Making the Translator's Tough Job Easier

By D Sarig

Translation is a difficult field. Translators are often required to develop an expertise in the subject matter they are translating. It is common to find translators working under tight schedules, and occasionally required to adhere to their customer's writing standard, which is at times problematic.

Translation is a process of continuous selection. The translator chooses from vocabulary alternatives and from various grammar structures, in order to find the words and syntax that best fit the source text. This has to be done while being true to the meaning and language style of the source, and at the same time create the impression that the target language text was originally written in that language.

This indeed is a complex task. It requires excellent language skills, it requires knowledge of the translated subject matter, and it requires a sense of understanding about the required style for the final material.

But there is more to it than that. More and more translators are now required to translate web pages. Unlike standard text translation, web page translation involves additional complexity. The visualization of the original web page with all of its links, add another complexity dimension to the translation challenge. A simple sentence such as "New to this service? Sign up for free", where the words "Sign up" are a link, could become a translation challenge for some languages.

The order of the elements in the sentence may vary between language, so the translator is now required to modify the HTML web design because the link may need to appear at the beginning or the end and not in the middle.

Website translation involves three disciplines: The content writer, the translator, and the web designer. This makes the translation challenge even more difficult, as it entails another level of dependency and collaboration.

New services are available, including one at lingotip.com, which provides translators the means to create multilingual content without a need for web design skills. It enables translators to receive website HTML content, and allows them to provide translation in HTML format, keeping the original visualization constraints. This mechanism creates new job opportunities for freelance translators enabling them to provide a complete translation service, including website content translation.

D. Sarig http://www.lingotip.com - multilingual blogging and embedding & freelance translation portal.