPal. Also, I can order unlimited copies of the book at a greatly reduced cost (for my book it’s about $7.00 per copy) and then sell them myself to bookstores, at events and book signings, etc.

I’ve been so happy with Lulu’s services that I haven’t investigated any other print-on-demand publishers, and I would be interested in hearing from other people in the translation industry who have self-published books either through print-on-demand or through “traditional” self-publishing!


Corinne McKay

A new header image

WordPress’ MistyLook theme makes it very easy to change your header image, here is a new one from iStock. This is called “Way to Everest,” by iStock member “weareadventurers.” It reminds me of one of my favorite places (Nepal) and also that sometimes, translation feels a little like climbing Everest!


Corinne McKay

A helpful post on blogs and feeds for translators

Here is a useful post, from Translator Support, about RSS feeds and some translation-related sites that offer feeds. For a long time I was mystified by feeds (and I’ve now publicly admitted this!), but Blogging With Beth removed my feed-based shame and confusion, and I’m now a devotee of Firefox’s Sage plugin. Sage is tied to your computer, which can be a plus and a minus. When I’m traveling I kind of like being liberated from my feeds, but if you like to take your feeds with you, a browser-based feed reader is probably better.