How to start translating my first project
Thread poster: angela vaporaki
angela vaporaki
angela vaporaki
Canada
English to Greek
+ ...
Jul 16, 2018

Hello everyone,
My name's Angela and i am trying to start my first translation from Greek to English.
I have never done an official translation before as a professional. I have done handwritten ones and so i am struggling to understand where to start from.
i have downloaded the omegaT and tried to import my file to translate and all i get is boxes(instead of letters)and numbers. i tried to do some research but now i'm in an even worse state than before. Please help me start!!!<
... See more
Hello everyone,
My name's Angela and i am trying to start my first translation from Greek to English.
I have never done an official translation before as a professional. I have done handwritten ones and so i am struggling to understand where to start from.
i have downloaded the omegaT and tried to import my file to translate and all i get is boxes(instead of letters)and numbers. i tried to do some research but now i'm in an even worse state than before. Please help me start!!!
is there a CAT tool that is easy to install and use? Where do i type my translations? How do i import and translate pictures? Do i use Word at all? I have no clue where am i supposed to type my translation and all this info about technical issues is just soooo difficult. Why? Am i so stupid?
Can please someone take me step by step?
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Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 15:31
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
You just need to start typing Jul 16, 2018

Forget about CAT tools for now. You seem to have many steps to master before that. Open up a new Word document and start typing your translation. Alternatively, if your source file is a Word file, you can just type over the original text. Keep a copy of the original, so you could compare and correct when you go over it to double- and triple check your translation.

GalileoTrans
Andy Watkinson
Rita Translator
Kevin Clayton, PhD
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
sam@fr-uk
Valérie Ourset
 
angela vaporaki
angela vaporaki
Canada
English to Greek
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Official Stamps/seals Jul 17, 2018

What happens if I want to translate government documents that have stamps in them? How do I do that?
And after I master translating with Word what’s the next step?


 
Heinrich Pesch
Heinrich Pesch  Identity Verified
Finland
Local time: 21:31
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
Stamps etc. Jul 17, 2018

You just write the text in the target language and try to keep formatting as close as possible to the original. At the place of a stamp you write "(Stamp)" and if there is an image or a signature you just do the like.
You could purchase and download a software like ABBYY Finereader and scan the document, after that the images and stamps would be reproduced somehow, but not always, depending on the quality of the original.
Your translation of official documents will never come alone b
... See more
You just write the text in the target language and try to keep formatting as close as possible to the original. At the place of a stamp you write "(Stamp)" and if there is an image or a signature you just do the like.
You could purchase and download a software like ABBYY Finereader and scan the document, after that the images and stamps would be reproduced somehow, but not always, depending on the quality of the original.
Your translation of official documents will never come alone but always with a copy of the original.
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 19:31
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
A CAT tool comes with a learning curve Jul 17, 2018

I was already in my fifties when I started translating and had need of a CAT tool. I did a 2-day in-person course with John De Rico, the principal Wordfast trainer. You're probably young and able to learn IT tools easily, but it's still going to take some time. And it sounds as though you haven't atarted with an easy file for a CAT tool to process.

So I would advise you to get this job under your belt first and then sit down with a simple text, some tutorials, the manual, and lots o
... See more
I was already in my fifties when I started translating and had need of a CAT tool. I did a 2-day in-person course with John De Rico, the principal Wordfast trainer. You're probably young and able to learn IT tools easily, but it's still going to take some time. And it sounds as though you haven't atarted with an easy file for a CAT tool to process.

So I would advise you to get this job under your belt first and then sit down with a simple text, some tutorials, the manual, and lots of free time, and learn how to use your chosen tool.
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Kevin Clayton, PhD
Joe France
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Angus Stewart
Melanie Meyer
 
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 20:31
French to English
A side note Jul 17, 2018

Just a side note to say that the personal pronoun "I" must always be with a capital letter. Lower case can happen as a typo, but it should always be upper case.

 
Didier Briel
Didier Briel  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 20:31
English to French
+ ...
There is an OmegaT support group Jul 17, 2018

angela vaporaki wrote:
My name's Angela and i am trying to start my first translation from Greek to English.
I have never done an official translation before as a professional. I have done handwritten ones and so i am struggling to understand where to start from.
i have downloaded the omegaT and tried to import my file to translate and all i get is boxes(instead of letters)and numbers. i tried to do some research but now i'm in an even worse state than before. Please help me start!!!

That's the purpose of a user support group.OmegaT's is here:
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/OmegaT/info

Didier


 


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