There are many ways to translate a document, but professional translators need to maintain quality and so use translation tools to productionize the translation process (repetition and continuous improvement of the same process).
Here, we discuss five key translation tools:
- Trados CAT tool to import documents and translate source to target.
- GT4T to provide a draft machine translation
- Dragon Naturally Speaking to dictate target translation
- RWS Text to Speech (TTS) to make sure target text sounds right
- Antidote to correct spelling, grammar, and readability
The Translation process
These are guidelines rather than formal steps, although they can be followed in chronological order.
- Import documents into Trados
- Produce a draft translation with GT4T
- Dictate as necessary, with voice input
- Go through checking, validating key terms against your Terms Database
- Check for grammar and style with Antidote
- Read back and voice playback during proofing with TTS
The objective here is to translate the source document to target. Trados presents the source document in two columns, one source and the other the target.
You can then complete the translation from source to target and export the target document translated with all the formatting of the source document.
Machine Translation
Now, machine translation technology using GT4T can apply machine translation to your source in Trados. The result is never adequate and requires either manual retranslation or extensive proofreading. This is where the other tools come in handy, such as TTS to read back, Antidote to check form.
Voice playback
Text to Speech uses Microsoft Cognitive Services allows you to generate, within Trados, a voice playback of the source or the target in quite a good voice (not so electronic).
This is a real help when trying to consider whether a target translation is adequate, whether it sounds right, and whether it is technically a good representation of the source.
Having a voice playback is especially helpful if it is in your local language variant (in my case English UK). A voice playback helps to determine whether the target sounds right. You always have your eye on the source and can also playback the source in audio voice.
Trados the core translation tool
Trados will import any document, although I recommend converting PDFs to Word first. The example below is a passage from a document already translated. On the left is the source in French, on the right is the translated English text.
Once the translation is finished, you can simply generate the target translated document and Trados will reconstruct the document in the target language but with all the same formatting as the source document: paragraphs, tables, sections, bold italics, text colours and embedded images.
It is an ideal interface in which to work since every document is presented in the same way: source on the left targets to complete on the right. The process is the same each time: inject a source document and automatically generates the target document. This similarity of the process means that you can productionize your translation workflow (repetition and continuous improvement of the same process).
Other Translation Tools
I use the following tools from time to time, to meet specific customer requirements:
- Déjà vu. A good translation tool
- Phrase. I have more than one customer who require translation on Phrase.
- Smartcat is a nice standalone marketplace with online file management
- Café Trans is a local Windows app very nice but ... I went back to Trados
GT4T File Translator
GT4T provides access to translation engines to translate Trados files native. Once ready, this draft translation is then available within Trados for proofreading and correction. A raw machine translation is usually not appropriate, and manual correction is necessary.
Dragon Naturally Speaking
Dragon Naturally Speaking is a speech to text tool to dictate your translation directly into the target language segments in Trados. For it to be effective, you will need a good microphone, a headset, and a reasonable computer.
Antidote grammar checker
Once your draft translation is done, go back and check grammar, style, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, typography, constructions, and readability with Antidote.
Antidote also provides advanced semantic analyses such as identifying phrases using passive voice, over complex and long phrases, repetitions and a whole raft of lexical analysis such as the linguistic origin of terms, semantic fields, tenses, uses of gender.
Final export from Trados
Once your translation is confirmed and checked, you can generate the target document from Trados, which will simply be in the target language but with all the formatting and images retained from the source.