How to become a more efficient translator
After establishing yourself as a freelance translator, think about the best options to make the actual translation work as painless and efficient as possible.
Step 1: Get the best hardware
Think about your working enviroment. Maybe you work from home, or in a translation office with some friends. Think about what hardware would be most adecuate for you.
The best bet is probably to opt for a desktop computer, even in this day and age, where laptops can do almost everything a bigger computer will do, and just as fast. However, you will spend many hours in front of your monitor, so make sure your screen is big and the resolution is not too small for your eyes to get tired. Consider a dual monitor set-up. If you wish to go with a desktop computer, it is worth getting a friend who knows about tech stuff to build it. You can get one hell of a machine for as little as USD 400 if you buy the parts yourself. Remember it is not advisable as a translation professional to choose a Mac over a PC, as most software solutions run on Windows first and on Macs second. If you work from home, you might want to work in different rooms, or nick off to the local bar with WiFi just so you don't get bored. In that case, get a laptop. It is best to get a customised solution which you can order from Dell or Sony, for example, a higher resolution is recommended for translators as you will want to have a web browser and a word document open at the same time, side-by-side, for efficient researching.
Step 2: Get the perfect software
Do not avoid paying small fees for good software that really does the job, and saves you precious minutes every day.
Think about which program you want to use for your e-mails. GMail or Zoho Mail are excellent web clients, but I would still recommend using a desktop client for your e-mail. It just nicely separates it from the rest of your stuff, and you do not confuse your e-mail tabs with the rest of your open web pages. Invest in a nice e-mail client like Outlook 2010, actually great, or Postbox, my personal favorite. You can set up IMAP access so you can synchronise your mail with your mail reader on your phone. Also, choose wisely when deciding which web browser to use. This is really a very personal choice. While I find that Google Chrome works pretty sweet for leisurely browsing, the lack of a search bar is still a problem for translators who wish to integrate online dictionaries in their browser. For now, Opera provides the right mix for me.
Apart from getting your worspace just right, think about people you know from previous jobs. Send them e-mail messages offering your services. Keep in touch with colleagues from university and fellow translators, make sure you have their skype or msn names for urgent translation problems.
Find the best online resources for linguistic problems
As an online dictionary, for English and German, www.leo.org is the leading option.
Use G.Brunner's english-german translators help service
This is a unique service provided by translators for translators, which, at least for the language combination english-german, tries to solve your problems for you.
Use freelancer pages to learn more about your business branch
Use pages like www.proz.com to stay in touch with colleagues and to get linguistic advice.
Questions and Answers
Article Tags:
english
,german
,translation
,become freelance translator
,translation help
,translation tools
Check out the following tricks and tools - listed for you by an experienced translator
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Check out the following tricks and tools - listed for you by an experienced translator
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