As many translation jobs require proficiency in such tools, it is essential for Japanese translators to familiarize themselves with their usage. My experience is that each individual tool has both merits and demerits, and none of the tools are just as I would like them.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

A more honest approach that discusses limitations but expresses a willingness to work with the company to improve translation quality will often pay off and allow the translator to reap the benefit of regular work.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

This raises an interesting dilemma. What degree of knowledge qualifies you to count a particular field as a specialization? New Japanese translators will soon find that if they indicate that they can only translate very general topics, the amount of work they will be offered will be correspondingly small.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

It is a good idea to make it standard practice to view the source document, or a sample of it, in advance. The time you spend on the work (and, therefore, the price at which it makes business sense for you to do the work) will differ depending on the complexity of the work.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

There is nothing worse as a Japanese translator than realizing you have committed to translating something that you do not understand at all.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

This suggests that the best approach to translation is to read through the piece to be translated and then start working on it the next day. Realistically, many deadlines occur within the same day, so this is not possible. However...

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

This is the third and (those of you who are thoroughly bored with the topic will be pleased to hear) final part of a series of articles looking at the advantages and disadvantages of using voice recognition (VR) software in translation.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

The first thing that needs to be contended with is the initial outlay. While avoiding using this article as a forum for understanding, I will say that I purchased the most popular voice recognition and this cost me approximately $150.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

After considering it, but never quite doing it for many years, and dipping my toe in the water with free versions, I laid out some hard-earned yen on some voice recognition software.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]

In the first part of this article, we looked at the issue of at what level you should set translation rates and noted that due to the wild swings in translation demand, Japanese translators often find themselves taking much lower paid work than they are comfortable with when things are quiet.

Read this translation article » [ 0 DISCUSS COMMENTS » ]