Question The paths of translators.

I have totally seen #5 here on nuf.

 

I tried to be #1 once and i never finished translating... Due to sever migraine.(jk)
So now I'm a #2. Which means i have to translate one paragraph manually, mtl the same paragraph, doubt self and the mtl, use another mtl and mtl the same paragraph then doubt more, then ask for a help from a friend and vice versa.

Wow I'm exposing myself. ＿|￣|○

 

Been doing #1 since I started. Honestly, you get faster over time. When I first started, took me three hours for a 3k chapter. But I managed to reduce that to 1hr even sub-1 hour after about a year. Been tling for 4-5 years I think, and I still find that I prefer #1, I tried #2 before, but ended up taking much more take than I do with #1. With #2 I had to stop and think and compare, which also makes it more mentally tiring for me too. With #1 it just flows automatically. As it is, typing speed is my current limiter.

I suppose if I get used to #2, I could be faster. But I feel that the translations lose character. Like missing the tler's style. But still #2 is legit, each to their own as long as the meaning comes out accurately without all the literal tls.

 

Wow, that's fast. May I ask how many 3k chapters you can manage on a typical day?

 

Sorry, can you also clarify. 3k charas? or 3k english words? if it's 3k english words in an hour, color me impressed. if it's 3k charas, then probably more or less expected of proficient translators.

 

For me I guess I used 75% no 2 and 25% no 1 (depending on kanjis I am familiar with).
Took me around 3 hours to do 2k chapter.
I think if you can read japanese fluently, it will take less time. Can read same raw chapter(2k) in around 20-30 minutes but when you wanna type it out, words just jumble out.
For me I wanna reach the realm of no 1 as it is indeed quite efficient, you don't need to switch between tabs and etc just read and type.
*though as far as my experience goes, it's only around 3 months and my tl still suck without editor.

 

as someone who’s not very good in english literature (i sub korean variety shows often and do novel tl-ing only for fun, my job doesnt require me to use english at all), i do this too, mtl is open for sentences that i’m not sure if my english translation makes sense or not hahahaha

 

#1. I translate liberally, though. I read the novel first to gain an understanding of what the author is trying to portray, so I have a better idea of how to word sentences according to each character's personality. As most raws are not edited unless the author is super popular in which they have an editor assigned to them, some details are quite repetitive so I cross them out.

 

If you do, just report it. It's against the rules isn't it?

 

I'm rather lazy. I get through about 2-3 a day. Honestly, it does get straining after a while. So even if I have the time, might not have the mental capacity.

Well, I'm not impressing you then. Haha. Still nice to know that Im hitting the expectation of proficient translators. Its usually 3k+ Chinese characters. which does work out to be 2k+ eng. I did cover 3k+ Chinese characters is about 40-45 mins before. But that's more my record pace.

 

#1

Depending on what kind of text you're translating I suppose, but MTL is just pure garbage at handling humour for example.
I like the idea of CAT and translation memory, but the tools I've seen are too clunky to use. You spend more time validating your sentences than you do on the translation, and it feels like you're working for the tool, and not the opposite.

Any recommendation for a good CAT app?

 

#1. I use CAT tool and multiple machine translators but straight-up copy-pasting the best translation of a sentence or passage among them is not enough to provide quality work, especially in terms of structure. Additionally, I don't want to get repeatedly pinged for our mistakes and typos channel, so a polished job is a must.

I also don't want to be whipped by a certain Overlord.