Most people wish they could, but one cannot trust machine (or automatic) translation services promising the translation of full passages, paragraphs, documents and even complete websites into other idioms. Simply because the attempt to engage in a language translation process is made by software which is unable to cope and solve all the tiny gritty perceptions of meaning that only a professional (and human!) translator is capable of interpreting.
It is not very common to hear about this but it happens every day… Market surveys, Gallup polls, sociological studies, medical forms, psychological examinations, informed consent forms, client-satisfaction assessment, pharmaceutical queries, research study protocols, and an endless list of other contexts explore the benefits of back translation, as performed by trained professional translators.
I used to find translation jobs by addressing translation agencies and sending them my curriculum vitae. After a while I got to the conclusion I needed a different approach, maybe I was not inventing the wheel then, but right now I will share some insight on how a part-time freelance translator may become a full-time professional in this craft. I’ll offer some very straightforward tips for those who wish to grow professional translators or improve their knowledge about the translation market.
Translating is a creative action, a painstaking operation requiring a sharp ear and a feeling for language. On the other hand, translating is also a craft, and of course there are tips and rules of thumb one can pass on to new translators, and practical problems to discuss.
Translation is a rewarding though sometimes wearisome test: whereas a bad translation is remembered a good one remains unnoticed and invisible. This entry will do its best to discuss on a very straightforward manner some tips and advices on how to make translation easier, more accurate, and overall successful. These words assume we are addressing translators with previous knowledge and practice, possessing basic/average IT skills.
Some of the most significant investments made by any translator, either novice or experienced, refer to the tools of the trade. No matter how engaged the translator gets into his/her craft, one will always consider computer hardware and software in the shopping list, because the days when the profession depended on pen and paper are long gone