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Re: User manual: cell merging vis a vis translation
Subject:Re: User manual: cell merging vis a vis translation From:Julie Stickler <jstickler -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"Wright, Lynne" <Lynne -dot- Wright -at- kronos -dot- com> Date:Tue, 14 Feb 2017 11:15:42 -0500
Lynne Write wrote:
>If the translators are using translation memories, then don't they
translate a repeating phrase once, and that translation is automatically
inserted wherever an instance occurs in the source doc? i.e. its an
automated process, so it shouldn't significantly add to the time/cost of
translation?
Yes, but they don't compare your source files to the translation memory.
They extract the text strings from your source files into the translation
tool and THEN do the comparison. That was was the point I was trying to
make, that a lot of people don't understand that translators are not
working in your files. If you send them a 500 page doc with a single
changed sentence, they'll extract all five hundred pages of content to do
the comparison to find that single sentence. And then charge you for
converting those 500 pages back to your source files, generating the output
and formatting again, etc.
It's that conversion process that I never realized was happening, and that
explains a lot of the "hidden" expenses of translation. I couldn't
understand why it took our vendor so long to get us estimates, or why (when
we were using Flare) they still had "desktop publishing" as a line item on
our bill, when that should have all been automated by the style sheet.
On Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 11:00 AM, Wright, Lynne <Lynne -dot- Wright -at- kronos -dot- com>
wrote:
> If the translators are using translation memories, then don't they
> translate a repeating phrase once, and that translation is automatically
> inserted wherever an instance occurs in the source doc? i.e. its an
> automated process, so it shouldn't significantly add to the time/cost of
> translation?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=kronos -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:
> techwr-l-bounces+lynne -dot- wright=kronos -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of
> Chris Morton
> Sent: February-14-17 10:46 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Re: User manual: cell merging vis a vis translation
>
> Thanks, Julie.
>
> Actually, this is a major revision, in that the device in question has
> enhanced capabilities. Referential material (new inserts and copy changes)
> appear throughout its ~150 pages. All told, I'd say perhaps one-sixth of
> the manual is new/edited content, with said content scattered throughout.
>
> So... how is the new manual not going to have to go through the entire
> translation process again?
>
> Also, I have nothing to do with that process, so the steps you shared mean
> nothing. Nor do I have access to the workflow, etc. I'm a freelancer only
> charged with updating the EN version of the InDesign file and related doc
> control PDF markups.
>
> Chris Morton
>
>
>
> â Substantive Editing â Technical Writing â Proofreading
> â Marketing Expertise â Mentoring Click to <
>http://t.sidekickopen68.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nM
> JN7t5XYgdnqQxW7fsH3H4XrddKW1pNgV-56dMhqf2Q-c6C02?t=https%3A%
> 2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fpub%2Fchris-morton%2F2%2F166%
> 2F6ba&si=6020636811198464&pi=7743db10-2c41-4e85-f83a-e8c95aae5b48>
>
>
> On Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 10:38 AM, Julie Stickler <jstickler -at- gmail -dot- com>
> wrote:
>
> > Even if there are no text changes, the translation company will charge
> > for having to reformat the page and re-generate the doc and/or Help
> > system. I really dug into this at my last company, because I just did
> > not understand some of the line items on our bills. Small changes end
> > up being fairly expensive if they're done alone, because of the
> translation workflow:
> >
> > - Pull everything out of the original source files into the
> > translation tool (This is the step that many people don't realize is
> > happening, your source files are not being used by the translators.
> > Tour text is being extracted, translated, and then the text is put
> > back into your files. That transform is a significant expense.)
> > - Compare the new files to the translation memory and identify changes.
> > - Translate any new content.
> > - Port all the translated strings back into the original source format
> > (Word, FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Flare, etc.)
> > - Quality assurance that the transform worked properly.
> > - Additional desktop publishing tweaks due to the text strings in the
> > new language being different (page breaks, heading wraps, table column
> > sizing,
> > etc.)
> > - Files get shipped back to you.
> >
> >
> > If you can, save that change for a major version bump, when you have
> > more changes to absorb the engineering costs for the entire conversion
> process.
> >
> > On Tue, Feb 14, 2017 at 10:06 AM, Chris Morton <salt -dot- morton -at- gmail -dot- com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > User manual has several pages of tabular stuff pertaining to UI
> > > error messages. Many of the items in the far right column are the
> > > exact same
> > > message: "Call <company> at <number> for service."
> > >
> > > I think such cellular repetition looks dumb, so I'm inclined to
> > > merge adjacent cells that convey the same thing.
> > >
> > > PM is upset, telling me that now PM will have to deal with 28
> > translations
> > > (all of which have to change anyway due to other new content).
> > >
> > > Pray tell, how in the world does merging such cellular items affect
> > > any translation, when "Call <company> at <number> for service" has
> > > previously been translated in all 28 languages?
> > >
> > > Thanks
> > >
> > > Chris Morton
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > â Substantive Editing â Technical Writing â Proofreading
> > > â Marketing Expertise â Mentoring Click to
> > > <http://t.sidekickopen68.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nM
> > > JN7t5XYgdnqQxW7fsH3H4XrddKW1pNgV-56dMhqf2Q-c6C02?t=https%3A%
> > > 2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fpub%2Fchris-morton%2F2%2F166%
> > > 2F6ba&si=6020636811198464&pi=ff3041db-6467-4c86-b383-bf5dc6f4582b>
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> > --
> > Julie Stickler
> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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--
Julie Stickler
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