Technical forums » Office applications »
PDF to word as a transcription
Thread poster: GraceAlicia
GraceAlicia
GraceAlicia
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:13
Spanish to English
+ ...
Jun 28, 2017

I have been told I will be given a task as a test by a translation company which I am confused about.

I have been told that I will receive a PDF file with which I will need to make a transcription in word (format paragraphs, fonts, symbols) without using any kind of software or converter.

Could anybody please give me any suggestions as to how to approach this?
 
Natalie
Natalie  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 03:13
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...

MODERATOR
SITE LOCALIZER
Why didn't you ask the client to clarify? Jun 28, 2017

Most probably the PDF file is of graphical type. If they need a PDF to be converted to Word, there are dozens of good converters (like Finereader), for example, so there is no need to waste your time on re-typing the document. But this is a guess only.

The best way is to ask the client to clarify the task - don't be afraid to ask as you need to know what exactly they need.
 
Rolf Keller
Rolf Keller
Germany
Local time: 03:13
English to German
Maybe the test includes certain non-linguistic skills Jun 29, 2017

GraceAlicia wrote:

I have been told that I will receive a PDF file with which I will need to make a transcription in word (format paragraphs, fonts, symbols) without using any kind of software or converter.

If this is to be taken literally, the client wants to make sure that you are able to do that in a competent way. Otherwise there is no need to force you not to use a converter.

There are translators who are not able to do that. E. g. they don't know how style sheets work, they use the space bar for indentations, the don't know the difference between paragraph and line breaks and so on. Such translators are unsuitable for certain tasks.

BUT: Did you understand the client correctly?
 
Natalie
Natalie  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 03:13
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...

MODERATOR
SITE LOCALIZER
Locking the thread Jun 30, 2017

as it is a duplicate of http://www.proz.com/topic/316316

In the future, please post only once.

Thank you
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Maya Gorgoshidze[Call to this topic]
Prachya Mruetusatorn[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

PDF to word as a transcription






TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »