Mar 2

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

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!