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Agency requiring that translators work only in online sytem
Thread poster: Jeff Whittaker
Edwin den Boer
Edwin den Boer  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 23:05
Member (2009)
English to Dutch
Not a new thing Jan 15, 2015

Working in the end client's online system has been common practice in ERP and business software localization since I started doing that kind of work ten years ago. (That includes mobile app interfaces, Phil.)

These projects are way too big to be handled by one translator or even one agency per target language. So it makes sense to save documents, TMs, glossaries, a style guide and a UI content database including descriptions at the level of the end client or one of their products. T... See more
Working in the end client's online system has been common practice in ERP and business software localization since I started doing that kind of work ten years ago. (That includes mobile app interfaces, Phil.)

These projects are way too big to be handled by one translator or even one agency per target language. So it makes sense to save documents, TMs, glossaries, a style guide and a UI content database including descriptions at the level of the end client or one of their products. Terminology is often platform-, client- or product-specific and consistency between UI and Help is crucial, so you can't just choose a new translation for 'Save as...' if you think you know a better one than what Microsoft has always been using in Windows.

I've gotten used to this method and now I prefer to translate everything segment by segment, 'one shot, one kill'. But I know some colleagues who do a lot of self-editing, and that's still possible. I don't know any system where saving a file is final before you complete the project. You just risk that others will copy choices that you regret later, but in a well-managed project such issues can be discussed.

An advantage is that you can easily work wherever you want, and I've often managed to finish a project that seemed hopelessly behind schedule by leveraging other freelancers' translations. A disadvantage is that not all interfaces are user-friendly or as productive as an offline CAT system. You may need to log in to a number of separate modules. BTW, I prefer a system where I can see who translated a segment; I will take some matches from some colleagues more seriously than matches from others.

On the other hand, always working in the cloud for a particular agency doesn't sound like a great idea. If all agencies worked that way, a new translator could never build their own TM. I remember Lionbridge tried to push their own CAT tool a few years ago, using offline files but an online TM. It was slow at first and match percentages were lower than in Trados (they gave themselves a discount for internal fuzzy matches). I haven't worked for them in years, so I don't know what their current modus operandi is. ▲ Collapse
 
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Agency requiring that translators work only in online sytem







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