TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: translation From:JimDexter -at- aol -dot- com To:obair81 -at- comcast -dot- net Date:Wed, 31 May 2006 19:49:43 EDT
In a message dated 5/31/2006 4:31:27 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
obair81 -at- comcast -dot- net writes:
Our docs in English will not be finalized until about 4 weeks before they
must be given to the customer in another language (mid-August). A translation
will take about 4 weeks.
It has been suggested that I should turn over to the translator now those
chapters that we expect will have no or almost no changes, since it would be
impossible to have the entire translation done and the docs printed and bound
etc in the 4 week window starting in mid-July.
Question:
Is it common practice to break up a translation like this? The thought of
it fills me with dread, what with the implications of getting doc changes back
to the translator after they have "finished" chapters that we thought would
not change, and the idea of trying to unite chapters that were translated at
different times etc.
How have people handled this issue in the past? I am a stranger to this
"translation" country.
Hi, Paul,
In my experience, the timeline for translation is much longer than 4 weeks,
so that may be the reason for the 'staggered' release of text (first ready,
first submitted for translation). If the documentation you are submitting is
more than one large manual, then this would be required, not suggested.
That being said, I agree with your dread, and feel that it is much better to
submit the completed documentation for translation. So, is it possible to
extend the amount of time it takes to get a completed translation after the
documentation is ready?
Jim Dexter
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
delivery. Try it today!. http://www.webworks.com/techwr-l