For translators, game localization comes in all flavors. All developers seem to have their own way to present strings they need us to translate. While
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Is there still value in quality?
I envy people who can state without blinking that delivering quality is the key to success. I envy their faith. Faith in their own capabilities,
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Client review changes – Part 2: How to handle them
In this post, we’ll look at some of the most common types of client changes and how to handle them. TERMINOLOGY CHANGES The client decided
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Medical translations that make us [sic!]
In this post I list four major factors responsible for bad medical translations and analyse examples of substandard medical and pharmaceutical translations.
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Change Tracker: translation review report in just several clicks
Recently my work focus moves slowly from translation to review. And after you perform a review, you often have to document the changes, especially when
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3 models of language quality assurance
Language quality assurance gives you demonstrable proof that your translation quality measures up in each market. Here are 3 models for delivery.
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Translator’s block: tips to get your translation juices flowing again
A translator’s journey to creativity – It’s not exactly writer’s block, yet we all suffer from it one day or another. Somehow, none of the
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5 signs of poorly localised software
Localisation will be beneficial for your company and customers only if it’s of top quality and has no flaws. If the localised version contains mistakes,
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Are PDFs really that problematic?
If you’re sending PDFs to your translation vendor, you could be paying extra. Find out why and what to do about it. If you want
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How to translate images with Paint.NET
One smart person once said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. As a translator, I can say that this was an exaggeration. I
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Why Global Products Need International QA Testing
QA testing is a cornerstone for a successful product, but in a global economy, it’s important to think about international QA testing. Here’s why.
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When Bad Translations Happen to Good People
I received an assignment from a long-standing client last week that made my Spidey-sense tingle as soon as I read the instructions. It was billed
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MSEO: Why Glossary Terms Don’t Work For Keyword Localization
Glossaries and keywords may overlap, but glossary terms are no substitute for keyword localization. Here’s why. Building out multilingual versions of a global website almost
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Top Secrets of Effective Proofreading
These days, there is a lot of fuss and debate around Post-Editing (and Machine Translation) that made me reflect upon effective editing and proofreading as
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Transcription: Everything you need to know
Transcription, as used in the literary community, refers to the process of turning an audio file into a written one. The audio file may contain
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Proof-reading – editing – revising: the essentials
Today, I want to talk a little bit about a term used by work-providers and which greatly irritates many translators: that term is ‘proof-reading’. I
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How to break the ice (in translation)
« La Reine des neiges », libérée des fondamentaux de la traduction ? Largement inspiré du conte éponyme du dramaturge danois Hans Christian Andersen (Sneedronningen
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My Golden Rules For Quality Assurance In Translation
In the highly competitive global translation market quality may be the main differentiator – a factor that makes the difference between success and failure. Quality
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Séries TV: le blues des pros du sous-titre
A l’heure où Kim Dotcom la plateforme Mega fait débat, les sous-titreurs de séries s’invitent dans la controverse. Le zèle des traducteurs bénévoles qui adaptent
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Tasks in a translation project
(e-book extract) A. Linguistic stages The various linguistic stages are directly linked to the text content to be translated. (…) B. Technical stages
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Tips for translating medical reports
When a medical report lands in my inbox I know it’s going to be a challenge. It’s probably going to be a scanned PDF or
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The Number 1 Mistake Made by Most Translation Teams (and Four Examples of Why It Matters)
Marketing oriented translation work is beset with potential hazards. Whether you are concerned with packaging, signage, ad copy, or an international website’s user interface, you
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Desktop Publishing Arabic Text: What You Need To Know
Arabic a is a highly complicated language for Non-Arabic readers and handling any Arabic text by non-native speakers can be an adventure. Arabic is a
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Translators: 7 Ways to Boost your Productivity with AutoHotkey
Productivity is a hot topic in the translation industry. As many of us are paid per word, it is in our interest to produce translations
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How to translate websites. Episode 4: Variables
Variables or placeholders are yet another important features in website translation. Depending on the website structure and subject matter the text may be brimmed with
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Are formatting surcharges still viable?
A query from a colleague yesterday set me off on this train of thought: she’d proposed a PowerPoint surcharge to a long-standing agency client and
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How to Translate Company Slogans without Landing on a “Top 10 Worst” List
Slogans seem to be particularly susceptible to hilarious translation debacles. Read about 5 funny cases and learn how to prevent making similar mistakes.
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