Hi,

I was just wondering if anybody from here went through all the steps to become certified translator.... I checked on internet and I found some vague infos. I would like to talk to some people who are certified translators.
I am new in translation business and I also want to know something about the Translation Software, if any of you used them and which are good, where can I buy them, etc.

Thank you.

I went for an interview at SDL once: http://www.sdl.com/en/

Hi Butterfly,

I work for TransAction Translators (www . transaction . co . uk), a translation agency in Broomhill. As a member of the Association of Translation Companies, we are able to certify translations by our freelancers. These certified translations are accepted by all UK authorities. I’m not sure how you go about gaining certification as an individual; I looked it up briefly a few months ago and was only able to find sites relating to certification for translators in the US. Certainly becoming a member of a recognised translation association such as the ITI (Institute of Translators and Interpreters - www . iti . org . uk) or the IOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists -www . iol . org . uk) would help you on your way and would open up plenty of avenues for, at the least, advice on certification and how to become a certified translator. In the meantime, why not send us a CV to transaction@transaction.co.uk? If we ever have any jobs in your language combinations and specialist area, we will contact you and would be able to certify your translations at our end.

As for translation software, I should be able to offer a bit more help. At TransAction we use a package called Déjà Vu, which incorporates word counting, text analysis, translation memory and various QA processes all under one roof (for an explanation of translation memory [TM], see our blog entries on the subject at blog . transaction . co . uk. Déjà Vu is my preferred translation software as it groups all of these features into a simple-to-use user interface, into which you import your documents for translation and then export them when finished, with Déjà Vu recreating the layout etc. exactly. Déjà Vu is also able to process several different file types (Word, Excel, Powerpoint, HTML, SSQL, InDesign etc.) and enables project managers to export files of different kinds for sending to translators, according to each translator’s needs and preferences. For a freelancer it would be a useful package with many benefits; the TM function is excellent, the versatility enables you to work with many different file types and the fact that you are importing the text into a text-only interface allows you to concentrate on the text and language only, leaving Déjà Vu to sort out the layout etc. to name but a few. Déjà Vu is available in a few different packages, the cheapest being the Standard package, aimed at freelance translators, followed y the Pro package, aimed at freelancers who want a little more from it and finally the Workgroup package, aimed at translation agencies.

Another very popular package is Trados. Trados, and its various add-ons, is a versatile and powerful translation software package favoured by many translators. Working as either a Word-based translation tool or using Tag-Editor, Trados enables you to work with and translate as many different file types as Déjà Vu. It does leave the translator to replicate the layout etc., but does make this easier by allowing you to copy the source formatting etc. Trados recently became SDL Trados and took on a new form; you now work in an interface, similar to that of Déjà Vu, which incorporates several project management capabilities as well as the TM and editing features. I haven’t personally worked with SDL Trados, and so can’t tell you much about it, but the original Trados was great!

Déjà Vu and Trados are fairly expensive packages, so if you’re starting out, you may want to consider some of the alternatives. Word Fast is a relatively cheap option, with many benefits and very few drawbacks. It works as a Word macro, in a similar way to the old Trados. You work within the Word document and translate each sentence at a time. Again, it leaves the layout etc. to the translator, but has the option of copying the source formatting. It is limited to Word documents, but as most agencies send out their files for translation in Word format, this isn’t often a problem. There is also Word Fast pro, which has a stand-alone interface (similar to those of Déjà Vu and Trados I guess, but I haven’t used it myself) which incorporates all of the above features along with some project management features and allows you to process different file types. There is also an online version of the basic Word Fast package available that enables you to translate documents even if you’re not using your own computer.

Other options available are Memo Q, Omega-T, Alchemy and AnyMem, although I have no personal experience with these and can’t tell you much about them.

There are free trial versions of most of these packages available from manufacturer or vendor websites, so I would recommend having a play around with a few of them and deciding which best suits your needs.

Hope that helps!

Ben Swales

Hi Ben,

thanks a lot for the info. The info is very helpful. I will try to find the free trial versions of these Softwares to see how they work. I am at the beginning, so all help that I get is welcomed. I will send you my CV right away and inform you about the language combinations.

@others: if you have other experiences or know more about all these things, please let me know.