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¿Se habla English? Life of a Translator

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

An adequate source of translation jobs

I am checking craigslist.org for job leads. It is rather tedious, as a search must be conducted in EACH city. Plus, it appears that craigslist.org is fertile ground for all sorts of jobs, but not necessarily for Spanish translators.

I am going to approach this the same way I approach shopping for clothes at the Salvation army. You can't go in thinking, "OK, I will get the perfect pair of black pants there". Instead, I go in there, trying to forget all clothes have been worn by other people, and focus on sorting the gems (a cashmere sweater for $3! Or more likely, a bright green corduroy dress for my daughter for that amount) from the dirt (what's with all the polyester dresses? Who is buying them in the first place?).

Technorati tags: craigslist.org, translation

Sunday, February 26, 2006

February 2006 issue of the ATA Chronicle

Yesterday, two magazines arrived in my post office box. One of them is inmensely popular, features glossy spreads of movie stars, and disseminates gossip. However, Entertainment Weekly has nothing to do with translation, so I am left with the propspect of discussing the ATA Chronicle.

Among other articles, it featured an article by Janet Bonet, former president of NATI (Nebraska Association for Translators & Interpreters) titled "O! Pioneers: A Commentary on Nebraska's Translators and Interpreters". I must quote this small passage from her article:
I take pride in my Nebraska colleagues who have accomplished so much with so little, forging ahead on extraordinary strength of will, scant resources, and little, albeit increasing, respect from our coastal colleagues. [...]We ask only for an appreciation of the fact that our road to professionalization is different, and in many ways more difficult, incomparison to those in sectors of the U.S. where an educational and social infrastructure supportive of language service providers has been in place for decades.


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Saturday, February 25, 2006

Bad news and good news

The bad news: I was sick yesterday and couldn't update the blog.

The good news: Somebody found my profile at the Translators Cafe site, and sent me a note asking for translation samples. Maybe this will go nowhere. Then again, I could get more work. Who knows?

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Thursday, February 23, 2006

Translution aside, human translators are still needed

Earlier on, the ad displayed above this post read "Translution Software". At first I thought it was a typo. It turns out it isn't.

Read [Genx Caps] - Translution Removes Language Barriers for a description of this program, its prices, capabilities, etc.

Will programs like this make translators like myself obsolete? Right now, I translate plenty of e-mails at my job because online translators have a tendency to mangle the results. I will just have to remind myself that at this point, human translators are still needed. A lot more developing has to happen before technology can replace the human brain and all its capabilities.

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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Searching for "miel de colza, anyone? A few tips

Yesterday, a co-worker asked me to find the Spanish term for "rapeseed honey", a term related to honey production. The awkward thing was that he was referring to it without writing the "seed" part of the word. In the word of apiculture (beekeeping), this is correct, but I had never heard of rape honey, and I wasn't sure I wanted to.

It took me a while to realize that he was talking about rapeseed, also known as colza in other parts of the world, a term without any ugliness attached to it. So I went to ProZ.com, like I normally do in this cases. No such luck. Next, I tried searching under Google for "rape honey", thinking limiting a search to THAT exact text string would filter out potentially obscene sites from my search. Ha! It helped, but it did not block out EVERYTHING. Without going into further details, there are some things about human nature and their desires I could have lived without learning more about.

What might help other prudes like me in the future? I should have added a keyword to my search, such as "beekeeping" or "apiculture". Everything ended up well, however, and I found a term (miel de colza) I could add to my Glossary in ProZ.com.

Just something to keep in mind if you frequently use Google to find out terms in other languages.

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Tuesday, February 21, 2006

A translation team

I have created a translation team in ProZ.com. At this point, I am the sole member.

According to ProZ.com's directory, there are 497 translators specializing in agriculture (my subject of interest). I am trying to gather the nerve to invite them to join the team. My fear of rejection is rearing up its unattractive head.

P.S. I finally figured out how to work this AdSense thing. Whoo-hoo!

Technorati tags: translation team

Monday, February 20, 2006

ForTranslators.com is having a sale

I received an e-mail from the ForTranslators.com website, informing me of their upcoming sale. Featured titles include: The Translator's Handbook and a Multicultural Spanish Dictionary (although it evades me why it is listed as a Multicultural Spanish Business Dictionary).

Technorati tags: ForTranslators.com, dictionaries, translation

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Jo-Hanna's 15 minutes of fame are up

I found this message from ProZ in my e-mail today:

Hello Jo-Hanna Goettsche,

Within a few minutes of the time this message was sent (19
Feb 10:47 GMT), you will have become the "featured pro" at
ProZ.com. This means that it was your (randomly assigned)
turn to have your profile image on display on the ProZ.com
home page. In other words, as one member jokingly put it,
you will have had your proverbial "15 minutes of fame".

If a few minutes have passed, but fewer than 15 minutes,
you will be able to see yourself featured; see:
http://www.proz.com/

Thank you for using and supporting ProZ.com.

Regards,
ProZ.com Team


This was awesome, mind you. Unfortunately, by my estimation, this was around 4:47 AM in my particular time zone. So I didn't get a chance to see my mug in all its glory. Bummer.

Technorati tags: translation, publicity, ProZ

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Subzero translation

Temperatures around my region are hovering above and below 0 ºF. My Puerto Rican blood is not designed for this ridiculous weather.

Today I received a translation test which I intend to complete once the kid drops off to a nap. But first I need to buy printer paper, which means I need to leave the house. Oy.

Technorati tags: translation test

Friday, February 17, 2006

Interpreters in UK beware...

And if you don't live in the U.K., still beware. A test translation is one thing. But being asked to pay in order to work is beyond the pale.

[Via Kwintessential]

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Project's done!

My project has been finished and delivered (along with a nifty invoice) to the agency. Life can return to normal (whatever that is).

In other news, I added the Diccionario panhispanico de dudas to my Amazon.com wishlist. I also plan to add Garner's grammar guide (thanks, Tomato Nation).

Unfortunately, I am too shy to e-mail my wishlist to people likely to give me gifts. (and my mom doesn't even use e-mail).

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Thursday, February 16, 2006

The translator's diet, and another translation directory

(Note to self: You are not allowed to eat ice cream while translating. Coffee is allowed in moderate quantities. And drink water, for crying out loud. And eat raw veggies, even though you hate them. It builds character.)

Enough about me. I was looking up my name in Google (and don't pretend that you don't do it) and somehow, found a profile I had completely forgot I made at TRADUguide. Not only that, but it doesn't mention that I have TRADOS. I corrected that immediately.

I must keep better track of all the websites with my profile in them. Let's see: ProZ.com, Translators' Cafe, etc.

Technorati tags: translation, proz.com, TRADUguide.com

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Musings about a dictionary

At work, I have at my disposal the Collins English-Spanish dictionary. Half the time I use it; the rest of the time, it is WordReference.

I must say I sometimes prefer using the printed copy, even though it is falling apart (I am very hard on books). Plus you can read tidbits about things like April Fools' Day. WordReference has an advantage in that it features discussion board. This helps in finding the term used in a particular country. For example, yesterday, I was looking up "refrigerator", and found:

  • nevera (Puerto Rico)

  • heladera

  • refrigerador

  • frigorífico



Technorati tags: dictionaries, translation

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Progress report

The project I am working on is going OK.  At first I was intimidated (it has nothing to do with agriculture or the organic industry), but once I got going, my confidence level went up.  It has become clear, however, that if I am to do this seriously, i.e. full-time, every day, I will have to get rid of all the crackers, popcorn, cookies, ice cream, etc. in the house, and replace them with bottled water and baby carrots.  I am not fond of raw veggies.  

Technorati tags: translation

Monday, February 13, 2006

Translation of "nostrils": Fun with KudoZ

So, somebody at ProZ.com posted a question about the proper translation for "nostrils".

I replied with "fosas nasales", the term I am familiar with. (Note: I am not a certified medical translator).

Nine people agreed with my translation. One person didn't.

Which one do you think I remember?

Technorati tags: translation, proz.com

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Kick your dictionary

Thanks to the Las palabras son pistolas cargadas blog, I found another Spanish-language blog of interest called Patada al diccionario (literally, "A kick to the dictionary), a Spanish-language site about crimes committed against the Spanish language.

Technorati tags: translation, Spanish, language,

Saturday, February 11, 2006

The difference between translating and interpreting

I have posted before about how I am often mistaken for an interpreter.

You probably know it already, but not everybody does. There is a difference between translation and interpreting. Read on.

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Friday, February 10, 2006

A translator should be patient

Last month, I sent a letter of interest to an agency, listing my rates, the software in my computer, etc. A few days ago, the XYZ Agency (thus named to avoid breaching confidentiality) responded to my query. It appears they are interested in my services for a small project.

Pros of doing this assignment:

  • Experience

  • The income.

  • Increasing my base of clients.

  • The project is small enough that I can complete it in my spare time. This is important, as I do not wish to neglect my primary job.

Potential cons:

  • For as long as I am working in this project, my housework will probably suffer. I really don't mind, but my family does.

  • The What ifs. Some are rational, most of them are not. What if... it turns out I am not as knowledgeable about the subject matter? What if... TRADOS refuses to cooperate? What if... the agency does not care for my translation and proceeds to not just reduce/withold payment. Hopefully, now that I have expressed these idiotic fears, I will have nothing to worry about.



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Thursday, February 09, 2006

An interesting phone call this morning

This morning, as I was getting ready for work, the phone rang. Of course, I automatically thought somebody died/was sick/there was a snow day at school (it has been unseasonably warm here in Lincoln).

The caller in question was phoning from Europe. He asked if I could translate Russian. It broke my heart to admit that no, I can't translate Russian. I referred him to a contact that could possibly help him out.

I suspect my caller wanted an interpreter, not a translator. This seems to be a common misunderstanding. I do not provide interpreting services at this moment.

But why would anybody think I can translate Russian?

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Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Translators helping each other

Check out Alex Eames's translatortips.com. His site sells How to Earn $80,000+ per year as a Freelance Translator, a very valuable guide to those starting out.

You can also subscribe to the tranfree e-zine by providing your e-mail.

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Tuesday, February 07, 2006

More translation

I finished the newsletter translation yesterday. Today I translated an HTML document related to the newsletter. Thank you, DVX.

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Monday, February 06, 2006

Bidding at proZ.com

Today I put a couple of bids over at the job board at ProZ.com.

Another possible source of translation jobs: Elance. Not as abundant as I would like, but worth checking.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Upgrading my CAT software

A few days ago, I received a message from the kind folks who make SDLX and TRADOS. Apparently, I would get some nice savings if I pre-ordered an upgrade from my current version of TRADOS (6.5) all the way to SDL Trados 2006 Freelance, a release that won't be available until March 2006.

Yesterday, either I took a brave step into providing better translation services, or I took the bait. Just like when I bought TRADOS last year, there are no guarantees that clients will fall into my lap.

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Friday, February 03, 2006

Multilingual guide to refrains

I still haven't fully recovered from my trip to the dentist. Owie.

However, there is a silver lining in my cloud. I found a multi-lingual guide to refrains at a site dedicated to teaching Spanish. Very helpful if you were interested in learning how to say "Jack of all trades, master of none" in Spanish (Aprendiz de mucho, maestro de nada, in case you were wondering).

Thursday, February 02, 2006

Pain makes you a better translator

I went to the dentist today. YEEOUCH! Translate that onomatopoeia.

After that particularly fun visit, I went back to work, somewhat giddy from the Novocaine. Oddly enough, it seemed as though my fingers were about as numb as the lower half of my face. Even though I don't remember having my hands drugged. Weird.

As far as translation, I managed to put a few nicks (not exactly dents) in the newsletter translation. This type of assignment tends to go on the backburner when something more urgent comes up, like translating letters or even tasks not related to translation.

Así es la vida. Hey, I speak Spanish; don't expect me to write C'est la vie.

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

10% chance of translation

The translation of the newsletter has been postponed by other job tasks, most of them completely unrelated to translation. For the purposes of this post, I am counting those three-sentences-long e-mails as translation, even if they were hardly exciting.

Boredom is an occupational hazard. Let's face, I don't have a disclaimer on my website or my profile at ProZ.com stating that I will only translate fascinating, entrancing subject matter. And I would like to think that I am professional enough to translate both interesting material AND dull texts to the best of my ability.

Truth be told, I prefer the challenging yet interesting ones, requiring me to check ProZ.com, Google, dictionaries, and do some research. I also have a fond memory of translating a rather wacky Japanese-to-English translation to Spanish. Think back to the latest instruction manual you read that left you scratching your head as you tried to make out the awkward syntax and phrasing, and you will get an idea. At least it gave me a good story.