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TRANSLATORS AND THEIR TOOLS

A translation professional needs to invest and acquire knowledge of different types of tools to help them in their work. These tools are diverse and can include translation software, subtitling software, conversion tools, corpora and hardware, such as keyboards, microphones, pedals, etc. These are fundamental tools for a translator and have associated costs for both purchase and training. It’s therefore important that both translators, and those

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THE PRICE OF TRANSLATION

How do we evaluate the price of translation services? Does it depend on how many hours were spent on the project? Do we calculate how many words or lines there are on a page? We take all of this into account, and much more. Providing translation services does not only require linguistic knowledge, it also requires techniques or specialisations, the ability to work with range of tools, ...

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MORE HASTE, LESS SPEED

  Today I want to discuss time, which is why I chose this proverb to be the title of my article. Time to act, to take risks, to think, to take time for a business. We live in a fast-paced world, where everything is important and urgent, and due “for yesterday”, and preferably to perfection. Well, its common knowledge that time is money ...

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HOW “FREE” ARE FREELANCERS?

Every time I’m asked what I do for a living, and I answer by saying that I’m a freelancer who works from home, the reaction I get most of the time is: “How do you do it? How do you manage your time?” A translators job is dictated by deadlines, but also by individual productivity. These two elements always go hand ...

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CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

Christmas is coming? That’s right...so it is. We may not have realised it yet, but we’re only about two away months from sitting down to Christmas dinner and its already time to take a look back at the year’s performance. I’m not sure where the time goes, or who’s to blame for the weeks and years that fly by ...

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WE (DON’T) SPEAK YOUR LANGUAGE

Browser warning: some readers may find this article a little too personal. Now the disclaimer’s out of the way, let’s continue. I’ve noticed that our little Portugal is changing. I’m not talking about politics, economics or statistics. This is about communication. The holiday season is the ideal time for days out, travel and for exploring towns and cities, and you notice straight away ...

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WHAT PRICE ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY?

News of the controversial translation of the Brexit White Paper into German has dominated the headlines in recent weeks. The British government decided to use translations of the document in an attempt to bypass contact with the European Commission, and negotiate directly with Member States. This move turned into a blunder, however ...

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YOUR COMPANY IN A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

    Portugal’s participation in the World Cup came to an end last weekend. The Portuguese squad came home earlier than many of us had hoped for, but not before making us believe that it was possible to become the champion. The squad had spent a long time training before getting to Russia, and step by step, won each of the qualifying stages

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MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME

You know that ritual that you instinctively repeat whenever you welcome a visitor to your home? That very first moment when you open the door and invite them in, showing that you’re pleased or honoured to receive them. Then offering them a cup of coffee, or tea, or something else and inviting them to sit down and to make themselves ...

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TRANSLATION IS NOT AND ODD-JOB!

  The notion that anyone with a basic knowledge of foreign language can translate still persists today. Besides this (unfounded) assumption, some people think that with a practically omnipresent Internet connection, translation is classed as one of the activities that any ...

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