Poll: How many words do you translate per hour?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Jul 29, 2005

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many words do you translate per hour?".

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Natalia Zudaire
Natalia Zudaire  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 22:19
Member (2004)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I would like to know Jul 29, 2005

How do those people translate over 500 words an hour?????!!!

Can enyone tell me?


=)



Natalia


 
kimjasper
kimjasper  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 02:19
Member (2006)
English to Danish
+ ...
Translation speed Jul 29, 2005

Natalia Zudaire wrote:

How do those people translate over 500 words an hour?????!!!
Natalia


- Get your source language under your skin: read a lot, speak a lot
- Acquire fast typing skills
- Rehearse researching skills (in at least 3 ways: google, google, and then google...)
- Acquire basic knowledge in as many areas as possible (be curious)
- Use generic computer tools to support your translation work: spreadsheets, documents, databases
- Be effective and efficient communicating with your client / agency (e-mail rather than phone calls and meetings)
- Use specific productivity tools (CAT tools) as much as possible. A 10% productivity gain is 10% today, tomorrow, all of next year etc.
- Bring pre and post translations phases (e.g. proposals, negotiation, research, proofreading) down as much as possible so you can spend 75% of your day on heads down translation


 
Natalia Zudaire
Natalia Zudaire  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 22:19
Member (2004)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Notice Jul 30, 2005

kimjasper wrote:
- Get your source language under your skin: read a lot, speak a lot


I do.

- Acquire fast typing skills


I guess I could be faster.

- Rehearse researching skills (in at least 3 ways: google, google, and then google...)


I do. But I don't trust everything I read on the web, so I back it up sometimes with other sources.

- Acquire basic knowledge in as many areas as possible (be curious)


I am curious, I read a lot about almost everything.

- Use generic computer tools to support your translation work: spreadsheets, documents, databases


I do.

- Be effective and efficient communicating with your client / agency (e-mail rather than phone calls and meetings)


I am.

- Use specific productivity tools (CAT tools) as much as possible. A 10% productivity gain is 10% today, tomorrow, all of next year etc.


I use almost all of them in the most efficient way.

- Bring pre and post translations phases (e.g. proposals, negotiation, research, proofreading) down as much as possible so you can spend 75% of your day on heads down translation


What do you mean? What I understand by you saying this is: don´t spend much time negotiating with the client (How do you manage that? It is not always so easy...), don´t research, just search (??), and skip proofreading?

I translate around 400/500 words per hour, but then I spend the rest of the time rereading my translations. I don´t like to take any risk on delivering something I have not reviewed myself!

BTW, what was your answer to the poll?


Natalia


 
pcovs
pcovs
Denmark
Local time: 02:19
English to Danish
"Practise, man, practise" ;-) Jul 30, 2005

Well, in my case it's a matter of fast typing, the use of CAT tools and .... I get a lot of texts within the same area!

By now, I don't have to do much research for a lot of my jobs, since I have already done this research for previous translations within this area. This helps immensely regarding translation speed.

Also, after a job creating a new TM for the client, I import the translation units into one big TM for my own purpose.
This way I have everything comp
... See more
Well, in my case it's a matter of fast typing, the use of CAT tools and .... I get a lot of texts within the same area!

By now, I don't have to do much research for a lot of my jobs, since I have already done this research for previous translations within this area. This helps immensely regarding translation speed.

Also, after a job creating a new TM for the client, I import the translation units into one big TM for my own purpose.
This way I have everything compiled into one big TM, and I will have the full benefit of all my previous translation work. This really helps a lot.

(For those, who might be wondering: No, I don't copy a TM, which was sent from the client, since this is the client's property, as I understand it!)


Anyway, it's not about who's faster, it's about delevering a good translation
Collapse


 
Natalia Zudaire
Natalia Zudaire  Identity Verified
Argentina
Local time: 22:19
Member (2004)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I agree. Jul 30, 2005

PCovs wrote:

Anyway, it's not about who's faster, it's about delevering a good translation



 
Eva Blanar
Eva Blanar  Identity Verified
Hungary
Local time: 02:19
English to Hungarian
+ ...
1000+ words/ HOUR?! Jul 30, 2005

Come on...

 


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Poll: How many words do you translate per hour?






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