| Vom Thema belegte Seiten: < [1 2] | Poll: How much of the source text do you read before starting to translate? Initiator des Themas: ProZ.com Staff
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A. & S. Witte
Deutschland
Local time: 06:15
Deutsch > Englisch
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| I have to prepare some texts for translation | Mar 8, 2008 |
In the case of patent litigation, I have to prepare for the translation by finding the patent online, printing it off both as hard copy and "free .pdf", reading the claims in both German and English, and then making (1) a termbase of the terms used; and (2) an initial TM, made from the claims in the two languages.
The reason I have to do this is that I have to use the exact terminology, plus the exact translation of the claims, in my translations on the topic of that particular pate... See more In the case of patent litigation, I have to prepare for the translation by finding the patent online, printing it off both as hard copy and "free .pdf", reading the claims in both German and English, and then making (1) a termbase of the terms used; and (2) an initial TM, made from the claims in the two languages.
The reason I have to do this is that I have to use the exact terminology, plus the exact translation of the claims, in my translations on the topic of that particular patent.
I do not, however, read normal documents before starting to translate.
Astrid ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nikki Graham 
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 05:15
Spanisch > Englisch
Despite the fact that I always told my students to read it through before translating, I never do. However, I do scan it before accepting the job in the first place, but that is also to see whether there are lots of nasty fiddly bits, like graphs, that will add to the amount of time I'll need to do the job. I'm afraid that if I did bother to read the text through first, I wouldn't actually concentrate, and would reach the end still none the wiser. My brain only kicks into action once the clock s... See more Despite the fact that I always told my students to read it through before translating, I never do. However, I do scan it before accepting the job in the first place, but that is also to see whether there are lots of nasty fiddly bits, like graphs, that will add to the amount of time I'll need to do the job. I'm afraid that if I did bother to read the text through first, I wouldn't actually concentrate, and would reach the end still none the wiser. My brain only kicks into action once the clock starts ticking and I actually have to produce something. ▲ Collapse
| | | | mediamatrix (X)
Local time: 00:15
Spanisch > Englisch
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| On predictability ... and priorities | Mar 9, 2008 |
Hilde Granlund wrote:
A good few of mine are so predictable that there is really no point in reading it at all beforehand.
And many of mine are so predictable that there's hardly any need even to read the source text while I'm translating it!
That said, I do scan each new document - but only to determine how long it is so I can organize my day's main activities accordingly.
MediaMatrix
| | | | Muriel Vasconcellos
Vereinigte Staaten
Local time: 21:15
Mitglied (2003)
Spanisch > Englisch
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| I've tried to prepare, but it doesn't work | Mar 9, 2008 |
I'm like Nikki:
Nikki Graham wrote:
My brain only kicks into action once the clock starts ticking and I actually have to produce something.
I don't learn enough by reading a text passively to make it worth my while. I only know what the problems are when I try to tackle them.
That said, I'm getting pickier in my old age, and now do look at translations first before I accept them.
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With some texts I can save an enormous amount of time by reading them through and finding what they are all about, noting what terminology I need to know and looking it up before I start translating seriously.
With others a quick scan is enough, if they are repetitive or updates for regular clients.
Still, I always check as far as possible for unexpected problems early in the procecure, so I can contact the client or post a question in KudoZ or sleep on it if I'm luck... See more With some texts I can save an enormous amount of time by reading them through and finding what they are all about, noting what terminology I need to know and looking it up before I start translating seriously.
With others a quick scan is enough, if they are repetitive or updates for regular clients.
Still, I always check as far as possible for unexpected problems early in the procecure, so I can contact the client or post a question in KudoZ or sleep on it if I'm lucky, to clear up issues well before the deadline. Many of my jobs are small, but deadlines are correspondingly short. On the other hand, reading the text does not take long either, and subconsciously I have half translated some of them before I start typing.
With longer jobs I take a section at a time, but I work much faster if I have an idea what to expect as I go.
And then I f I can type in an even flow, I make far fewer typos... so that saves time too. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | There was no "in-between" option. | Mar 9, 2008 |
I can't say "just a quick scan" because I go much further than that, but I can't say "all of it", because I don't read all of it. If I did, I would charge much more, because I get rather lengthy projects most of the time, and reading 200 pages can take days if you read them well, and I would charge for that.
What I do is to read thoroughly selected blocks of text, trying to make the selections as varied as possible. A good example is a user's manual - I select about a page worth of ... See more I can't say "just a quick scan" because I go much further than that, but I can't say "all of it", because I don't read all of it. If I did, I would charge much more, because I get rather lengthy projects most of the time, and reading 200 pages can take days if you read them well, and I would charge for that.
What I do is to read thoroughly selected blocks of text, trying to make the selections as varied as possible. A good example is a user's manual - I select about a page worth of text in each chapter and read those very thoroughly. I make sure I read tables, instructions, explanations on how a device works, part of the glossary if there is one, etc. Reading a random block in an entire document makes no sense to me, because I have learned from experience that there are lots of documents that were written by several people, and each had their own style and quality standard. If you read a page somewhere in your document and it is pretty good, that doesn't mean that most of the other chapters were not written by another person who has very poor writing skills which will affect the speed at which you translate.
I would have added the option "significant portions of the document" to this poll - I am sure I am not the only translator who is thorough without reading the entire thing. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I agree with Nikki | Mar 9, 2008 |
Nikki Graham wrote:
Despite the fact that I always told my students to read it through before translating, I never do. However, I do scan it before accepting the job in the first place, but that is also to see whether there are lots of nasty fiddly bits, like graphs, that will add to the amount of time I'll need to do the job. I'm afraid that if I did bother to read the text through first, I wouldn't actually concentrate, and would reach the end still none the wiser. My brain only kicks into action once the clock starts ticking and I actually have to produce something.
Nothing further here
| | | | | Wasting time can save you time | Mar 10, 2008 |
Henry Hinds wrote:
Aceavila says:
First there is the theory of how to go about this, and then there is the practice (and of course there is also the version of things that you admit to publicly....)
The theory is that one should read it first. The practice is that most people probably do no more than scan.
I will admit publicly that I do not read anything first, I do not even scan. I just start at the beginning and work through to the end. Why waste time?
Because you may well get to the end of your 20 page text and find a nice explanation of the term you came across on page one and spent hours researching. In my experience, a lot of the answers to my queries are in the text itself and reading it through before translating actually saves me time and improves consistency.
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| I always scan-read before accepting | Mar 10, 2008 |
Most texts (at least the ones I get) start off very generally, with a nice intro or foreword, and then get extremely specialised about a quarter of the way through. I was offered something about oil refineries the other day, which appeared to be a nice, easy environmental discourse until about page 10. I was about to mail the customer back and say I'd be delighted to take the job, when something about longer-chain molecules caught my surprised eye. By the end of the text, it was full-blown speci... See more Most texts (at least the ones I get) start off very generally, with a nice intro or foreword, and then get extremely specialised about a quarter of the way through. I was offered something about oil refineries the other day, which appeared to be a nice, easy environmental discourse until about page 10. I was about to mail the customer back and say I'd be delighted to take the job, when something about longer-chain molecules caught my surprised eye. By the end of the text, it was full-blown specialist chemistry, with some mechanical engineering thrown in for good measure. As I'm primarily a software and video game translator and otherwise a generalist, I turned it down!
...I often scan the text again before translating, for exactly the reason below:
Hannah Johnson wrote:
Because you may well get to the end of your 20 page text and find a nice explanation of the term you came across on page one and spent hours researching. In my experience, a lot of the answers to my queries are in the text itself and reading it through before translating actually saves me time and improves consistency. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Nikki Graham
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 05:15
Spanisch > Englisch
| Organising one's time | Mar 10, 2008 |
Hannah Johnson wrote: Henry Hinds wrote:
I will admit publicly that I do not read anything first, I do not even scan. I just start at the beginning and work through to the end. Why waste time?
Because you may well get to the end of your 20 page text and find a nice explanation of the term you came across on page one and spent hours researching. In my experience, a lot of the answers to my queries are in the text itself and reading it through before translating actually saves me time and improves consistency.
All you have to do is search the text for repetitions of the term and then you would find this explanation.
Or, if it's on paper, skip difficult terms and leave them to the end when you have the bigger picture.
At the end of the day, it boils down to different personalities and how they work. You have to do what's best for you.
[Edited at 2008-03-10 11:22]
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 00:15
Mitglied (2005)
Deutsch > Englisch
+ ...
| somewhere between scanning and reading | Mar 10, 2008 |
It depends on the type of documents.
For patents,
I always read the first paragraphs, then I read (not scan) a paragraph or two on every few pages. This helps me choose which translation memory is most likely to fit the patent in question and which glossaries to open.
For press releases,
I don't even scan them because they are all similar.
For academic texts,
These I read the whole thing. At the moment, I have an author who likes to us... See more It depends on the type of documents.
For patents,
I always read the first paragraphs, then I read (not scan) a paragraph or two on every few pages. This helps me choose which translation memory is most likely to fit the patent in question and which glossaries to open.
For press releases,
I don't even scan them because they are all similar.
For academic texts,
These I read the whole thing. At the moment, I have an author who likes to use vocabulary from hard sciences in a religious studies article, and I want to bring his nuances. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Joanna M Cas (X)
Vereinigtes Königreich
Local time: 05:15
Italienisch > Englisch
| Skim not scan! | Mar 27, 2008 |
With the respect due from a junior translator - do you guys mean scan or do you mean skim? Scan is, IMHO, looking for specific words or phrases while skim is getting a general idea of what it's about.
I skim the whole lot. With one lengthy project recently I read the whole lot through once and researched the words I didn't recognise. A few days later I did the translation which was much easier as a result of the pre- translation work. Of course we don't always have the time for this, bu... See more With the respect due from a junior translator - do you guys mean scan or do you mean skim? Scan is, IMHO, looking for specific words or phrases while skim is getting a general idea of what it's about.
I skim the whole lot. With one lengthy project recently I read the whole lot through once and researched the words I didn't recognise. A few days later I did the translation which was much easier as a result of the pre- translation work. Of course we don't always have the time for this, but not to examine the text at all would feel v strange to me! ▲ Collapse
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