What\'s GUI? Thread poster: Clarisa Moraña
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Clarisa Moraña 
United States
Local time: 04:36
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
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I would like to know something about GUI.
I\'ve found this job offer:
MUST have experience with software translations with
GUI in context Spanish. Candidates must show that they
have done software translations in a GUI environment.
| | | | hail69 (X)
Local time: 10:36
Urdu to English
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A GUI is a graphical user interface. It\'s the visual way with which you communicate with your programs/operating system. What the above means is that you have to be able to translate the messages of the visual program to spanish. For example you may have to change the message \"Press OK to continue, or click cancel to quit\" to spanish. The messages are in the programs source code, which means that programming knowledge or experience is useful/preferred.
| | | | Mats Wiman
Sweden
Local time: 11:36
Member (2000)
German to Swedish
+ ...
In memoriam | GUI = Graphical User Interface | Jan 23, 2002 |
i.e. the Windows interface.
It is often referred to as the Microsoft terminology for Windows and The GUI Guide is a collection of terms for Windows in XX languages (I have one with 14 languages)
HTH
MW
| | | | Franck Abate
United States
Local time: 03:36
English to French
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| GUI = Graphical User Interface | Jan 24, 2002 |
A very common computer term.
Franck
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Karin Adamczyk (X)
Canada
Local time: 05:36
French to English
GUI stands for graphical user interface
Karin Adamczyk
| | | | Clarisa Moraña
United States
Local time: 04:36
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Where can I learn a little bit more about it? | Jan 24, 2002 |
Where can I learn about GUI?
| | | | Karin Adamczyk (X)
Canada
Local time: 05:36
French to English
| Clarisa Moraña
United States
Local time: 04:36
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Karin, Mats
Thank you!
Clarisa Moraña
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XX789 (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 11:36
English to Dutch
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| With all respect... | Jan 24, 2002 |
With all respect... if you don\'t know what GUI means, you\'d better not take this job...
Loek
| | | | bochkor
Local time: 05:36
English to German
+ ...
| With all respect, take this job! | Jan 24, 2002 |
I strongly disagree with discouragements like the message above. The is a classic case of overcomplicating the issue.
The person who posted the job ad expressed him/herself so clumsily that you can sense already from the way it sounds that the advertiser had no idea, either, what GUI meant. You have to understand that there are administrators at a company who simply get a task of running an ad on behalf of the company to find an applicant and their boss sometimes doesn\'t gi... See more I strongly disagree with discouragements like the message above. The is a classic case of overcomplicating the issue.
The person who posted the job ad expressed him/herself so clumsily that you can sense already from the way it sounds that the advertiser had no idea, either, what GUI meant. You have to understand that there are administrators at a company who simply get a task of running an ad on behalf of the company to find an applicant and their boss sometimes doesn\'t give them enough information/explanation to work with, either. On the other hand, the administrator doesn\'t want to reveal her lack of knowledge, so he/she simply places the ad using the boss\'s wording, assuming/hoping that the applicant must/should understand, if he wants to apply.
But there\'s no reason at all not to take this job, just play along (be patient with the administrator) and make sure, at least YOU know what GUI means and it\'s not a devilish thing, it\'s nothing.
All it is, as people correctly explained before me, is the abbreviation for Graphical User Interface, which is nothing, but what you see as the result of programming on the screen in any program.
But I have to disagree with hail69 on \"The messages are in the programs source code, which means that programming knowledge or experience is useful/preferred\", because programming experience is not necessary at all to translate GUI expressions. That\'s nonsense! Why should you know the underlying code, if a GUI is nothing, but a window the user sees and the options in it? This is clearly the user\'s approach, what the average USER sees, not the programmer, for God\'s sake! That\'s why it\'s called graphical USER interface, after all. The company simply wants to achieve that a foreign user would understand in his own language what to click on, when he uses the program as an average customer/user, so no need to overcomplicate this.
You will simply need to translate things like File, Edit, View, Cancel, Do you want to save your file before exiting?, Are you sure you want to do this? Then click OK!. Yes, sometimes it can get complicated, too, but that\'s not because you don\'t know any programming, please! It\'s because, for example, it\'s a graphics program like Photoshop and you\'re simply not a graphics artist, so you don\'t know much about color tones/modes/channels, rendering, filters, layers, flattening, actions and so on. But all that says is that you don\'t know graphics, not that you don\'t know what a GUI, a window is!
And it could be any kind of program, whose GUI (or window features) you\'ll have to translate, so it\'s more useful to ask this administrator rather WHAT KIND of program it is, for what purpose? Is it an engineering program, a medical diagnostic program, a patients\' database program, a graphics program, a word processor, a networking program, what is it? And THEN you\'ll really know, if you can do it or not! So basically what\'s the field, the subject matter of the program? So don\'t get hung up on the expression GUI, it\'s just a word for what you see in a window of any program, the commands/options, the buttons, the panels, the fields, the icons. What you need to know is the field!!!
So apply for this job! ▲ Collapse
| | | | XX789 (X)
Netherlands
Local time: 11:36
English to Dutch
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| I strongly disagree | Jan 24, 2002 |
Sorry Laszlo, but I strongly disagree with you.
You\'re right when you say that you don\'t need to know what a GUI is to be able to translate words like File, View, OK and whatsoever. And as you said, the job description does indeed show that the agency involved doesn\'t know anything about software localization either. On top of that, you\'re even more right if you say that knowing the field in which the software is used can sometimes be as important as or even more import... See more Sorry Laszlo, but I strongly disagree with you.
You\'re right when you say that you don\'t need to know what a GUI is to be able to translate words like File, View, OK and whatsoever. And as you said, the job description does indeed show that the agency involved doesn\'t know anything about software localization either. On top of that, you\'re even more right if you say that knowing the field in which the software is used can sometimes be as important as or even more important than knowledge on IT itself.
HOWEVER... you have to realize that GUI is a very common, standard IT word. Somebody who doesn\'t know what GUI means doesn\'t have the right to - excuse my French - claim to have any knowledge on IT or whatsoever. This for me would be enough reason to turn down a translator applying for this job right away. You see, localizing software involves more than words like File and View.
All I\'m saying is: translators, stick to your fields. I won\'t translate manuals on gas turbine generators either.
I\'m surprised every day to see that translators copy all English capitals in Dutch menu options, and I\'m even more surprised to see that even simple Dutch localization rules like always ending menu options with infinitives for consistency are not followed.
I\'ve seen hilarious IT translations in for example the audio sequencing software field, where simple options like Save File had been translated as Beat File To Death. I\'m serious here.
Loek
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-01-24 10:54 ] ▲ Collapse
| | | | bochkor
Local time: 05:36
English to German
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| Partially disagree | Jan 24, 2002 |
Loek,
I agree with you totally on that translators should stick to their fields. However, although the word GUI comes from IT indeed, you don\'t need to be an IT specialist, except for being familiar with basic expressions used in a Windows program. Exactly so you don\'t make such ridiculous mistakes like the one you mentioned about Save File. But you have to admit that not much is necessary beyond that. Okay, a few more similar examples like Save File, but that\'s really it... See more Loek,
I agree with you totally on that translators should stick to their fields. However, although the word GUI comes from IT indeed, you don\'t need to be an IT specialist, except for being familiar with basic expressions used in a Windows program. Exactly so you don\'t make such ridiculous mistakes like the one you mentioned about Save File. But you have to admit that not much is necessary beyond that. Okay, a few more similar examples like Save File, but that\'s really it. You simply have to have used ANY Windows program in your language, too, not just English. But no programming is required and I would definitely not turn down any translator because of not knowing 1 (ONE) word (like GUI)! Sorry, but I find it totally arrogant to do that. You know exactly that sometimes they put some catch phrases into some job requirements, although honestly they wouldn\'t be important at all to perform the job, but they\'re curious, if the applicant knows, they\'re playing with you, which is unfair, but happens in every job unfortunately. I know, this is sometimes a way to filter out applicants, but it\'s not a professional way. If that\'s what they want to do (playing games), why did that company post an ad at all? Personally, I wouldn\'t even want to work for such snobs, but sometimes you need a job.
But regarding sticking to your areas of expertise, that\'s what I said the whole time by suggesting to rather find out WHAT FIELD that program has been written for! See THAT\'S where we get into the fields, but not when it comes to basic terms, buttons, icons, fields, etc.! ▲ Collapse
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I think Loek is right, but the final decision belongs to the client anyway. 
| | | | Clarisa Moraña
United States
Local time: 04:36
Member (2002)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | I'm not applying for this job | Jan 24, 2002 |
Please, Sirs, I only wanted to know about GUI, and its relationship with translation. I\'m a serious translator, and I would never apply for a job if I\'m not prepared for it. For example, I do not translate into English. Thank you very much for your opinions.
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