You're stuck with technical issues in translation. How do you navigate through them successfully?

Um technische Probleme bei der übersetzung erfolgreich zu navigieren, ist es wichtig, die spezifischen Begriffe und Konzepte der betreffenden Technologie zu verstehen. Investiert Zeit in das Lernen der Fachsprache und der technischen Details, die mit den zu übersetzenden Inhalten verbunden sind. Lest Fachliteratur, nehmt an relevanten Schulungen teil und konsultiert Experten, um ein tiefes Verst?ndnis zu entwickeln. Dieses Wissen hilft, pr?zise übersetzungen zu erstellen und Missverst?ndnisse zu vermeiden. Wenn ihr die technischen Begriffe und Konzepte versteht, k?nnt ihr technische Probleme besser identifizieren und effektiver l?sen.

I believe that receiving source text in PDF format presents one of the greatest challenges I have always faced. The quality and clarity of the texts are also crucial elements. It is frustrating to spend sleepless nights struggling with a distorted file, trying to make the text both readable and visually appealing before I can even begin to address its technical aspects.

Identify the Issue Determine the nature of the technical issue. ? Identify whether the issue is related to the translation software, the source document, or the target output. Assess the Impact Evaluate how the issue affects the overall translation job. Consult Documentation and Resources Seek Help from Support Review and Correct Translation Update and Maintain Document the Issue Record Details: Document the nature of the issue, the steps taken to resolve it, and any solutions found. Update Procedures: Update internal procedures or guidelines based on the experience to improve handling of technical issues. Gather feedback from team or users about the technical issues and resolutions. Use this feedback to refine your processes and tools.

I'm afraid the best way to cope with technical translation (at least before AI became available) is to be an expert in the field. Then Google image serch becomes a better helo then any dictionary. Another thing is to understand if the correct term on target language even exists. Sometimes it doesn't

When encountering unfamiliar technical terms, it is essential to invest the time and effort to thoroughly research and understand them before moving forward. Utilizing specialized dictionaries and glossaries can provide accurate translations and clarify meanings. Whenever possible, consulting with subject matter experts or peers who have relevant experience is highly beneficial. This approach not only ensures precision in your work but also broadens your understanding, making future tasks smoother and more accurate. Guessing the meaning of terms can lead to significant errors, potentially costing both time and credibility. Therefore, it is important to prioritize accuracy and take the necessary steps to get it right.

Problems that Arise 1. **Formatting Errors:** Translated text might not align properly with tables, graphs, or images, requiring manual adjustments. 2. **Software Bugs:** Unexpected crashes or glitches can disrupt your workflow, causing delays. 3. **Compatibility Issues:** Outdated software might not support certain file formats or integrate well with other tools. 4. **Translation Accuracy:** The software might produce inaccurate translations, especially with complex or nuanced texts. 5. **Slow Performance:** Large documents can slow down the software, making the translation process inefficient. 6. **User Interface Challenges:** Complicated or non-intuitive interfaces can hinder productivity and increase the learning curve for new users.

Software should be used as an assistant, but never as the main actor, because there are many issues that arise with softwares. Formatting, graphs, cultural context and the likes are key issues that arise with too much reliance on softwares.

I believe that one of the biggest problems faced by translators with software is related to the accuracy of translations. It is worth noting that there are excellent programs, but not all of them will work perfectly or almost perfectly. Although technology is on our side, the translator needs to be deeply involved with the translations, understanding the social, historical and cultural context so that the translation is of high quality.

Software in our profession are being developed all the time. It's important to stay up do date with the software we use; to do so, it goes without saying that our software should be genuine.

Unfortunate reality of translators life is that clients frequently send materials for translation as pdf files which are not editable. Usually it poses severe problems with formatting. One possible solution which may help is ABBYY Fine reader - program which helps with conversion and recognition of pdf files. From my experience it is much better to spend time on formatting and preparing the source files before translation, rather than desperately try to fix already translated text. On the other hand, translators are not DTP specialists, and creation of a final layout is a separate task. For this reason it is advisable to discuss expectations as to the final layout beforehand.

That is probably the hardest part in every translation project I take on. Even more difficult is when the client asks for mirror translation. Another difficulty is when client sends PDF files, which are hard to convert to an editable file. I usually create tables and layouts from scratches all by myself and that makes it much easier than adjusting a converted version of PDF files. A good knowledge of Microsoft Word will make life so much easier and I’ll encourage all translators to allocate time to learning it and updating their skills along as soon as an updated version of the programs is out.

Formatting issues can be predicted looking at source files- discuss the requirements with client and give them an idea about timeframes and rates for the same - if preplanned, it can also be delegated to an expert

Learning how to use formatting tools is key in translation. The target file is supposed to look like the source file. It's important to make sure it does; to do so, we should keep ourselves up to date with formatting tools.

Exacto. Esta precisión es fundamental y en ella se ve la profesionalidad con la que se lleva acabo el trabajo. Habla de nuestro trabajo.

I would like to give some examples from my experience. I am a translator of the following languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish and Japanese. One interesting thing is that I lived in Japan for almost 2 years and had a huge cultural immersion. When I translated texts in Japanese, the first thing that came to my mind was how people would view the text. Because sometimes what is culturally formal in one country will not be in another, even if they speak the same language. In Brazil, it is common to call older people Sir and Madam constantly, while in the US I noticed that they use the pronoun YOU. These are basic examples, they are minimal details, but immersion in the culture makes translation much easier.

Specialized Terminology: Technical texts often include specialized jargon and terms that may not have direct equivalents in the target language. To provide accurate translations, translators must be familiar with the specific field (e.g., engineering, medicine, IT).

As it was mentioned earlier, try to stop and do some research on that phrase that you don't understand. check out the synonyms and keep in mind your context.

Cultural context is important. I usually translate cultural-sensitive things the way they are but add some localization between brackets. For example, if there's a measurement in feet, I keep it as it is and add after it how much it is in meters between brackets.

Team collaboration is invaluable, but the team should be harmonious. It's key to solve any cooperation issues before focusing on work. Sharing some tools - translation memories, glossaries, etc. - makes work much easier.

Keeping a shared glossary is good when you're using some SW for teams translating the same things. But sometimes it is a small application for UI translation of a Total station or other instrument. And you'd better have your glossary on Google Sheets to keep track of possible acronyms and short words you used as sometimes you have a limit for characters.

Collaborative Solutions - **Translation Communities and Forums:** Seek advice from experienced translators who can offer solutions based on their own experiences. - **Shared Glossaries:** Use shared glossaries to maintain consistent terminology across large projects. - **Translation Memory Databases:** Implement translation memory databases to ensure uniformity and improve efficiency. - **Collaboration Tools:** Leverage tools that allow multiple translators to work on the same project simultaneously, facilitating smoother collaboration. - **Knowledge Sharing:** Regularly share insights, tips, and resources with peers to collectively overcome technical challenges.

I am part of a group of translators who are also known as the polyglot club. We are constantly sending links to studies and guides to refine our translations and improve our performance in the area. This is very rewarding, as we help each other improve our work.

I think it is very important to keep in mind that we do not know everything and there will always be something to learn. Participating in workshops and lectures to enrich our knowledge is essential to maintaining a decent, legitimate and excellent job. A great tip that helped me a lot at the beginning of my career was to be close to experienced translators, talk to them, learn from them and see effective ways to translate or review a translation.

Hay que ver los problemas técnicos como oportunidades para aprender y mejorar. La traducción técnica es un campo que evoluciona constantemente, por lo que mantenerse actualizado es esencial. Participar en cursos, seminarios web y talleres en línea nos permite mejorar nuestras habilidades y estar preparados para resolver cualquier desafío que pueda surgir. Al adoptar una mentalidad de aprendizaje continuo, no solo superamos los problemas técnicos, sino que también nos convertimos en traductores más competentes y confiados. En estos días todo cambia y avanza a pasos agigantados, es nuestro deber mantenernos al día con nuestros conocimientos.