Trados for MacBook

by admin on October 26th, 2007

There are translators who use Mac OS X as their Operating System (recently including myself), yet most of translation tools that we use in our work are designed for Microsoft Windows. Same applies to Trados. But is it really impossible for Mac users to work with Trados? Luckily it is not!

Trados and Mac OS X

As far as I know, there are two very simple solutions to the problem stated. All Mac Users who have Intel-based machines can instal two operating systems (Mac OS X + Windows XP/Vista) and select the one they want to use when they turn the computer on.

The second solution (preferred by me) is to use the Parallels Desktop application, which allows us to use Windows XP as a MAC OS X application. In this way, we use our Macs just as we do everyday, and whenever it is neccessary to use Trados, we open Windows XP and then just open Trados. Easy! The latest version of Parallels Desktop allows users to share files between Windows and Mac OS in real time.

Trados for Leopard

I hope that soon there will be a version of Trados available straight for Mac OS X Leopard, as I am becoming a MacBook fan! Any questions about using MacBooks for translation? Please send me an email at mylingua (at) mylingua.pl and I will try to help.

Now also working in SDL Trados…

by admin on June 27th, 2007

…to make your English to Polish translations even better and quicker.

After a 30-day trial, during which I got to know the basic features of this powerful CAT tool, I have decided to purchase a full license for the SDL Trados Freelance software.

Apart from the ever-popular Workbench, I also like the WinAlign component, which allows me to reuse my old translations and create a translation memory, which I can then merge with others in the same subject area.

I am still exploring all the difference features and am hoping to become a proficient user over the next couple of months.

I really hope that Trados will help me improve my consistency in the use of terminology and will improve my efficiency as an English to Polish translator.

English to Polish - free translation

by admin on June 16th, 2007

Maja Halewska is a freelance English to Polish translator. On the Free Polish Translation forum, you can ask simple and short questions relating to the subject of English to Polish translations. Your questions will be answered as soon as possible. Feel free to post your English to Polish related queries!

English to Polish web translation - a tip on displaying the source text

by admin on March 2nd, 2007

Web translation

It is common knowledge that when doing a web translation, a translator has to be careful not to delete the different coding and tags within the body of a text. If the translator has some IT knowledge, there should be no problems differentiating between the source text and tags, however, if someone’s IT expertise does not go that far, looking out for tags can really put a strain on one’s eyes. Luckily, there is software that makes this particular type of translation a lot easier.

TagEditor

One such software is TagEditor (one of the components in the ever popular Trados), which protects the code from being interfered with by concealing it in the main body of the text. This in turn allows the translator to fully concentrate on a given passage, just as he/she was translating a .doc file. As I have never used TagEditor before, I am not in a position to comment on how it works. I definitely know, however, that one thing that can be quite discouraging about it is definitely the price and so I want to recommend one other tool that greatly facilitates web translations and is available for a lower price.

EditPlus

EditPlus text editor is available as a free, 30-day trial; however, I have been using it for over 30 days now and have not been prompted to the “Buy Now” screen yet. EditPlus has been designed as a tool for programmers, but can be well utilised by translators. All tags are displayed in colour and the actual source text appears in black. In this way, the translator clearly sees the difference between the two. Translators can also benefit from the line number feature, which allows to locate required parts of the text. It also has a powerful search and replace feature and a spell checker- a must for every translator.

I really recommend this tool to any translator who perhaps does not want to spend a fortune on Trados. If you decide to buy it after the trial evaluation expires, you can purchase a one-user licence for just $30.

Enjoy!