Translation 101: Starting Out As A Translator - Paperback

by Petro Dudi (Author)

This career guidebook explores the realm of translation, the benefits and working conditions, the types of translation work and tools available. It gets down to details regarding the tools a translator uses every day, providing information not only from the translator's perspective but also from the viewpoint of the translation engineer and translation project manager. It provides a hands-on approach to CAT (Computer-Assisted Translation) Tools, on how you can take advantage of them regardless of your CAT Tool of choice.

You'll also learn how to successfully run your freelance translation business. You'll be presented with "inside" information on how clients (especially translation agencies) choose their translators. You'll learn how to set up profiting rates and how to find promising clients. You'll be given ideas for efficient organization of your work process and tips for successful customer relationship management. And, you'll be shown how to stay away from fraudulent companies too.

• Entry-Level - An all-in-one guide for you to start out in the translation profession.
• Mid-Level - Boost your knowledge of the translation field and take it to the next level.
• Senior-Level - Sharpen your skills and learn a few more tricks that will make you a master of the craft.

Here's a glimpse of the Table of Contents:

• Why Become A Translator
• Do I Need Any Special Skills Or Experience?
• Types Of Translation Work
• In-House Translation Jobs vs. Freelancing
• Software Tools Of The Trade

• So, What's A CAT Tool?
• Translation Memories (TMs)
• Word Counts, The Trados Discount Model & Weighted Words
• Terminology Databases (TermBases)
• Handoff & Delivery Packages
• A Typical Translation Project Workflow
• Machine Translation (MT)
• Avoiding CAT Tool Lock-In
• CAT Tools On A Mac Or GNU/Linux

• Defining Your Core Language Pairs
• Setting Up Your Pricelist
• Choosing Your CAT Tool
• Marketing Your Business (Or How To Find Clients)
• Organizing Your Work
• Client Relationship Quick Tips
• Avoiding Fraudulent Clients

Author Biography

Petro Dudi is an American expat (born and raised in Lynn, Massachusetts) residing the last two or so decades in Athens, Greece. His professional career revolves around the Translation & Localization Industry for more than 17 years. Petro started out as a young inexperienced translator and, after years of hard work and persistence, ended up with his last in-house position being that of Translation & Software Localization Director. Translation and software localization are his core specialties, having translated or project managed numerous projects for Microsoft, IBM/Lotus, Adobe, Symantec, GE Energy, Caterpillar, Toshiba, LaCie, Canon, Sony, Nokia, Bosch, Siemens, just to mention a few. Lately, he is freelancing and providing translation & localization consulting to companies within the industry (i.e., translation agencies), and to corporations in need of internal or external translation/localization services (i.e., international firms with overseas branch offices, software companies and so on). Petro is also actively involved in helping out translators/localizers, especially with their translation software tools and daily business operation. A considerable effort in this area is pro bono. Seeing a lack of an online solution to such issues, he also set up a website to deal with them: http: //www.translators-tech-help.com.